So much for the Big 5 this weekend

Gxgolfer · May 16, 2005

IRVING, Texas (AP) - Ted Purdy made sure this one didn't get away from him.

Heartbroken by two close calls last year, Purdy had a birdie putt on every hole and closed with a 5-under 65 to win the Byron Nelson Championship on Sunday for his first PGA Tour victory.

The tournament began with hype over the Big Five playing together for only the third time this year. The trophy went to Purdy, ranked No. 173 in the world, who played methodical golf for a one-shot victory over Sean O'Hair.

"I played flawlessly today," Purdy said. "I won on the PGA. That's been my dream my whole life. I've been all over the world, but this is the pinnacle, especially this tournament."

He took his seat next to Byron Nelson, the 93-year-old host, and collected $1.16 million.

It was an impressive performance by O'Hair, the 22-year-old rookie whose father treated him like a commodity and pushed him to turn pro at age 17, a year before he finished high school.

O'Hair, who started the day with a one-shot lead, was within one shot of the lead until he hit into a bunker at No. 14 and failed to save par. He birdied two of the last three holes for a 68 and earned $669,600, assuring the Q-school grad his card for next year and showing that he has the game to achieve greater things.

"I'm really proud of myself, and I'm really happy for Ted," O'Hair said. "I learned a lot as far as what it takes to win. It's not always about making birdies. Sometimes, it's about making pars, and I made too many bogeys."

Purdy finished at 15-under 265, and his 65 matched the lowest final round by a winner since the tournament moved to the TPC at Las Colinas in 1986. It was last done by John Cook in 1998.

Vijay Singh finished strong as always, with an ace on 195-yard 17th hole with a 7-iron, and a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 65. He tied for third, going over $5 million for the third straight year.

Singh needed to finish alone in third to replace Tiger Woods at No. 1 in the world, although they could swap positions the next two weeks when neither are playing.

Bob Tway (67) and Doug Barron (69) also tied for third, with each dropping a shot over the final two holes. British Open champion Todd Hamilton, who played a practice round with O'Hair early in the week and was paired with him in the final round, had consecutive double bogeys to start the back nine and closed with a 74.

Purdy showed promise last year with two runner-up finishes that haunted him.

At the MCI Heritage, he blew a four-shot lead in the final round and then lost in a five-hole playoff to Stewart Cink. Then at the B.C. Open, he had a 3-foot par putt to force a playoff to Jonathan Byrd and missed it badly to the left, dropping his putter in disgust.

His best finish this year was a tie for 20th, and he was a forgotten figure on tour, especially this week at Las Colinas with the top five players in the field.

But he was close to perfect under steamy, sunny skies on the outskirts of Dallas. Purdy holed birdie putts of 25 feet on No. 6 to take the lead and 30 feet on No. 8 to take control. Down the stretch, he wasn't close to making a mistake, reaching the par-5 16th in two shots for a routine birdie that extended his lead to three shots.

O'Hair thought this might be his day.

Along with his wife, their parents and his 3-month-old child, his mother and sister flew in from Florida for the final round to watch what they all expected to one day see - the kid with a polished swing winning on the PGA Tour.

The only one missing was his father, Marc O'Hair, with whom Sean severed ties two years ago after the father pushed him relentlessly to be a star, even making him run a mile for every bogey he made.

O'Hair held up nicely under the pressure, scrambling out of bunkers and the rough, just not enough.

Purdy now becomes part of a trivia answer, joining Steve Jones (1997 Canadian Open) and Phil Mickelson (1998 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am) as the only players to win a PGA Tour event where Woods failed to make the cut.

Ernie Els (No. 3) birdied four of his last five holes for a 66 to tie for 10th, while the other member of the Big Five still around on the weekend, Phil Mickelson (No. 4), shot 67 and tied for 14th.