Sutherland holds on for narrow victory

David Sutherland won his first event following shoulder surgery, shooting an even-par 72 Sunday for a one-stroke victory in the Buy.com Tour's Utah Classic.

Sutherland holed a 97-yard sand wedge shot for an eagle on the par-4 13th and birdied No. 17 to hold off Danny Briggs on the Willow Creek Country Club course.

``It was a wild weekend and I couldn't have played more of an inconsistent round,'' said Sutherland, who had the eagle, three birdies and five bogeys. ``I would rather win on the Buy.com Tour than finish second on the PGA Tour. A win is a win.''

He escaped trouble to birdie the par-5 12th hole. After hitting his drive into the trees, he hit a driver from the rough and two-putted for the birdie.

``That was the biggest shot of my career,'' he said.

Sutherland, who finished with a 16-under 272 total, earned $76,500 for his first Buy.com Tour title. He opened with rounds of 63 and 64 to take a six-stroke lead, but shot a 73 on Saturday to drop into a tie with Briggs.

The PGA Tour member has been granted a medical exemption for 2002, and is allowed to play five Buy.com Tour events without affecting his PGA Tour status. He withdrew from the PGA Tour's Tucson Open in January after an opening 72, his only competitive round of the year before this week.

Briggs closed with a 73. He double-bogeyed the par-3 15th after hitting his 8-iron tee shot into the water.

``It just wasn't clicking,'' he said. ``It wasn't nerves, I was just trying to hit good shots and it wasn't happening.''

Jason Hill (66) and Australia's Rod Pampling (69) tied for third at 274.

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