By STEPHEN HAWKINS
Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas – Rory Sabbatini still wants to win a tournament with Tiger Woods in the field. The confident South African knows that is the only way to reach his ultimate goal.
“I told my wife, by the end of the year I’m going to be top 10 in the world rankings, and I’m not going to let anything stop me,’’ Sabbatini said Sunday after winning the Colonial. “My goal next year is to probably try to get to No. 1.’’
For now, Sabbatini is certainly happy with beating the No. 3 player in the world and a two-time Masters champion like he did in a playoff at the Crowne Plaza Invitational – where, as usual, Woods didn’t play.
Sabbatini made a 15-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole against Jim Furyk and 49-year-old Bernhard Langer for his fourth PGA Tour victory.
After starting the final round tied at 11 under, that trio closed with matching 3-under 67s to finish 14 under. All then hit their playoff drives in the fairway on the 433-yard 18th and their approach shots landed safely on the green.
Langer had the shortest putt. But with a chance to force another hole after Sabbatini made his birdie, Langer pushed an 8-footer to the right past the hole. Furyk had already missed from 34 feet.
“Rory made a great putt ... right in the middle of the hole. I knew I had to make it.’’ said Langer, whose last Tour victory was his second Masters in 1993. “I’m disappointed I didn’t win, but at the same time, I’m encouraged with my game.’’
Pat Perez (66) finished fourth at 12-under 268, and Nathan Green (66) and Tom Lehman (68) were another stroke back.
Scott Verplank also was tied for the lead going into the final round in his attempt to become the only player other than Ben Hogan to win Colonial and the Byron Nelson Championship in the same year (1946, the first Colonial). He closed with a 71 to tie for seventh.
Sabbatini’s last victory was at the 2006 Nissan Open after Woods withdrew because of the flu.
Before they played in the final group at Wachovia last month, Sabbatini saw the pairing with Woods as a chance to prove his previous victory wasn’t a fluke. Sabbatini had a one-stroke lead before a closing 74.
Even after that, at The Players Championship the next week, Sabbatini said Woods looked “as beatable as ever.’’
Sabbatini has said he doesn’t know what all the fuss was about, and that he only meant that he wanted to compete with world’s No. 1 golfer.
After winning at Colonial, Sabbatini even poked fun at himself about that verbal spat.
“I got all the jinx off that week,’’ said Sabbatini, referring to the fact that he wore the same large skull and wings belt buckle Sunday that he had on during the final round at Wachovia.
“The next step is to win three majors in a year, so I’ve got a good opportunity the rest of the year,’’ he said. “I’m kidding, remember the whole thing. That dry sense of humor. Hey, I don’t want me calling somebody out now.’’
Despite the closing 74 at Wachovia, that was Sabbatini’s third consecutive top-three finish, including the Masters and EDS Byron Nelson Championship.
Now Sabbatini takes a break, staying home in nearby Southlake instead of going to play in the Memorial. He had already withdrawn before winning Colonial, his fifth consecutive week playing.
Next for Sabbatini, 16th in the latest world ranking, is the U.S. Open – and another chance to go against Woods.
Sabbatini finished the rain-delayed third round early Sunday with a 62, missing the tournament record by a stroke when his 8-foot birdie attempt scooted just left on No. 9, the last hole he played in the third round.
Then after consecutive birdies and a bogey to start the fourth round, Sabbatini got to 14 under when he made a 28-foot birdie at the 171-yard 13th. That came after his 22-foot birdie attempt at No. 9 stopped an inch short and his shot from a greenside bunker at the 611-yard 11th hole set up a 6-inch birdie.
Sabbatini escaped trouble at No. 17 when hit his approach shot out of the thick rough onto the green for a two-putt par. His 19-foot birdie try on the final hole of regulation curled away from the hole.
“I realized about halfway through that putt that it wasn’t going to go,’’ Sabbatini said. “But I knew that two putts put us in extra holes.’’
It was the first three-man playoff ever at the Colonial, which hadn’t needed extra holes since 1994 before Tim Herron won a two-hole playoff last year with Richard S. Johnson.
Divots: David Toms had six consecutive birdies to match the longest streak on tour this season, set by Anthony Kim in the first round. ... Herron finished at 4-under 276 after weekend rounds of 70 and 71. ... Rod Pampling had a hole-in-one, using a 6-iron at the 189-yard 16th.
