Quinn wins seasons opener

Fran Quinn fired a final-round five-under 66 on Sunday to win the Florida Classic, the first stop on the 2000 Buy.com (formerly Nike) Tour schedule. He finished the event with a four-day total of 13-under 271, three strokes ahead of his closest pursuer, Mark Hensby.

The win was Quinn's second on the Buy.com Tour in as many years, having also won the Dakota Dunes Open last year.

The 34-year-old Quinn has won three consecutive tournaments, including the Thailand Open and the Omega PGA Championship at the end of the 1999 Asian PGA Tour season.

Quinn began the day trailing Hensby by three strokes and wasted no time getting started as he birdied the first hole. A bogey by Hensby on the same hole cut the lead to one. Quinn chipped away at the lead by adding birdies on the second, sixth and ninth holes. When Hensby parred the ninth, the two golfers were tied heading to the back side.

"It was a terrific putt (on nine). It was a big-breaking putt about 4 1/2 feet of break and made it right into the middle," said Quinn, who finished the front nine at four-under-par 31.

Quinn took a one-shot lead after Hensby's second bogey of the day on the 11th hole and added another stroke to the lead with a birdie on the 12th hole. The golfers traded pars on 13 and birdies on 14 as the lead stayed at two. Quinn bogeyed the 15th hole and the lead was cut to one.

Moving to the 16th, Hensby landed his approach shot in the rough. He chipped up to seven feet, but missed the chance at an up-and-down and the lead was once again two as Quinn parred the hole.

Quinn faced his toughest challenge of the day when his drive off the 17th tee went into the left bunker.

"I drove it in the left bunker up by the lip and I did not think that I could really get it to advance up by the green and I hit a great shot, but I pushed it right.

"Then I hit a brilliant flop shot down to about six feet and made it," said Quinn. "That was really a huge putt".

Hensby picked a bad time to to record his first above-par round of the week.

"I figured if I shot two-under, I would have a chance. (Quinn) just really played great. He did not hit too many bad shots. He got off to a great start and I didn't," Hensby said. "I just couldn't make any important putts at the right time. He definitely played better."

Ryuji Imada fired a final-round six-under-par 65 to tie the tournament course record set by seven others during last year's inaugural Florida Classic. Imada had the biggest move of the final round as he jumped from a tie for 59th to a tie for 26th, and finished with a one-under 283 for the tournament.

The Buy.com Tour heads to the Grasslands Golf and Country Club in Lakeland, Florida next week for the Lakeland Classic to be played February 10-13.

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