Steady Estes claims title

Bob Estes watched playing partner Bob Burns take the lead with a hole-in-one at the 11th hole in the final round of the Kemper Insurance Open.

Five holes later, Estes played a conservative shot to the fat part of the green, then watched Burns take a risky approach shot that eventually rolled onto a drainage grate. Burns ended up with a double bogey, and Estes was back in the lead.

While Burns and others were bouncing up and down a crowded leaderboard, Estes was the conservative and steady one -- and eventually the winner. In difficult conditions that had the tournament playing like a major, Estes' round of 17 pars and one birdie Sunday was enough for his fourth career PGA Tour victory.

``It was a U.S. Open kind of setup and round,'' Estes said. ``That experience helped me out a lot today. It was really a smart round of golf for the most part -- there weren't a lot of birdies out there.''

Estes admitted he didn't hit a single chancy shot in his 1-under 70, which gave him an 11-under 273 total and a one-stroke victory over 1999 Kemper winner Rich Beem. Estes collected a $648,000 check and broke the tournament's three-year streak of first-time winners, which Burns nearly kept alive.

``In the big scheme of things I'm a little disappointed,'' said Burns, who has never finished in the top 100 on the tour's money list. ``But I'm also very proud of myself. I hung in there, and I was right there in the end. And honestly, when I did make the double bogey on 16, I hit the two best shots of the day.''

Burns finished at 9 under, closing with a 72.

Steve Elkington, Justin Leonard and Beem were all in the hunt until hitting into the bunker at the back of the par-3 17th. Elkington and Beem each lost a shot on the hole to fall to 10 under, while Leonard dropped two shots to go to 8 under.

Elkington also bogeyed No. 18 to finish with a 69 and a 9-under 275 total, two shots behind the winner and tied with Burns. Leonard (70) and Jonathan Kaye (69) tied for fifth at 8 under.

Greg Norman, the second-round leader, struggled for the second consecutive day. He bogeyed the first hole after pushing his putt badly and finished with a 73 for a 5-under total.

A stiff, persistent breeze, bumpy greens and an unforgiving rough made the Kemper a tough slog over the final three rounds. Franklin Langham tied the tournament record with a 63 on Thursday when the course was still damp, but hot and humid conditions made 70 a decent score Saturday and Sunday.

Estes won the 1994 Texas Open and needed seven years to triumph again, taking the FedEx St. Jude Classic and the Invensys Classic in Las Vegas last year. His best finish this year had been a tie for fifth in the Buick Invitational.

Estes' only birdie came with an 18-foot putt at the short par-4 13th. He made a nice save at No. 15 after his wedge from the bunker went 10 feet past the pin. At No. 17, the hole that gave his rivals so much trouble, Estes put a 7-iron neatly onto the green for a safe par.

But, with all due respect to Estes, Burns was the most exciting player to watch. A journeyman eagerly seeking his breakout victory -- his fiance and friends flew in from Los Angeles on the overnight redeye to be here -- Burns high-fived his caddie and returned the gallery's applause after acing the 157-yard 11th with a 9-iron that rolled some 50 feet before finding the pin. The shot broke a four-way tie at 10 under.

But the 16th hole was pivotal. Burns dared to hit his 9-iron approach ball right at the pin, which had a a bunker in front and a slopes on two sides. The ball hit on the green about 12 feet from the flag, then rolled down a slope and onto the grate.

``You don't want to miss it short, left or long,'' said Estes, who played the hole for another safe two-putt for par. ``That's about as dangerous as it gets.''

Burns could only shake is hand. He didn't regret taking the risk, and even the crowd initially roared because they thought he'd make the perfect shot to set up a birdie.

``I hit a textbook shot for me,'' Burns said. ``I loved it from the fairway. ... You're going to get some bad breaks even if you hit good shots or bad shots out here.''

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