Final scores with relation to par and earnings
from the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, played May 24-27 at the par-70, 7,054-yard Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas (Note: x-won playoff; FedEx Cup points in parenthesis):
| 1. x-Rory Sabbatini (4500) |
$1,080,000 |
|
70-67-62-67--266 |
|
-14 |
| 2. Jim Furyk (2200) |
528,000 |
|
65-66-68-67--266 |
|
-14 |
| 2. Bernhard Langer (2200) |
528,000 |
|
65-68-66-67--266 |
|
-14 |
| 4. Pat Perez (1200) |
288,000 |
|
66-67-69-66--268 |
|
-12 |
| 5. Nathan Green (950) |
228,000 |
|
65-66-72-66--269 |
|
-11 |
| 5. Tom Lehman (950) |
228,000 |
|
66-67-68-68--269 |
|
-11 |
| 7. Harrison Frazar (728) |
174,600 |
|
68-67-69-66--270 |
|
-10 |
| 7. D.J. Trahan (728) |
174,600 |
|
67-67-69-67--270 |
|
-10 |
| 7. Jerry Kelly (728) |
174,600 |
|
70-64-69-67--270 |
|
-10 |
| 7. Kevin Na (728) |
174,600 |
|
63-69-70-68--270 |
|
-10 |
| 7. Scott Verplank (728) |
174,600 |
|
70-66-63-71--270 |
|
-10 |
| 12. Rod Pampling (475) |
114,000 |
|
67-69-70-65--271 |
|
-9 |
| 12. Tim Petrovic (475) |
114,000 |
|
70-68-67-66--271 |
|
-9 |
| 12. Mark Hensby (475) |
114,000 |
|
69-67-68-67--271 |
|
-9 |
| 12. Nick O'Hern (475) |
114,000 |
|
70-66-68-67--271 |
|
-9 |
| 12. Tim Clark (475) |
114,000 |
|
65-64-74-68--271 |
|
-9 |
| 12. Jeff Maggert (475) |
114,000 |
|
64-69-68-70--271 |
|
-9 |
| 18. Justin Leonard (315) |
75,600 |
|
69-70-66-67--272 |
|
-8 |
| 18. Anthony Kim (315) |
75,600 |
|
63-69-73-67--272 |
|
-8 |
| 18. David Toms (315) |
75,600 |
|
70-68-68-66--272 |
|
-8 |
| 18. Jason Bohn (315) |
75,600 |
|
68-66-70-68--272 |
|
-8 |
| 18. Stewart Cink (315) |
75,600 |
|
67-69-66-70--272 |
|
-8 |
| 18. Peter Lonard (315) |
75,600 |
|
65-69-67-71--272 |
|
-8 |
| 24. K.J. Choi (208) |
49,800 |
|
67-70-69-67--273 |
|
-7 |
| 24. Steve Stricker (208) |
49,800 |
|
67-71-68-67--273 |
|
-7 |
| 24. Eric Axley (208) |
49,800 |
|
68-67-69-69--273 |
|
-7 |
| 24. John Rollins (208) |
49,800 |
|
69-68-67-69--273 |
|
-7 |
| 24. Stephen Marino (208) |
49,800 |
|
69-68-71-65--273 |
|
-7 |
| 29. Ben Curtis (156) |
37,329 |
|
64-67-74-69--274 |
|
-6 |
| 29. Cliff Kresge (156) |
37,329 |
|
69-67-70-68--274 |
|
-6 |
| 29. Dean Wilson (156) |
37,329 |
|
68-67-71-68--274 |
|
-6 |
| 29. Arron Oberholser (156) |
37,329 |
|
64-66-73-71--274 |
|
-6 |
| 29. Lucas Glover (156) |
37,329 |
|
67-68-68-71--274 |
|
-6 |
| 29. Brandt Snedeker (156) |
37,329 |
|
66-70-67-71--274 |
|
-6 |
| 29. Ryan Moore (156) |
37,329 |
|
71-66-66-71--274 |
|
-6 |
| 36. Stephen Leaney (105) |
25,230 |
|
68-68-70-69--275 |
|
-5 |
| 36. Doug LaBelle II (105) |
