IRVING, Texas, 18 May 2004 — Spain’s Sergio Garcia won the Byron Nelson Championship on Sunday after holing a short par putt on the first playoff hole to hold off the challenge of Robert Damron and Dudley Hart.
Garcia, whose last win on the US PGA Tour was in the 2002 Mercedes Championships, was the 54-hole leader by two shots but managed only a one-over-par 71 in finishing on 10-under 270 along with Damron and Hart.
In the playoff Garcia drove into the first cut of rough at the 18th, and his approach came up some 40 feet shy of the pin. His first putt stopped about two feet short but he calmly rolled the ball in for victory and a check for $1,044,000.
Hart made a mess of the 18th hole with a drive into the left rough followed by an approach into thick rough over the green. After moving the ball only a few feet with his pitch, he needed three more shots to get down for a double-bogey six.
Damron found the fairway off the tee and struck his approach on to the green but 50 feet from the pin. He left his putt only three feet from the hole.
With both Garcia and Damron looking at what appeared to be sure pars, Damron, a fidgety player who usually takes a great deal of time with each shot, quickly stepped up and struck his second putt without taking a practice stroke.
The ball finished nowhere near the hole and he tapped in for bogey. World No. 1 Tiger Woods had another bad day driving the ball but still managed to shoot a 69 to finish one stroke out of the playoff in joint fourth with Tim Herron and Duffy Waldorf. South Africa’s Ernie Els, the world No. 3, carded a 67 and tied for seventh on 272 with Zimbabwe’s Nick Price, Japan’s Shigeki Maruyama and Australian Stephen Leaney.
Ochoa Claims First LPGA Tour Victory
In Franklin, Tennessee, Lorena Ochoa claimed her first LPGA Tour victory Sunday, feeding off the emotions from her brother’s accomplishment to survive a scary finish and win the Franklin Championship.
A 22-year-old from Mexico, Ochoa was more worried about her brother’s attempt to scale Mount Everest than her 54-hole lead Saturday night. She lost plenty of sleep awaiting word of whether Alejandro made it to the summit. Ochoa won in her 39th career start, showing the nerves of a grizzled veteran on the back nine. She birdied 14 and 16 en route to a one-stroke victory over Wendy Ward, then credited her brother.
On the 18th fairway with a three-shot lead, Ochoa watched Ward eagle the closing hole to get within a stroke. Ochoa nearly put her second shot at the par-5 in the lake that fronts the green, but it stayed dry.
Ochoa chipped to the green and two-putted for par to close a four-under 68. Her 72-hole total of 16-under 272 was just good enough to claim the inaugural event.
Only two others were in contention Sunday. Stacy Prammanasudh carded a 67 and finished third at 13-under 275, a stroke better than veteran Pat Hurst. No one else was within seven shots of Ochoa.
