Dudley Hart wins in exciting finish

The biggest names in golf skipped the Honda Classic, and they missed a wild finish today.

There was a four-way tie with two holes to play, then a 30-foot putt that hung on the lip for 15 seconds before falling in, then a one-stroke penalty after the round ended.

The most excitement was generated by Dudley Hart, who birdied the final four holes to overcome a three-shot deficit for his second PGA Tour title.

Hart, who lives 20 minutes from the TPC at Heron Bay course, pleased the gallery by playing the final 10 holes in 6-under par. He shot 65 to finish at 19-under 269, one stroke ahead of Kevin Wentworth and J.P. Hayes.

"It's gratifying that I played well in front of all my family and friends," said Hart, who earned $522,000. "When you're trying to get tickets for everybody and show them a good time, there can be a lot of distractions. I'm glad I was able to put it all aside."

His round was over before Hart became aware of one potential distraction involving a putt by Brian Gay on No. 17.

Gay, bidding for his first tour title, appeared to tie Hart for the lead when his 30-foot putt from the fringe sat on the lip, then fell into the cup. But on the final hole, Gay three-putted from 75 feet for his first bogey since Friday.

After the round ended, PGA Tour rules official Slugger White assessed Gay a one-stroke penalty at No. 17 because of the delay before the putt fell in. That left Gay tied with Jim Furyk in fourth place at 17-under.

The penalty resulted from rule 16-2, which states that when the ball overhangs the lip, it is considered at rest 10 seconds after the player reaches the hole. If the ball falls in after that, the player is assessed a one-stroke penalty.

White viewed television replays with Gay and determined that the ball fell into the cup at least 13 seconds after Gay walked up to the hole. He stood over the ball, waving his index finger as he coaxed it into the cup.

Gay noted that he could have avoided a penalty by walking more slowly to the hole, thus giving the ball more time to fall in before the 10-second rule took effect.

"Personally I think it's a huge gray area," Gay said. "There's a lot more leeway than three seconds, and it was a pretty important stroke for me. ... Both of the guys I was playing with thought I was fine."

Because the penalty dropped Gay from second place to fourth, it cost him $88,933 -- more than he made all of last year.

With 24 of the world's 30 top-ranked players skipping the tournament, unfamiliar names dominated the leaderboard all week. But the contenders played well down the stretch, and Hart played the best.

A strong wind that blew for most of the tournament died down as the leaders reached the final few holes, and Hart took advantage. Playing in the next-to-last threesome, he made a 20-foot putt at No. 17 to tie Gay and Wentworth for the lead, then sank a 3-footer at No. 18.

The only other PGA Tour victory for Hart, 31, came in the 1996 Canadian Open. He said the win was especially gratifying because his father is recovering from recent surgery.

"Dad, I'm keeping this trophy," he said with a grin. "You got the first one."

Wentworth, who had made only one cut in six previous tournaments this year, shot 65 but couldn't hold his brief lead. Hayes, the leader after the second and third rounds, struggled to a final-round 70.

Furyk, who came from six strokes behind with seven holes left to win the Doral-Ryder Open last week, played the final six holes today in 3-under and shot 67. He nearly holed out from a trap for birdie at No. 18.

DIVOTS: Davis Love III, the top-ranked player in the field, tied the course record with an 8-under 64 and finished at 12-under. ... Not too colorful: The final threesome of Gay, Hayes and Jonathan Kaye all wore white shirts. ... Because of the changing wind direction, club selection on the 222-yard No. 15 ranged from a 4-wood to a 6-iron. ... Mike Hulbert finished at 12-under to earn his first check this year. He had missed the cut in all six previous tournaments. ... Casey Martin, who rode a cart after winning an appellate court ruling last week, couldn't capitalize on an opening 66. He shot 75 today and finished at 5-under.

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