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Hoch claims first title for four years

Scott Hoch reeled off three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine Sunday to emerge from a packed leaderboard and capture the Greater Greensboro Classic. Hoch bogeyed the 72nd hole but held for a one-stroke victory over Brett Quigley and Scott Simpson.

Hoch posted a four-day total of 16-under-par 272 for his ninth win since joining the PGA Tour in 1980. It was also his first title since the 1997 Greater Milwaukee Open -- a span of 95 events.

Quigley, looking to join Paul Stankowski as the only players to follow up a win on the Buy.com Tour with a PGA Tour victory a week later, collected three birdies and an eagle for a final-round 67. He finished at 15-under 273 with Simpson, who missed all of the 2000 season with a badly broken ankle.

Simpson, the first-round leader after an opening 66, carded a bogey-free 68 on Sunday. The 1987 U.S. Open winner was in search of his first triumph since 1998.

Hoch was critical of the set-up of the Forest Oaks Country Club before the tournament, complaining that the shortened rough failed to place a premium on accurate driving, which is the strength of his game. But Hoch managed to get past his hard feelings to post back-to-back 68s before grabbing a one-shot, third-round lead with a five-under 67.

Hoch was slow to start Sunday with six straight pars but made it to 14-under after knocking his approach to three feet for a birdie at the seventh.

After adding a four-foot birdie at the 11th, Hoch blasted out of a bunker to eight feet at the par-five 13th and rolled in the putt for the outright lead at 16-under par. He soon extended his advantage to two strokes with a 12-foot birdie putt at 14.

He was still was two ahead at the par-four 18th, where he sent his approach over the green. Although he needed a chip and two putts to get down for his lone bogey of the day, Hoch secured the victory and collected the $630,000 winner's share, by far the largest paycheck of his 22-year career.

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