Sutherland claims Matchplay crown

Not even the best player from Sacramento, Kevin Sutherland completed an amazing journey Sunday to win the first World Golf Championship of the year. In a 36-hole match that had more at stake than just hometown bragging rights, Sutherland compensated for wild tee shots with clutch putting to beat childhood friend Scott McCarron 1-up in the Match Play Championship.

He barely qualified as the No. 62 seed. Five long days ago, he was 2-down with two holes to play against David Duval when he somehow managed to get past the first round.

And in the biggest match of his life, his driving was so erratic that he never knew where the ball was headed, only that the grass beneath it was going to be thick.

``All day long, I'm in total survival mode, just trying to get to the next hole and not hurt anybody while I'm doing it,'' Sutherland said.

His amazing journey reached an unlikely destination Sunday when Sutherland missed yet another fairway, saved yet another par and claimed the Match Play Championship with a 1-up victory over childhood friend Scott McCarron.

``It's phenomenal,'' he said. ``Next to winning a major, the World Golf Championship events are right there. This has 64 of the best players in the world. It makes it even more special to beat some of the best.''

It was a bitter loss for McCarron, whose long-handled putter failed him for the second week in a row. Needing an 8-foot birdie putt on the 36th hole to extend the match, the ball caught the left lip and McCarron turned away in shock.

``I felt like I played a lot better and I should have won,'' said McCarron, who never trailed until missing a 6-foot par putt on the 33rd hole. ``He was a buzz saw out there. He was an absolute rock marking pars.''

They embraced on the 18th green, two guys born a year apart in Sacramento who have played with each other at every level. Their last match was 20 years ago in the San Joaquin Sectionals in high school, which Sutherland won with a string of birdies on the back nine.

Par did the trick on another gorgeous day in north San Diego County.

Sutherland holed a 5-footer on the par-3 14th to even the match, another 5-footer for par on the 15th hole to take his first lead of the day, and another on No. 16, getting up-and-down from the bunker and staying ahead when McCarron missed a birdie from 12 feet.

``All of a sudden I was leading,'' Sutherland said. ``I'm like, 'Wow! I've got a really good chance here.'''

He took advantage in typical fashion -- missing fairways, making pars.

It looked like the match would go extra holes when Sutherland missed his 18th fairway of the 36-hole match and put his approach into the bunker. He blasted out to within a foot for his 30th par of the day.

A week ago, McCarron missed 6-foot putts on the each of the final three holes to finish one stroke behind at the Nissan Open. This was just as bitter.

The only consolation was seeing his friend hold up the trophy and pick up $1 million, the first player to make a WGC event his first career victory.

``He just put himself on the map,'' McCarron said. ``We all know on tour he was a great player for the last couple of years, but the world didn't know it yet. Now they do.''

The world was expecting Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Duval or another top-ranked player, even though the highest-seed to win this event was Darren Clarke (No. 19). They were all beaten in the first round, and the other top seeds followed.

That left Sutherland and McCarron, not exactly two household names in the world golf but the best players with the best run of luck on this week.

``I always knew I could win,'' Sutherland said. ``Now I know I can win.''

McCarron earned $550,000 in his first WGC event.

Brad Faxon won the consolation match and $450,000 when Paul Azinger bogeyed the 18th hole, then made bogey on the first extra hole. Azinger earned $360,000.

Sutherland had trailed in only 11 out of 86 holes going into the final round, but found himself behind throughout most of 36-hole final. The lasting image of this Match Play champion was hitting out of the rough, and looking under trees to see where it went.

``I almost gave up on the fact I was ever going to hit a fairway,'' he said. ``It was like, which side would be better? What rough would be better to be in?''

As always, the putter proved to be the best weapon in match play.

Even with $1 million on the line, it looked like a couple of friends playing a friendly match. The banter was light and easy, typical of two guys who have played golf with each other longer than they can remember.

Sutherland fought his swing early on, missing eight consecutive fairways.

After he pulled his drive into the rough on No. 13, McCarron said to him, ``Are you ever going to hit a fairway?'' He playfully slugged Sutherland in the arm, and both players started laughing.

``I know we played a match in high school,'' Sutherland replied. ``I feel like I'm still in high school right now.''

Through all the small talk, the match was close from start to finish.

Even though Sutherland trailed throughout the morning round, he never went more than two holes before squaring the match, and it was tied after the first 18 holes.

The match turned on the par-5 ninth hole in the afternoon, when McCarron split the middle and was positioned to go for the green. Sutherland went right behind a tree, then hooked it around the tree, down a cart path and behind a smaller tree.

He hit a low weged to 5 feet for birdie. McCarron missed the green left, chipped to 12 feet and two-putted for par.

``Instead of falling out of touch with Scott, I'm right back in the tournament.''

That's how it went the rest of the round -- every time Sutherland looked to be in trouble, he managed to halve the hole.

