Byrd claims first win with closing 63

If the Buick Challenge trophy isn't enough to help Jonathan Byrd remember his first PGA Tour victory, he can look at the bruise his errant tee shot left on his fiancee's back.

Byrd's worst swing of the day hit Amanda Talley just under the left shoulder. Instead of going into the trees, the ball bounced into a favorable lie in the rough. What looked like a par or worse turned into a two-putt birdie on No. 7.

Byrd went on to win by one stroke Sunday, closing with a 9-under 63 to become the 17th first-time winner this year on the PGA Tour.

None of others almost took out a bride-to-be in the process.

"She took one for the team," Byrd said. "She did as much to help me win this tournament as I did."

He didn't need any help when it mattered.

The 24-year-old rookie made five straight putts on the back nine at Callway Gardens, two of them for birdie and all of them from at least 18 feet, and threatened to set the tour's 72-hole scoring record in relation to par.

By the end of the day, he was happy just to win.

David Toms put together a strong rally and had an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole to force a playoff, but it slid over the left edge of the cup. Toms started the final round one stroke out of the lead, shot 65, and it still wasn't enough.

Blame that on Byrd, an appropriate name for the champion of this Buick Challenge, where birdies were falling all over the place. He made 27 birdies and two eagles over four rounds on the rain-softened Mountain View course.

"A first-time winner took it deep on me today," Toms said.

Byrd finished at 27-under 261 and earned $666,000.

"You want it so bad because you always know you can do it," Byrd said. "The greatest thing in the world is to hit great shots when you need them the most."

Phil Mickelson closed with a 63 to finish third at 265.

Along with getting a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, Byrd became the top candidate to be rookie of the year, and moved up to No. 41 on the money list. A strong showing at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic next week might be enough to get into the top 40 and qualify for the Masters.

"My goals for the year were to finish in the top 40 and I wanted to win a tournament," Byrd said. "And now I've won a tournament."

He can thank his fiancee for unknowingly saving Byrd at least one shot on the par-5 No. 7, although she could have done without the black-and-blue memento.

Talley never saw the ball coming when Byrd's drive sailed toward the sparse gallery lining the fairway. It was headed toward a cluster of pine trees, and his only option would have been to pitch sideways back to the fairway.

Thump!

Her knees buckled and she quickly sat down after being hit by the ball. She walked into the woods so Byrd wouldn't see her and shift his focus from winning the tournament.

Too late.

"Did I hit somebody?" Byrd said as he walked toward his ball and saw his fiancee about 30 yards away. Told that she was OK, he smiled sheepishly and said to her, "Thanks."

He cracked a 3-wood onto the green, gave her a hug and a kiss to make sure she was all right, then two-putted for a birdie that gave him a lead he never relinquished.

His putter never gave anyone else a chance.

A 30-foot eagle putt from the fringe on No. 11. An 18-footer for birdie on No. 12, followed by birdie putts of 40 and 25 feet on the next two holes. At one point, Byrd stood frozen on the green, unable to believe so many putts were falling.

It only got better.

On the par-5 15th, he hit a 5-wood from 248 yards to about 40 feet, raising his hand and walking toward the hole as it still had a few more feet to follow.

Chris Smith, playing in the same group, only smiled and said, "Wow!"

"To make two eagles was phenomenal," Byrd said. "I just shut my brain off and kept playing, kept trying to make birdies."

It was only fitting that Byrd played in the same group Sunday with Smith and Craig Parry, two others who hadn't won on the PGA Tour until this year. Previously, the record number of first-time winners was 14 in 1991.

The eagle putt on No. 15 gave Byrd a five-stroke lead, and he allowed himself to think about birdies on the last three holes for a 59. Instead, he hit a 4-iron into the right rough and missed a 6-foot putt, his only bogey of the day. Byrd is getting married Nov. 24. He and Talley shared a cottage this week with Ben Crane, who finished second at the Byron Nelson just before getting married. Talley said Justin Leonard's wife, Amanda, told her "guys seem to play really well right before or right after they get married." ... Jeff Sluman equaled the best round of the tournament, a 62.

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