McRoy claims first PGA Tour victory

Get ready Huntsville, Ala., the McRoys are going to have another bell-ringing celebration and it should be the best one yet.

Spike McRoy came from seven strokes behind Sunday to dart past Shaun Micheel and win the B.C. Open by one stroke over Fred Funk. It was the 34-year-old McRoy's first PGA Tour victory.

His father, Robert McRoy Sr., has a pole in his backyard in Alabama with a bell on top. After every tournament win in Spike McRoy's golf career, another engraved plaque is nailed on the pole and, with family and friends present, the bell is rung to celebrate the achievement.

``It's going to be really cool to see that one go up there,'' McRoy said. ``I know he'll be very proud.''

There are other plaques on the pole marking the Alabama Open, the two Hooters Tour tournaments and the two Buy.Com Tour events McRoy won.

But nothing can match the PGA Tour title, nor the improbable way McRoy won it after he started Sunday so far behind Micheel.

``It's just a funny game like that, you know?'' McRoy said. ``It's so hard to put four solid rounds together, whether you're at Bethpage, the hardest golf course I've every played, or a very scorable course like this.''

McRoy closed with a 7-under 65 on the En-Joie Golf Club course for a 19-under 269 total.

Micheel, who also was seeking his first PGA Tour win, bogeyed the last two holes to fall out of a tie with McRoy and into a five-way tie for third at 17 under.

McRoy rolled in a twisting 31-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to tie Micheel, who started the day at 19 under with a three-shot lead over Paul Gow.

At the same time, Micheel was falling from 19 under to 18 under when he dribbled a shot out of a greenside bunker on the par-3 14th hole and bogeyed. It was the first time since the second round that Micheel had not had at least a share of the lead.

Micheel climbed back into a tie with McRoy with a birdie from 7 1/2 feet at the short par-4 16th. But Micheel was just over the green on the 185-yard, par-3 17th. After chipping within 3 1/2 feet, Micheel pulled his par putt left and never hit the cup.

Needing a birdie to tie, Micheel hit his tee shot on the par-4 18th into the trees right of the fairway, lined his second shot into rough left of the green and could not get close with his chip for birdie. He bogeyed to fall out of second place.

Micheel's 74 followed rounds of 65, 65 and 67. He declined to be interviewed afterward.

McRoy watched his friend's round unravel on television in the press room.

``It was just absolutely miserable,'' McRoy said. ``The most miserable thing about it is I'm watching a buddy of mine that's not having a good day. Here we are, we're battling it out for a golf tournament. Shaun's a great dude and we've played a lot of golf together.''

McRoy's best previous finished in a PGA Tour event was a tie for third in the 2001 Kemper Open.

He had struggled this year, his second consecutive on the PGA Tour, winning $116,954 in the four out of 12 tour events he previously made the cut in. He earned $378,000 with his win Sunday, plus a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

``If you win, you take care of a lot of problems, that's for sure,'' he said.

McRoy's final round included seven birdies and 11 pars. He made only two bogeys over his final three rounds.

Funk, the 1996 winner, also finished second in 1999.

Others tied with Micheel for third at 17 under were Brian Henninger, Robert Gamez, Glen Day and Cliff Kresge, who shot a near-record 10-under 62 Sunday.

Kresge, the Buy.Com Tour's leading money winner, had an eagle, eight birdies and no bogeys. He was one shot off the tournament record of 61, which is shared by Hal Sutton (1995) and Funk (1999)

``I certainly thought a score like this was out there,'' said Kresge, playing in his first PGA Tour event of the year after losing his card in 2001. ``The greens were soft. They were very receptive to shots.''

Divots

McRoy became the 10th first-time winner on the PGA Tour this year ... The largest previous final-round deficit overcome by a B.C. Open winner was five strokes by Hal Sutton in 1995 and Brad Faxon in 1999 ... Kresge started the round tied for 41st and improved 38 places in the final round. ... New York Gov. George Pataki presented the winner's trophy to McRoy. It is in the likeness of one of the B.C. comic strip characters created by Johnny Hart, an Endicott native. ... Gow, playing the final group with Micheel, shot a 73 totie for eighth.

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