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Estes wins after closing round of 63

Bob Estes has always been known as the kind of player who plods his way around, careful not to take too many chances. He took a big one Sunday with his ball stuck in a desert bush, and came up a winner.

Estes kept his hopes alive by hitting a driver out of a bush for a miracle par on No. 6, then played nearly perfect golf the rest of the way in shooting a 9-under 63 to win the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas.

Estes came from five shots off the lead with a barrage of birdies, but it was the par he made on No. 6 that was critical in beating Tom Lehman and Rory Sabbatini by a stroke for his third career win.

``I don't think anybody can call me conservative anymore,'' Estes said. ``My tournament was one shot away from being over when I hit that shot.''

Estes had made three birdies to get in contention when he hit a 3-wood off the tee into the desert to the left of the sixth fairway. When he got to his ball, he found it perched waist high in the middle of a bush.

If he declared it unplayable and hit another tee shot, he was looking at least at a double-bogey. If he tried to play it, he might whiff or leave it in the bush.

Estes figured his only chance was to give it a try.

``If I was going to have a chance to win the golf tournament I was going to have to try and pull that shot off someway,'' he said. ``I didn't know if I could make contact with the ball or not.''

Estes pulled out his driver, choked up and swung at the bush. The ball dribbled out over the cart path into the rough. From there, he hit a 9-iron under one tree and over another to 45 feet, then made the curling downhill putt for par.

``It was one of the most amazing holes I've played in my life,'' he said. ``I'm not even positive I hit the ball. I think the bush just propelled it forward.''

Estes went on to take the lead for good with a two-putt birdie on 16, taking advantage of a mistake by Lehman on the same hole for his second win of the year.

It was the 17th consecutive round in the 60s for Estes, who played four of five rounds -- including the final two -- without a bogey.

Estes, who won the FedEx St. Jude Classic earlier this year and finished fourth and second in his last two tournaments, finished at 30-under for the five rounds, a shot ahead of Lehman and Sabbatini.

``I'm finding my game,'' Estes said. ``I've always been known for my consistency. Now I'm getting more consistent shooting lower scores.''

Playing in the next-to-last group, Estes birdied nine of his first 16 holes to get the lead, then made two routine pars to win the $810,000 first prize, the biggest cheque of his career.

Lehman stood in the fairway watching Estes two-putt on the par-5 16th for his final birdie, which put him a shot ahead. Lehman had a chance to tie, but hit a 4-iron thin from 218 yards and it landed some 20 yards short of the green in the water.

``It was like the club slipped in my hand,'' Lehman said. ``It was pretty bizarre.''

Lehman managed to salvage par, then missed birdie putts of about 20 feet on the final two holes at TPC at Summerlin to finish with a 66.

``I just didn't play good enough,'' he said. ``You have to tip your hat to someone who shoots 63.''

Scott McCarron, who began the final round three shots ahead of the field, gave all three back with a quirky triple-bogey on No. 4.

McCarron had a 9-iron to the green from the middle of the fairway, but the ball hit a gust of wind and rolled back off the front of the green. He putted up the hill and the ball came back twice before his fifth shot stayed on the green and he two-putted for a 7.

``It's a little disappointing,'' said McCarron, who shot a 71. ``It was a gust of wind, just one of those things.''

Davis Love III finished fourth with a course-record 61, which might have been even better. Love was 10 under for the day and had two possible eagle holes in front of him in the reachable par-4 15th and the par-5 16th.

Love parred both holes, though, before making a birdie on 18 to shoot the course record. It was not a career-low round for Love, who shot a 60 in the 1994 Hawaiian Open.

``When I got to 5-under at the turn I broadened my expectations. I started to think about winning the golf tournament,'' Love said. ``I figured if Ibirdied out I had a shot.''

DIVOTS

Cameron Beckman, who had the longest active streak on tour by making it through Q-school the past three years, shot a 64 and finished in sixth place, the best finish of his career. The finish means he will avoid having to go to Q-school for the fourth straight year. ... Fred Couples, who opened with rounds of 63 and 64, shot a 4-over 76 Sunday and finished tied for 46th. ...John Daly shot a 67 and finished tied for seventh.

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