When it was over, he was the champion no one could have predicted.

McCarron & Sutherland in final

The television ads promoting the Match Play Championship said the world would be watching.

Well, at least they'll be watching in Sacramento.

Scott McCarron and Kevin Sutherland were born one year apart in California's capital. They have played against each other at every level -- but never on a stage like this, and not with $1 million awaiting the winner of Sunday's 36-hole match.

``To be playing each other in the finals, it's amazing,'' Sutherland said.

They became the most unlikely survivors in the free-for-all this week at La Costa Resort, both winning semifinal matches that came down to the final hole.

McCarron, who gave up golf until he discovered the long-handled putter, beat Paul Azinger by rolling in a 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. Sutherland outlasted Brad Faxon, one of the best putters in the game who blew a chance to extend the match with a three-putt from 15 feet.

That summed up a bizarre week in the most unpredictable of the World Golf Championship events.

``Man, this is pressure packed,'' McCarron said. ``Anything is possible.''

Tiger Woods and the rest of golf's biggest names were gone after the first two rounds. The finalists are two journeymen -- McCarron the No. 45 seed, Sutherland at No. 62 -- whose most memorable match was the San Joaquin Sectionals in high school 20 years ago.

McCarron recalls being 6-up with nine holes to play until Sutherland, who is a year older, posted a 29 on the back and beat him 1-up.

``I still had this picture of us shaking hands,'' McCarron said. ``Kevin was wearing the ugliest pair of shorts you've ever seen in your life.''

When Sutherland made it to the PGA Tour in 1996, McCarron sent him the photo welcoming him to the big leagues with a note: ``You cannot wear those shorts out here.''

The matches ended bitterly for Faxon and Azinger, who played perhaps the most consistent golf of the week but chose the wrong time to make their worst mistake.

Azinger and McCarron traded one great shot after another to exchange the lead early on the back nine, and they were all square coming to the 17th. McCarron hit first and stuffed it into 3 feet, and Azinger followed him with a wedge that was equally precise.

On they went to the 18th, where Azinger finally blinked.

From the fairway, he went straight at the flag on the left side of the green but pulled it slightly into the thick, gnarly rough. McCarron played it safe to the middle of the green and left himself 40 feet.

McCarron went first.

``Get it close,'' a fan screamed as he sent the putt on his way. The outcome was much better, dropping into the heart of the cup as Azinger lowered his head.

``I was trying to make it,'' McCarron said. ``Paul probably has one of the best short games out here, so I was expecting him to get it up and down. I felt I had to make it.''

Azinger needed a miracle chip, but it barely reached the green.

``I played 35 holes today and I didn't hit many bad shots -- except that one,'' Azinger said. ``I let him off the hook. I went to sleep on my second shot.''

Azinger will play an 18-hole consolation match Sunday against Faxon, who might be feeling even worse.

Faxon never trailed in any of his three matches going in Saturday and, after a tremendous comeback to beat Jose Maria Olazabal in 20 holes, he appeared to be in great shape to go extra holes against Sutherland.

Sutherland missed it in the same spot as Azinger, and his pitch barely reached the green. Faxon had a 15-foot birdie putt to extend the match. He just missed it to the left and it rolled 3 feet by.

``It was not a gimme,'' Sutherland said. ``Unfortunately for Brad, that was proven.''

After Sutherland missed his par, Faxon pulled his putt for a bogey, snatched up the ball and threw it toward his caddie. The ball hit the towel hanging from the shoulder of Sutherland's caddie.

That Sutherland is even around for the final is shocking. Just four days ago, he was 2-down with two holes to play against David Duval when he birdied the last two holes from 12 feet and 10 feet, then knocked out Duval with a two-putt birdie on the 20th hole.

``To think that at that point I'm pretty much done, and where it ends up now ... it's pretty amazing,'' Sutherland said. ``If I had parred one of those holes, I would have been home Wednesday night. Funny how golf is.''

Earlier Saturday, Olazabal holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to force overtime with Faxon, but Faxon prevailed by saving par with a 4-foot putt, then winning with an 18-foot birdie on the 11th hole. Azinger defeated Bob Estes 2 and 1.

McCarron also is happy to be in the final. After a holding off Sergio Garcia in the third round, he was 2-down to Tom Lehman at the turn before winning the next six holes -- four of them were birdies -- in a 4 and 3 victory.

McCarron-Sutherland should be a thriller for the folks in Sacramento, but a tough sell everywhere else in the world. Such is the nature of match play, where anything goes and the seedings mean next to nothing.

In the inaugural year of the Accenture Match Play Championship, the final came down to No. 24 Jeff Maggert and No. 50 Andrew Magee, and it turned into a thriller won by Maggert with a chip-in on the 38th hole.

``If you're golf fans -- and not just Tiger fans -- this should be a good one,'' Azinger said.

It should be in Sacramento, anyway.

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