Edwards gains first Tour win after 11 years

Joel Edwards erased 11 years of doubt in an impressive way.

Edwards shot a 6-under-par 65 in today's final round to win the Air Canada Championship by seven strokes and match the tournament record at 19-under.

``It's a moment in your life when all the doubt there is just washed away,'' Edwards said after collecting $612,000 to nearly double his season earnings. ``It's something you think about for a long, long time. I started when I was 14 and I've been playing for 25 years and I've always dreamed of this.''

In 11 years on the PGA Tour, the 39-year-old from Irving, Texas had never led after 54 holes, let alone win. His best career finish was a tie for second at the 1992 B.C. Open, and this year he had done no better than fifth at the Honda Classic in March.

That all changed with four straight birdies on the back nine today.

``Those four in a row were just huge,'' said Edwards, the fifth first-time winner in the six-year history of the tournament. ``When you get nervous you just want to be as aggressive as possible. I felt comfortable with every club in my bag and I knew I was just playing well.''

Edwards started his birdie run at No. 12 and when it ended he was 19-under. He bogeyed No. 16, but made up for it with a perfect second shot over the water on the tough par-4 18th that left him inside 3 feet.

``The only way I could lose was if I kept dunking it in the water, which crossed my mind,'' he said. ``I asked my caddie coming down 18 `What kind of lead have we got?' He just started laughing. I said `Does that mean it's more than two? He said `Yeah.'''

He made the putt on 18 for a share of the tournament record set by Mark Calcavecchia in 1997 and matched by Brandel Chamblee the following year. It was the most lopsided win ever at the Vancouver event and matched the second largest margin of victory on the PGA Tour this year.

Conditions eased a little at the 7,069-yard Arnold-Palmer designed Northview Golf and Country Club as the wind remained calm and the greens stayed soft after rain Friday night. The long rough, however, continued to wreak havoc, but not on Edwards, who only missed seven fairways all week.

``For his first win to go out there and be 6-under today, that's great,'' said Steve Lowery, who rebounded from a disastrous finish on Saturday with a 66 that left him alone in second at 12-under. ``He made some good shots early and made some birdies to free himself up. The guy has been playing for so long. It's tough to come out here and not win in your whole career.''

Edwards had a share of the lead after an opening-round 65. He took it alone with a 67 on Friday and increased his lead to three shots with a third-round 68.

After a birdie on No. 1, Edwards had his first bogey in 47 holes on the 590-yard, par-5 4th. That dropped his lead to two strokes over Fred Funk, but Edwards recovered with birdies on No. 7 and 8.

``When I made that bogey, it kind of calmed me,'' Edwards said. ``I just said to myself `You don't have anything to lose. Just don't look too far ahead.'''

Funk shot a 70 to finish tied with 23-year-old Matt Kuchar (67) at 11-under.

Kevin Sutherland shot a final-round 67 to finish tied with Brent Geiberger and David Gossett at 10-under. Grant Waite started the day alone in second, three shots behind Edwards, but a 1-over 72 left him in a group of eight players at 9-under.

Lowery, who finished third at the PGA Championship two weeks ago, had eight birdies and a share of the lead after 16 holes Saturday, but played the last two holes at 5-over par to finish with a 68.

Divots: Edwards' three-stroke lead was the largest ever on the last day of the ACC. In 1997 Edwards shot a course-record 62 at Northview in the final round of the ACC, but that record was broken by Scott McCarron's 61 in 1999. In his previous two appearances at the ACC, Edwards tied for 12th in 1997 and 13th last year. ... Brett Quigley finished tied for eighth at 9-under, but he had plenty to say about Lowery's omission from the U.S. Ryder Cup team after the two played together Saturday. He was more upset that Lowery, who never got a courtesy call from Ryder Cup captain Curtis Strange. ``I can't believe Curtis never considered or never gave him a courtesy phone call,'' Quigley said. ``Steve Lowery is certainly one of the best players we've got on tour. I don't understand how Curtis Strange didn't pick Steve Lowery for the Ryder Cup.''

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