Thorpe claims season ending title

Jim Thorpe punched his fist in the air. A moment later, the gallery burst into shocked cheers as Thorpe's pivotal 67-foot eagle putt fell.

Thorpe wasn't the only golfer with a dramatic moment at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Tom Watson finished second in the tournament, but still won the Champions Tour's season-long points competition -- and then he gave away his $1 million prize.

Thorpe held off Watson for a wire-to-wire, three-stroke victory Sunday in the tour's season-ending event. With a final-round 68, Thorpe finished 20-under to earn his seventh career title and the biggest payday of his career.

``I never knew my heart could beat so fast,'' Thorpe said. ``This week, I probably pushed myself to the absolute limit. I don't think I can play any harder.''

Though Watson couldn't knock Thorpe from his four-day tournament lead, he held off Thorpe to win the tour money title by less than $23,000. Watson also earned enough points to easily win the Charles Schwab Cup -- essentially for being the tour's most consistent performer.

After receiving the Cup on the 18th green, Watson announced his intention to donate the resulting $1 million annuity to organizations fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Bruce Edwards, Watson's caddie for 30 years, was diagnosed earlier this year with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. Edwards, whose speech has been slurred by the disease, smiled broadly as Watson accepted the Cup.

``This is the cream,'' Watson said. ``When you play well for a year, you make a heck of a lot of money. It's just going to allow me to give a lot more money to the charities I normally give to.''

``It just shows how big Tom Watson's heart is,'' Thorpe said.

During a lively battle on the back nine, Thorpe punctuated his victory with a splendid eagle putt from the fringe on the 16th. He added a long birdie putt on the 17th, essentially clinching the $440,000 winner's share of the $2.5 million purse.

Though millions were at stake, Thorpe and Watson laughed and joked their way arond Sonoma Golf Club in the final round, teasing each other about club selection while Thorpe smoked his usual cigar.

Both men realize just how good life has been to them.

``I'm one of the luckiest people walking,'' said Thorpe, who also plans to make a significant charity donation with his winnings. ``The thing that means something to me is coming out here and playing with the best golfers in the world.''

Thorpe finished at 268, and Watson was 17-under 271. Tom Kite shot a 5-under 67 Sunday to surge into third place at 273.

Thorpe was the most consistent of the 30 players who made the field of the elite event, finishing all four rounds with a three-stroke lead. On Sunday, he hit all 18 greens and kept his cool while several challengers made runs at him.

Tom Jenkins, in second place after each of the first three rounds, never got closer than 14-under Sunday, making three bogeys and finishing in a three-way tie for fourth. Gil Morgan and Hale Irwin, the top two money-winners in tour history, both made charges to tie Jenkins at 274.

Watson, the defending champion and 2000 winner, pulled within one stroke of Thorpe with a birdie on the 13th. They traded pars for two holes before the par-5 16th, where Thorpe, wearing a bright red shirt, put his beautiful eagle putt straight into the cup.

``When I hit that putt, I knew I had good speed on it,'' Thorpe said. ``It was like I saw it going in before it got there.''

Watson then hit a 20-foot putt to stay two strokes behind, but his long birdie putt on the par-3 17th lipped out. Watson's knees buckled in dismay -- and Thorpe calmly sank his birdie putt to go to 20-under.

On Thursday, Thorpe targeted 20-under as the score that would be necessary to win. If Thorpe shows the same acumen on his next late-night trip to a local casino, such as the one he visited Wednesday night, he'll come away from wine country with even more winnings.

``I can play a lot of craps with that money,'' Thorpe said.

Thorpe, the first wire-to-wire winner of the event since Jim Colbert in 1995, took the lead Thursday with an opening-round 63 -- still the best round of the tournament. He followed with a 67, breaking the tourney record for lowest two-day score.

Thorpe kept a distance from Jenkins and Watson over the first three days by hitting more challenging putts than his competitors on Sonoma's confounding greens. On Sunday, he missed five birdie putts from inside 15 feet on the front nine alone -- but solid tee-to-green play kept him steadily ahead.

``The door was open all day -- until the loud slam at 16,'' Watson said. ``(Thorpe) deserved it because of the way he played today. He was better than me today.''

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