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Garcia wins second title in 5 weeks

Spain's Sergio Garcia posted a four-under 67 on Monday to win the Buick Classic by three shots at 16-under 268. Scott Hoch finished alone in second at minus-13.

With the victory, Garcia joined Tiger Woods and Joe Durant as the only players to post multiple wins on the PGA Tour in 2001. The 21-year-old Garcia became the first player born in the 1980s to win a PGA Tour event when he titled at the Colonial five weeks ago.

Billy Andrade (66), Stewart Cink (67) and J.P. Hayes (69) tied for third at 11-under par, one shot ahead of Vijay Singh and Brad Faxon, who each posted rounds of four-under 67 on Monday.

Heavy rain on Saturday washed away play and forced the Monday finish. It was the sixth event to be pushed into the work week this season, joining the Tucson Open, The Players Championship, the Worldcom Classic, Kemper Open and last week's U.S. Open.

Woods never made a serious run on Monday. He finished with an even-par 71 to complete the tournament at four-under par, 12 shots back in a tie for 16th.

"You can't play good every week, but what you can do is try," said Woods, who after last week's tie for 12th at the U.S. Open, has finished out of the top-10 in consecutive starts for the first time in 26 months. "I tried on every shot. It really wasn't there. There's not more I can do about that. I know my mechanics are a little bit off. It puts a huge strain on you when you have to rely on feel because your mechanics aren't where they need to be."

Garcia came into Monday's final round with a two-shot lead over Hoch but the margin was cut in half after Garcia three-putted the second green for bogey.

The young Spaniard reclaimed his two-shot lead with a 10-foot birdie at the third but Hoch fired back. At the fourth, Hoch drained a 12-foot birdie putt from left of the hole and followed with a five-foot birdie at the fifth to tie Garcia at the top of the leaderboard.

Garcia drove into the left rough at the seventh hole but played his second shot three feet from the hole to set up birdie and regain a one-shot edge. Both players parred the eighth and when Garcia missed a six-foot birdie at nine, Hoch was still within one.

The short par-four 10th looked to give Garcia the advantage as he nailed his tee shot on to the putting surface. Hoch did not have the length to reach the green in one but nestled his approach three feet left of the hole. Garcia's lag putt from 40 feet below the hole left him a longer putt than Hoch's, but both players converted their birdie efforts to keep the one-shot difference.

Last year, Garcia walked on the 11th tee with a three-shot lead over the field but hooked his tee shot into the woods left of the fairway. He took a double- bogey on the hole and missed a playoff with eventual champion Dennis Paulson and David Duval by one shot.

On Sunday, Garcia once again visited the trees on the left but was able to hook an approach shot onto the green. Garcia had no problem on Monday as he blew a three-wood down the fairway. He two-putted from 25 feet to save par and remain one shot ahead.

At 13, Hoch played his second shot 18 feet short of the hole but watched as Garcia played a nine-iron within inches of the hole. Hoch missed his birdie left and Garcia tapped in to push the lead to two.

Both players looked in good shape to make birdie at the short par-three 14th, with Garcia inside of five feet and Hoch seven feet from the stick. Neither player capitalized and both walked away with pars.

The lead remained at two until the par-five 18th. Hoch, down by two, took aim at the flag but pushed his fairway metal right into the rough. Garcia safely knocked an iron onto the green 35 feet away. Hoch's chip flew 15 feet past the hole while Garcia nearly won with the flare fans have become accustomed to, but his eagle try stopped on the right edge. Hoch two-putted for par while Garcia tapped in for birdie and a three-shot win.

The win was Garcia's fourth as a professional, now with two in the U.S. and two on the European Tour. He became the second Spaniard to win the event, as he joined Seve Ballesteros in the winner's circle at this event.

"It was unbelievable week," said Garcia, who pocketed $630,000 for the win. "I was trying to make every putt I had. Today could have been so low -- I played so well today"

Hoch carded a three-under 68 Monday and earned his seventh top-10 finish of the season.

Woods opened with a pair of bogeys at his first two holes to end any chance of staging his largest comeback on the PGA Tour. He said he will play only once from now until the British Open in mid-July, that at the Western Open in two weeks.

"Nothing's the matter, I just don't want to play," said Woods. "I just need a little time off."

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