Leonard hangs on to claim narow win

This was one time Justin Leonard was grateful for Harbour Town.

Leonard, who has struggled through the years with the layout's narrow fairways and small greens, survived some anxious moments Sunday to win the WorldCom Classic, something he didn't expect just days ago.

``This is a very difficult golf course and thank God it is because with my 2 over, I'd be back in an airplane right now,'' said Leonard, who shot a 2-over 73 to finish at 14-under 270.

Heath Slocum finished a shot behind after a 70. Phil Mickelson shot a 71 and was two shots back.

But it wouldn't be Harbour Town for Leonard -- he hadn't never finished higher than 30th here in six appearances -- without some stomach-churning holes.

``I'll learn more from today from shooting a 73 and winning by one stroke than by shooting a 68 and winning,'' he said. ``I'll take more positives out of the win, that I gutted it out. I played some ugly golf and got it done.''

Leonard's fortunes at Harbour Town Golf Links looked to have changed for good as he set a 54-hole scoring record this week with rounds of 67, 64 and 66. And when playing partner Cameron Beckman double-bogeyed the par-4 third Sunday, Leonard was ahead by four shots on the field.

However, the birdies that were so plentiful through Saturday would not come to Leonard in the final round as he struggled to win his seventh PGA Tour title. He had 12 straight pars, some from amazing distances, to remain out front before his luck ran out.

Leonard drove into the trees on the 13th hole for a bogey, dropping him into a tie at 15 under with Slocum. Then Leonard, known for making a 45-foot putt to clinch the 1999 Ryder Cup for the United States, missed a 2-footer for par on the next hole to give Slocum a lead.

``I wasn't able to get anything going,'' Leonard said. ``But because I wasn't hitting the ball well, I tried to put it where I could keep it in play.''

This time, though, it was Slocum, a 28-year-old who won three Buy.com Tour events last season, who buckled on Harbour Town's tight fairways, huge bunkers and tiny greens.

His sand shot to the par-4 16th hole rolled about 40 feet past the pin. His par try was 7 feet short and he missed the putt coming back to fall to 13 under and a shot behind.

``It was unfortunate,'' Slocum said. ``I just hit it a little fat and I left myself in a bad situation.''

Leonard did not give Slocum another chance.

``I just hit some good shots and played really solid those last three holes,'' Leonard said.

On No. 18, the famous lighthouse hole, Leonard got it up and down one last time from off the green to win the title and $720,000.

Leonard's round looked steady and resourceful most of the way as he routinely missed fairways and greens, then recovered with deft chips and smartly struck putts. On the third hole, he chipped to 5 feet from behind the green and saved par.

He was about 25 feet away on the par-3 fourth hole and again got down in two putts.

He had a 15-footer for par on the seventh hole and made it; a 12-footer on the 10th and made it; a 25-footer on the 11th and made it. He looked up to the sky and waved his cap at that one.

Slocum looked the least qualified to charge in front. He had consecutive birdies on the fifth and sixth holes to halve Leonard's four-stroke lead. Then added a birdie on the 12th hole to move within one.

``Except for one hole on 16, I played extremely well,'' Slocum said. ``The shots I missed, I made good recoveries. I made some good putts. I'm pleased with how I played.''

Mickelson, who began four shots behind, took himself out with bogeys on the sixth and ninth holes. But Lefty again got himself going with consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th holes. His rally, though, was too little, too lateto catch Leonard.

Divots

The final round was the only one without a record total score. Davis Love's opening 62 was the 18-hole mark, Phil Mickelson's halfway total of 13-under 129 tied Jack Nicklaus' 1975 record, and Leonard's 16-under 197 through three rounds broke the record of 198 shared by Hale Irwin and Loren Roberts. ... Mark Calcavecchia and Tom Lehman had the day's lowest rounds with 6-under 65s. Calcavecchia tied for 10th and Lehman tied for 15th. ... That big luxury yacht in Harbour Town's marina named ``The Big Easy?'' No, it doesn't belong to Ernie Els, as everyone this week had assumed. The vessel belongs to Felix Sabates, the NASCAR owner.

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