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The story looked all too familiar to Jerry Kelly. He was battling his nerves while trying to win his first PGA Tour event, and John Cook was right on his heels.

This time, Kelly refused to buckle.

Four months after he handed victory to Cook with a late blunder, Kelly produced two flawless swings under pressure on the 18th hole to set up a two-putt birdie and win the Sony Open, his first victory in his 200th career start on the PGA Tour.

``You put in 3 1/2 years of hard work and it comes down to those two shots right there,'' Kelly said of a 3-wood that split the middle of the fairway and his 3-iron from 231 yards to about 45 feet above the hole.

``I knew what I had to do and I got the job done.''

Kelly closed with an even-par 70 on another balmy, breezy day at Waialae Country Club, a tropical paradise for everyone except a 35-year-old guy grinding on every shot, searching for a swing and hoping he can show the mettle it takes to win.

``I've wanted this for a long time,'' Kelly said.

He finished at 266 for a one-stroke victory over Cook, whose back-nine charge came to a halt when a cell phone in the gallery rang just as he was starting his downswing on the par-3 17th. The ball sailed right into the bunker, and Cook made bogey.

``At that point in time with the perfect club in my hand ... I don't know how that happens,'' Cook said. ``It was the point of no return.''

Kelly also bogeyed the 17th with a three-putt, and he matched Cook's birdie on the final hole by lagging his 45-foot eagle putt to about 12 inches for a tap-in victory.

It was the fourth time Kelly had the lead going into the final round. One of those chances came last year at the Reno-Tahoe Open, when he made triple bogey on the 16th hole of the final round, allowing Cook to win by a stroke.

Kelly found it a little ironic that of all the players who had a chance to make a move on him Sunday, it was Cook he found in his rearview mirror

``I just didn't want Reno to happen again to me,'' Kelly said. ``I wasn't going to do the things that let someone else win. I wanted to win the tournament.''

He collected $720,000 and should move up high enough in the world ranking to qualify for the Match Play Championship at the end of February. That will be his first World Golf Championship event, more evidence that Kelly is headed in the right direction.

The next stop is the Bob Hope Classic, and Kelly can't wait.

``I'm glad it starts Wednesday,'' he said.

Kelly disposed of an early threat by David Toms, made a clutch par save on the 15th and then overcame a three-putt bogey on No. 17 with his two most important swings.

``He's worked hard,'' Cook said. ``He deserved to win.''

Jay Don Blake posted the best score of the round, a 5-under 65 that left him alone in third at 269.

Toms caught Kelly at 13 under through five holes, but gave it back with a double bogey and finished with a 2-over 72. He tied for fourth at 270 with Matt Kuchar (72) and Charles Howell III, who made only four pars in his round of 70.

Cook got within one stroke with a birdie on the 12th and stayed right with Kelly until the call came in on No. 17 -- and it sure wasn't for him.

``No! No cell phones,'' Cook screamed as the ball sailed right into a deep bunker. He blasted out to 6 feet, but the par putt burned the right edge of the cup for his only bogey on the back nine.

Tougher pin positions and the pressure of the final round kept anyone from running away with the tournament early on. No one in the final four groups broke par on the front nine.

Kelly played tentatively, missing his first four birdie chances on the low side of the hole. His first mistake was coming up short into a bunker on No. 5 to make bogey, and he walked off the green with his two-stroke lead having disappeared.

Toms gave it right back.

His tee shot sailed left, bounced high off a cart path and over a 10-foot high row of thick bushes. Toms had to walk around the hedges, wait for Jim Furyk and Cook to hit their tee shots on No. 7, and found his ball 8 feet into the junk.

If he took an unplayable, there was a chance his drop would roll back into the bushes and he would have to take another penalty stroke. ``Or I go back to the tee and the best I can make is double,'' he said to his caddie, Scott Gneiser.

Toms held his arm out to drop the ball, paused at the last second and decided to go back to the tee. He made double bogey, and never challenged again.

At the turn, Kelly was at 13 under and up by two over Cook, Toms, Furyk and K.J. Choi. They all faded quickly -- except for Cook.

Kelly managed to keep his distance.

Divots

Sony Corp. has agreed to extend its sponsorship for another four years. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem called it the most improved event, and prize money certainly reflects that. Finchem said the $4 million purse will increase to $5.5 million in 2006, the end of the next TV contract. ... On his 57th hole of the 2002 season, Chris Riley finally made a bogey. He made another one on the par-5 ninth, and finished with a 72, tied for 13th. Riley's caddie pays him $25 for every round he plays without a bogey. ... Q-school winner Pat Perez shot par or better every round and finished at 7-under 273, tied for17th.

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