Price gains first win for 4 years

Nick Price no longer has to doubt himself. He can still win on the PGA Tour, and he can do it in a big way.

Making big shots late after looking vulnerable, Price shot a 3-under 67 Sunday in the Colonial for his first victory in four years.

``It feels like it's been 10 years. I didn't think this day was going to come,'' Price said. ``That self-doubt has been cast away now. There's not pressure any more on me to win because I've proven it to myself.''

The 45-year-old player from Zimbabwe finished at 13-under 267, five strokes ahead of David Toms and Kenny Perry.

Price also took a five-stroke lead into the round, but started the back nine just two ahead of Perry and Toms. Price regained control with birdies on Nos. 11, 12 and 14, while his closest competitors gave up strokes.

``I've had six or seven chances in the last two years and for some rhyme of reason something always seemed to go wrong,'' he said.

Not this time, even after consecutive bogeys to negate birdies on the first two holes.

After a three-putt at No. 5, Price's drive at the 393-yard sixth hole plugged just below the lip in a fairway bunker. He then hit his drive at No. 7 into the right rough.

``I had a chat with myself walking down No. 7,'' he said. ``I said, `I'm not going to make any more mistakes. That's it. I'm just going to make birdies and pars.' And I did. Sometimes you just reach deep down.''

It was the 17th PGA Tour win for Price, but his first since the 1998 FedEx St. Jude Classic and the biggest career payday on the tour at $774,000. He also won the Colonial in 1994, when he was the world's No. 1 player and also won the British Open and PGA Championship.

Toms (66) and Perry (67) tied for second at 8 under and got $378,400 each. Dudley Hart, after his second 65 in three days, was fourth at 7 under.

After Price drove into a fairway bunker and found the rough on the 609-yard 11th hole, he sank a 35-foot birdie putt. He then made another long birdie putt on the 433-yard 12th.

Price two-putted for par on the 178-yard 13th and then put the tournament out of reach, getting to 13 under with a chip-in birdie on the 457-yard 14th after he pitched his second shot over the green.

``When I made par on 13 and saw what happened in front of me, I knew I just had to stay upright the last five holes,'' Price said.

Toms had gotten to 9 under with a birdie putt from the fringe at No. 13, but then had a double bogey at No. 15, where his second shot at the 430-yard hole found the bunker and he blasted out over the green.

``I knew it was pretty much over with,'' Toms said. ``It was the first bunker I've plugged all week and it was actually on a solid shot. It was just bad timing.''

Perry, who also got to 9 under after a birdie at the 12th, gave that stroke back after his first two shots at the 14th found the rough.

``I thought I had a shot, but Nick just kept making birdies,'' Perry said. ``He was cruising.''

Price appeared in trouble at No. 8, when he stubbed his shot off the fringe at the 192-yard hole and was well left of the hole. But he managed to save par.

At No. 9, Price had his left leg raised and his body twisted, trying to will a long putt into the hole, but the birdie attempt lipped out. Another birdie attempt at No. 10 slid past the hole before his tournament-clinching stretch.

Hart could have been closer if not for a triple bogey and three double bogeys this week. After dropping to 2 under with a his last double bogey, at the 402-yard ninth hole, he had five birdies on his last nine holes.

``I made 14 birdies the last two rounds and only shot 5 under, so it was a roller-coaster,'' Hart said. ``Get rid of some of those holes, and you never know.''

Davis Love III and Phil Tataurangi were both at 274, a stroke ahead of Tom Watson, in his only PGA Tour event except the Masters so far this year. Second-round co-leader Esteban Toledo, Stuart Appleby, Jonathan Byrd and Steve Flesch tied for eighth, nine strokes back.

Appleby shot a 64, his first subpar round this week, for his first top-10 finish after missing five of the previous 12 cuts. He had six birdies in his last 11 holes.

The tournament had been decided the previous two years by closing 63s. Sergio Garcia overcame a five-stroke deficit to Phil Mickelson last year for his first PGA Tour win, a year after Mickelson's final-round 63 allowed him to come back from seven strokes down on the final nine.

Garcia didn't even make the cut at 10 over through the first two rounds, and Mickelson finished 13 strokes behind Price after his closing 67.

Only five-time winner Ben Hogan has more than two Colonials, and the only other players to win twice were Corey Pavin, Bruce Lietzke, Al Geiberger, BenCrenshaw, Billy Casper and Julius Boros.

Divots

Tournament officials said Sunday that Bank of America would replace MasterCard as title sponsor, beginning next year. ... Watson finished in the top 10 at Colonial for the 11th time in 24 appearances. He won in 1988. ... Price has earned $1.6 million this year, his tour-record ninth $1 million season. He also moved over the $16 million mark in career earnings. ... Price was the only player with four subpar rounds. ... First-round leader Bob Estes, who had an opening 65, tied for 23rd at 1-under 279. ... Toms has three straight top-10 finishes this year, and three straight top 10s at theColonial.

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