Duffy Waldorf
won the Texas Open for a second time after making a long birdie putt to beat Ted
Tryba on the first hole of a playoff Sunday.
Waldorf leaped high into the air and ran jubilantly across the green after making
the 45-foot putt from the fringe on the par-4 18th hole at La Cantera Golf Club.
"From the hinterlands,"
Waldorf said. "I was just hoping to get the right speed on it and lag it in there."
Tryba had gone
into a bunker with his second shot then hit it out to about 15 feet. He could
only watch as Waldorf made the birdie.
"I'm
sure that's probably a putt he'll remember for the rest of his life," Tryba said.
"That's what exciting tournaments are made of."
With the victory, Waldorf received $360,000. He also won the Texas Open in 1995,
the first year the tournament was held at La Cantera. Tryba won $216,000.
Both Tryba and Waldorf
started the day at 14 under, tied in second place two strokes behind Stephen Ames,
who had held a slim lead each of the previous three days. Ames' final round turned
sour early, while Tryba and Waldorf went at it down to the wire.
Tryba was one stroke ahead of Waldorf, at 19 under, after making a birdie on the
par-4 16th. But Tryba bogeyed No. 17 to drop back into a tie with Waldorf.
Both players parred the
final hole to cap 4-under 68s that left them at 18-under 270.
Brent Geiberger shot a 67 to finish one stroke behind, while Rich Beem had a 69
and was at 16 under.
Jay Haas improved seven strokes Sunday, shooting a 65 and moving from 8 under
to 15-under 273, tied with Brian Henninger and Mike Reid.
Ames held a two-stroke lead entering the final round and was looking to capture
his first PGA Tour title.
He had two bogeys and two birdies on the front nine, but had three bogeys after
the turn and shot a 75, finishing at 13-under 275, tied with Jeff Brehaut.
Sandy Lyle, the 1985 British
Open winner and 1988 Masters champion, was poised for a possible comeback after
difficulties during the 1990s. Lyle remained near the front of the pack much of
the tournament, but shot a 71 on Sunday and finished 10 under.
