Mediate claims 5th PGA Tour title

Rocco Mediate fell victim to one record-setting performance by Mark Calcavecchia. He wasn't about to do it again.

Mediate overcame a shaky start and another impressive record by Calcavecchia on Sunday, claiming his fifth career PGA Tour title and second at the Greater Greensboro Classic.

At a place he calls "home away from home," Mediate relinquished a two-stroke lead over the first four holes, but he recovered en route to a 1-under-par 71, holding off Calcavecchia by three shots.

Mediate, who has several close friends in the area, finished at 16-under 272 -- 13 shots behind the record-setting performance Calcavecchia had in Phoenix last season. Mediate was second there, eight strokes back.

"Not many people can say they got beat by the lowest score in history," said the 39-year-old Mediate, who was the highest-ranked player in this week's field at No. 17. "I did.

"I knew I would have my hands full and if I made a lot of mistakes I was going to lose. It's that simple."

This time, Calcavecchia matched the PGA Tour record for putts in a 72-hole event with 93. But he came up short, finishing with a 72.

"It's luck, obviously," he said. "I did putt great all week, I won't deny that. But to miss as many greens as I did is almost impossible, on top of that.

"Hey, a record is a record, right?"

Kenny Knox set the original putting record at Hilton Head in 1989.

Mediate, who won here in 1993, earned his first title in 18 months and third in the last four years. He said the best thing about winning is knowing he still can.

"It puts me up to five, which is five more than I thought I would win," he said.

Mediate collected the $720,000 top prize to move into sixth on the money list with a career-high $1.487 million in 10 starts -- $12,565 more than he pocketed in 21 events last season.

"I didn't even think about that, but that's amazing," he said.

Calcavecchia settled for $410,400, doubling his season total. A 10-time winner on the PGA Tour, the 41-year-old Calcavecchia had his 24th runner-up finish in 20-plus years.

"The better player won this week and today," he said. "I will look at it that way and sit back and say I made a bunch of miraculous saves around the greens, and finishing second isn't too bad."

Calcavecchia surpassed the $14 million mark in career earnings and passed Hal Sutton for eighth all-time.

Jonathan Byrd and fellow rookie Chad Campbell tied for third at 278, a stroke better than Carl Paulson and Jim Gallagher Jr. None of the four began the week higher than 150th in the World Golf Rankings.

Robert Gamez, Stephen Ames of Trinidad and K.J. Choi of Korea shared seventh at 280. Of the top nine finishers, Ames is third in the rankings at No. 68.

Mediate's ranking will approach the top 10 after a resilient performance that included a pair of bogeys and three birdies Sunday.

He bogeyed the fourth hole to drop into a tie for the lead, but another two-shot swing at the par-4 fifth gave him a two-stroke lead. Mediate sank a 12-foot birdie putt and Calcavecchia bogeyed after an errant tee shot.

"It was a big turning point because I knew he was in trouble over there," Mediate said. "I knew if he made 4 it would be phenomenal. ... It was just a different ball of wax then."

Mediate birdied the sixth hole for a three-shot lead and had a four-stroke advantage after Calcavecchia bogeyed the seventh.

Mediate then missed a handful of birdie chances in a string of eight straight pars from Nos. 7-14 but also saved par from 25 feet at the 10th to keep a four-shot lead.

"I said, 'I'm not leaving this green without 4,' and somehow I made it," Mediate said.

Calcavecchia played Nos. 3-11 in 3-over -- bothered by a sneezing attack at the seventh hole -- and got no closer than three shots on the back nine. Despite his record-tying week, he said the difference between winning and losing was putting.

"I just didn't make as many putts as I've been making," said Calcavecchia, who has blossomed with the claw putting grip. "I missed three six- or seven-footers on the front nine. I hit all three of them the way I wanted to."

Calcavecchia wasn't overly impressed with his record, considering he had several putts from the fringe, which don't count toward the official statistic. But he said he putted better this week than during his record-setting stay in Phoenix.

"It seemed like I putted better this week because they were all for par, unfortunately, or most of them," he said.

Mediate tied for 16th in putting this week, but he had only six bogeys and no double-bogeys. Even after a bogey at the 17th, he had a three-shot advantage -- plenty of room for error as he humbled a leaderboard of also-rans.

Of the top 22 finishers this week, only Mediate and Calcavecchia were ranked higher than 40th. But a win's a win to Mediate.

"I'm not a world player, by any means," he said. "But I'm holding my own."

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