MEMPHIS, Tennessee, 1 June 2004 — David Toms capped his battle back from a wrist injury with a six-shot victory Sunday in the St. Jude Classic, becoming just the third player to defend a title here. Toms carded a two-over-par 73 to coast to victory in the $4.7 million event.
The 37-year-old American picked up $846,000 and his 10th career PGA title. He joined Dave Hill (1969-70) and Lee Trevino (1971-72) as the only repeat winners at the event.
"It was a great week for me," said Toms, whose margin of victory matched the largest on tour this year. "I came here hoping (to play well) but my results lately haven't been very good. This makes me feel a lot better about my golf game, about myself."
While Toms became the fourth multi-winner at this event, it marked the second time in his career that he has repeated as champion at an event. He won the Michelob Championship in 2000-01. After winning just once in his first six years on tour, Toms has won nine times since 1999, including the 2001 PGA Championship. He surpassed $17 million in career earnings and ranks ninth all-time in that category.
Toms began the day with a seven-stroke lead, and had an up-and-down round with five bogeys and three birdies. His 72-hole score of 268 was six shots better than Bob Estes and nine ahead of Steve Lowery and Tim Herron.
"Even though I was a couple over par today, I felt like I was still pretty much in control of what I was doing," Toms said.
Toms got out to a big lead with three straight rounds in the 60s, including Friday's bogey-free 63 that matched his best round of this year, in which he has been slowed by a wrist injury. Another satisfied competitor Sunday was Stewart Cink, who tied for fifth and secured a spot in the US Open.
Estes carded a 69 but was just one-under over his final 13 holes. He did drop a birdie at his final hole to stand alone in second place.
Lowery had a bogey-free 67 while Herron bogeyed the 18th, costing himself a tie for second.
Sorenstam Wins Corning Classic
In Corning, New York, Annika Sorenstam fired a four-under-par 68 Sunday to win Corning Classic, her third victory in six starts on the LPGA tour this season.
Sorenstam started the day one stroke behind Michelle Estill, but her 18-under total of 270 gave her the victory two shots ahead of Estill and fellow American Vicki Goetze-Ackerman.
"I'm very, very pleased. What can I say more than I love to win," said Sorenstam, who captured the 51st LPGA title of her career but clearly has an appetite for more. "It's a thrill to have a chance to win on Sunday."
That was a thrill Sorenstam missed out on at this time last year, when she was making headlines playing in The Colonial on the PGA Tour but missed the cut.
After a birdie at the par-five second hole, Sorenstam surrendered shots with bogeys at the par-three third and the par-four sixth before kickstarting her round with a nine-foot birdie putt at the par-four ninth. She picked up another shot at the 10th, where she knocked a sand wedge to three feet, and birdied the remaining two par fives - the 12th and 14th - and finally cemented her lead with an eight-foot birdie putt at the par-four 16th.
Sorenstam had one more shaky moment, putting her drive into the trees at 17 but escaping with a par.
