Dramatic finish for Gary Evans

Gary Evans didn't win. He didn't even get in the playoff. But he still earned a place in Open lore Sunday.

Evans forever will be remembered as the guy who played a 10-hole stretch of the final round in 8-under-par, the guy who lost a ball on the course, the guy who put a shot clear into the stands.

It was the stuff of legends, like Jean Van de Velde at Carnoustie in 1999, but not as tragic.

A little-known Englishman with no professional wins, Evans challenged for the Open title by matching the second-best round of the week with a 6-under 65 at Muirfield Golf Links.

He didn't win the tournament, watching as Ernie Els claimed a four-way playoff, but he won the hearts of golf fans.

The round started innocently for Evans, who bogeyed the first hole to drop to 2-over, seven strokes behind eventual champion Ernie Els.

Then, everything seemed to work.

From the second hole to the 11th, Evans had eight birdies, beginning with consecutive 12-foot putts. He parred the fourth before making four straight birdies -- only one outside five feet.

"I did my best to help him by keeping out of his way," playing partner Scott Verplank said.

With a new putter in his hands, Evans parred the ninth hole but rolled in an 80-foot birdie at the 10th. The bomb gave him a share of the lead at 5-under.

"I got a good feel for it on the putting green this morning, and it just started working, and it felt great in my hands," Evans said. "Trust me, it will be staying in the bag for next week."

After he birdied the 11th hole, Evans led Els by a stroke.

That was the last birdie of the day for Evans, who missed a six-foot putt at the 15th and nearly chipped in at the 16th. But the hole of the tournament was No. 17.

Evans stepped to the tee at one of the course's easiest holes with the lead. He barely found the fairway at the par-5 before sending a 4-wood way left into deep rough.

"It was that shot all day," said the 33-year-old Evans, who had 234 yards to the pin. "It was just a bad swing."

The ball nestled so deep that no one could find it. Not Evans, not his caddie, not Verplank, not even marshals assigned to do just that.

Evans looked left of the fairway, then further left. He had plenty of help as dozens of fans kicked their way through the brush.

"I couldn't believe I hit it into 150 people and no one saw it, no one heard it, not within five or 10 yards, no idea," he said.

It looked more like a hay-kicking contest at a county fair than a major golf tournament.

"There was just so many people there, I couldn't see my own shadow," Evans said.

One ball was found, then another, and another. But none were his. Someone even discovered a Titleist 2 -- the same ball used by Evans.

"It was teasing me," he said. "I probably will go and buy the video to this one, just to see where I hit it."

After a search of nearly 10 minutes, five more than the alotted time, Evans took a lonely walk back to the fairway to replay the shot.

"I didn't feel too good when I was walking back down the fairway," he said. "As soon as I lost the ball, all of a sudden a dark cloud descended, and I thought, `Oh, God, please not now.'"

The cloud lifted, and Evans' prayer was answered.

With nothing to lose, Evans took out the 4-wood again and put the ball on the left side of the green. As he walked to the green, he saw he still had 50 feet for par.

"I said to myself walking, `Be strong like a bull,'" Evans said, using a suggestion he received from his bank manager's wife. "That sounds like (crap)."

Needing the putt to keep the lead, Evans stepped over the ball and watched as the slow-roller broke slightly right halfway to the cup and headed dead center.

It dropped for an incredible up-and-down.

"When I made it, I just couldn't believe it," he said. "My heart, I cannot tell you how my heart was pumping. It was just frightening."

After making the putt, Evans gritted his teeth, pumped his fists and gave raucous fans a thumbs-up. He then looked into a TV camera and said, "That was for you, mom."

"I knew she would have been nearly in tears with me walking back down the fairway," he said. "It just sprung to mind."

Evans wasn't done. With the crowd on his side, he put his tee shot at the 18th hole into the right rough, then crossed the fairway and sent his approach into the grandstands.

After receiving a free drop, Evans missed the green with his third shot but got up-and-down for bogey and a share of the lead.

Evans made a seven-foot putt, then took off his cap, wiped the sweat from above his eyes, shook his head and held his heart.

"It was seriously, seriously hard the last two holes," said Evans, who tied for fifth and won $221,000 -- more than he earned in his first 18 starts this season. "It was like nothing I've ever experienced."

He definitely never experienced the roars from the crowd, which was made up of thousands of knowledgeable golf fans cheering his every move.

"I'll never get a buzz bigger than that," he said. "Bungee jumps? You can keep it. Jumping out of planes? You can keep it. When you have 15,000, 20,000 people clapping their hands for you, it's just frightening."

Afterward, Evans was less concerned with winning the event than appearing in its video.

"It's a different world to me, I'm just delighted that it's over," he said. "It would be great if I'm somewhere in the show at the end."

That's likely.

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