Sabbatini gains four shot victory

Frustrated by a slow playing partner and tired from a week of wet weather, Rory Sabbatini needed one last big shot to settle himself.

He got it at the 13th hole, where he chipped in for eagle from 60 feet. The shot swung the momentum back to the South African, who moved on Monday to a four-stroke win at the FBR Capital Open.

``It's not often you can hit shots like that, that come off like you want and react like you want,'' Sabbatini said. ``That was definitely a big confidence booster, and that kind of settled me down a little bit.''

Sabbatini, getting his second PGA Tour victory, shot a 68 to finish at 14-under 270. He was two shots ahead of Duffy Waldorf when the players walked off the 18th hole, but Waldorf was later assessed a two-stroke penalty reported by a television viewer.

Sabbatini's first Tour win was the 2000 Air Canada Championship, when he was just 24 years old. He said winning for the second time on Tour was harder because of the self-induced pressure to repeat.

``It's been a long time since I've had this feeling,'' said Sabbatini, the only player to shoot in the 60s all four rounds. ``It's been really a roller-coaster ride with the whole week.''

The 18-hole Monday finish was needed after rain washed out play Saturday, leaving the course so waterlogged that a 36-hole Sunday finish was not feasible.

Play began early so the players could finish and get to Olympia Fields near Chicago for the U.S. Open, which starts Thursday.

Even then, it took a long time to get finished. The fast-playing Sabbatini had his patience tested in a final group with the slow-playing -- and thus inappropriately named -- Niclas Fasth. While Sabbatini would quickly decide on his clubs and take his shots, Fasth would double- and triple-check his reads for 3-foot putts.

``There were a couple of times out there I was getting frustrated because I was ready to go,'' Sabbatini said. ``I'm pretty simple when it comes to pace of play out there. I believe when you're ready, hit it. I don't spend a lot of time trying to find the answer in the yardage book. I get there, get my number. By this time, I hope I know how I hit a golf shot.''

Sabbatini and Waldorf were set for a tense back nine, but it was skewed when a TV viewer called the USGA to report Waldorf used his club to pat down a rough area in front of his ball before taking his second shot at the 12th hole.

Officials informed Waldorf at the 16th hole he might be facing a two-shot penalty. Waldorf was two shots behind Sabbatini at the time, and the news rattled him into bogeying the hole with an approach shot that landed by a drainage grate.

``I was kind of shook up, because I'd just played some really good holes,'' Waldorf said. ``I had eagled 13 and birdied 15 and thought I was still in the tournament. It was kind of tough to get things together.''

Waldorf argued his case after the round, but he lost the ruling -- and $150,000 in prize money as the two-stroke penalty dropped him into a second-place tie with Joe Durant and Fred Funk.

Waldorf believed he didn't do anything wrong because the turf he repaired wasn't directly in his line.

``If I had read the rule, I don't think it would have mattered, because I don't think I was breaking the rule. ... I told them that if I hit it directly over the mark I would have hit it 50 yards right of the green,'' Waldorf said.

Upon reviewing the replay, tournament director Mark Russell said there was no choice.

``He physically steps up and repairs the irregularity in front of the ball,'' Russell said. ``We just didn't see anyway to get him out of it.''

Waldorf's error helped, but Sabbatini owed his victory more than anything to his ability to chip from greenside rough.

Sabbatini found the rough while approaching the third, eighth and 14th holes, but he didn't lose a shot. He tossed his club in frustration after an approach found the trap at No. 7, but he blasted within 4 feet to save par yet again.

Fasth stayed close until a double-bogey at No. 8 and a triple-bogey at No. 9. The Swede put his tee shot in the water at the par-3 ninth, took a drop beyond the cart path, chipped to the green and three-putted for a 6.

Padraig Harrington made an early charge with well-placed iron shots. His birdie at No. 7 moved him within one shot of the lead, but he bogeyed the eighth and double-bogeyed the 10th.

DIVOTS: The course was still a bog in several places, particularly in the walkways from green to next tee. ``You could lose a shoe in there,'' Sabbatini said as he avoided a mini-quagmire between Nos. 2 and 3. ... David Duval set a course record with a 62 on Friday, but it was his only round in the 60s. His final scores were 74-62-73-74.

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