Armour wins with record score

Tommy Armour III went from off the radar into the PGA Tour record books.

Winless in his previous 366 starts, Armour ended 13 years and eight months of frustration Sunday in a huge way. Capping a dominant four days of golf, Armour won the Valero Texas Open with a 26-under 254 to break the Tour 72-hole scoring record by two strokes.

Despite a bogey from the fairway bunker on the final hole at La Cantera Golf Club, Armour closed with a 5-under 65 to break the record set by Mark Calcavecchia in the 2001 Phoenix Open.

He wound up with a seven-shot victory over Loren Roberts and Bob Tway, his first since the 1990 Phoenix Open.

"I've always felt like I've underachieved for the talent I have," he said. "I take it serious but it's not the end-all."

Roberts closed with a 62 for a 19-under 261. Last year, that same score gave Roberts a three-stroke victory at the Valero Texas Open. But with the way Armour played, that score wasn't even close.

"He's lapping the field here this week," Roberts said.

Armour, 43, didn't make his first bogey until No. 10 in the final round, ending a streak of 90 consecutive holes at par or better. He one-putted 35 holes and three-putted just once during the four rounds.

The victory was worth $630,000, more than double what Armour had earned on Tour this year, and makes him exempt through the 2005 season. Armour was playing on conditional status the last two years.

It was the fourth consecutive week on the PGA Tour that a player in his 40s won, and Armour's victory was the 10th this year by the 40-and-over gang.

The only threat came from Waldorf, and it didn't last long.

Armour started the final round with a six-shot lead, but Duffy Waldorf cut the lead in half with birdies on the first three holes. Waldorf bogeyed the par-3 sixth by hitting into a bunker, and it wasn't long before Armour started piling up birdies -- as he had done all week.

"I'm telling you it was scaring me a little bit," Armour said. "Every putt went in the hole."

Tway, who won the Bell Canadian Open in his last start, shot 64.

Waldorf had a 67 to finish fourth at 262, while Aaron Baddeley of Australia closed with a 62 -- the same score he shot in the first round -- to finish at 263.

Armour opened with a 64, took the lead with a 62 on Friday and never gave anyone else much hope.

The field average was 68.51, the lowest in at least 20 years at a PGA Tour event in which every round is played on the same course.

Mike Souchak had a 27-under 257 at the 1955 Texas Open, a record that had stood until Calcavecchia won the Phoenix Open two years ago, also on a par 71.

The 72-hole scoring record in relation to par is 31 under, set by Ernie Els this year at the Mercedes Championships at the par-73 Plantation Course at Kapalua.

With Armour's win, he earns a spot in the elite field for next year's Mercedes Championships.

Roberts, who began the day far back at 11 under, carded five birdies on the front nine. After a bogey 5 on the 460-yard 10th, he birdied the 142-yard 13th before sinking a 32-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 14th to reach 18 under. He finished with a birdie on 18.

Roberts looked back on his 69 Saturday as taking him out of serious contention to defend his title.

"I had a chance to play decent (Saturday) and just really didn't do it on the back nine," he said. "I think if I could have put up 4 under on the board or something, and come out with a 62 today, I think that might have put a little more pressure on.

"But Duffy birdied the first three holes out of the gate and (Armour) didn't crack," Roberts continued. "It was his tournament to win."

Tway started at 13 under and was never playing for anything but second place.

"I felt I played very good and I'm sure a lot of other people did, too," said Tway, who tied the course record with a 61 Thursday. "To play this well and lose by (seven) shots is pretty amazing."

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