25,230 |
|
67-70-69-69--275 |
|
-5 |
| 36. Frank Lickliter II (105) |
25,230 |
|
65-71-69-70--275 |
|
-5 |
| 36. Jeff Quinney (105) |
25,230 |
|
65-72-68-70--275 |
|
-5 |
| 36. Michael Putnam (105) |
25,230 |
|
69-65-70-71--275 |
|
-5 |
| 36. Alex Cejka (105) |
25,230 |
|
67-65-72-71--275 |
|
-5 |
| 36. Ted Purdy (105) |
25,230 |
|
64-71-72-68--275 |
|
-5 |
| 36. Matt Kuchar (105) |
25,230 |
|
68-70-70-67--275 |
|
-5 |
| 36. Mark Brooks (105) |
25,230 |
|
67-71-70-67--275 |
|
-5 |
| 36. Chad Campbell (105) |
25,230 |
|
67-68-68-72--275 |
|
-5 |
| 46. Tim Herron (68) |
16,320 |
|
67-68-70-71--276 |
|
-4 |
| 46. Bo Van Pelt (68) |
16,320 |
|
68-71-67-70--276 |
|
-4 |
| 46. Bob Tway (68) |
16,320 |
|
73-64-70-69--276 |
|
-4 |
| 46. Heath Slocum (68) |
16,320 |
|
70-65-72-69--276 |
|
-4 |
| 46. Joe Durant (68) |
16,320 |
|
67-72-68-69--276 |
|
-4 |
| 46. Billy Mayfair (68) |
16,320 |
|
71-67-71-67--276 |
|
-4 |
| 52. Stephen Ames (58) |
13,920 |
|
69-67-70-71--277 |
|
-3 |
| 52. Brett Wetterich (58) |
13,920 |
|
66-69-71-71--277 |
|
-3 |
| 52. Steve Elkington (58) |
13,920 |
|
67-69-71-70--277 |
|
-3 |
| 52. J.J. Henry (58) |
13,920 |
|
68-67-72-70--277 |
|
-3 |
| 52. Will MacKenzie (58) |
13,920 |
|
67-71-70-69--277 |
|
-3 |
| 52. Carl Pettersson (58) |
13,920 |
|
74-65-70-68--277 |
|
-3 |
| 58. Charles Warren (56) |
13,320 |
|
69-68-69-72--278 |
|
-2 |
| 58. Davis Love III (56) |
13,320 |
|
69-68-72-69--278 |
|
-2 |
| 58. Mathew Goggin (56) |
13,320 |
|
70-69-70-69--278 |
|
-2 |
| 61. Steve Flesch (54) |
12,960 |
|
70-69-69-72--280 |
|
E |
| 61. Mark Wilson (54) |
12,960 |
|
68-71-70-71--280 |
|
E |
| 61. Tommy Armour III (54) |
12,960 |
|
71-68-71-70--280 |
|
E |
| 64. Rocco Mediate (52) |
12,420 |
|
70-68-70-75--283 |
+ |
3 |
| 64. Brett Quigley (52) |
12,420 |
|
67-72-70-74--283 |
+ |
3 |
| 64. Matthew Every (0) |
12,420 |
|
69-66-75-73--283 |
+ |
3 |
| 64. Duffy Waldorf (52) |
12,420 |
|
70-69-72-72--283 |
+ |
3 |
| 64. Ryan Armour (52) |
12,420 |
|
67-72-74-70--283 |
+ |
3 |
| 64. Richard S. Johnson (52) |
12,420 |
|
70-68-76-69--283 |
+ |
3 |
| 70. Ryan Palmer (50) |
12,000 |
|
70-69-73-73--285 |
+ |
5 |
| ••• |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Missed the cut |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 71. Steve Lowery |
|
|
71-69--140 |
|
|
|
| 71. Paul Goydos |
|
|
72-68--140 |
|
|
|
| 71. Nick Watney |
|
|
71-69--140 |
|
|
|
| 71. Greg Owen |
|
|
66-74--140 |
|
|
|
| 71. Craig Kanada |
|
|
72-68--140 |
|
|
|
| 71. John Merrick |
|
|
76-64--140 |
|
|
|
| 71. Jonathan Byrd |
|
|
69-71--140 |
|
|
|
| 71. Hunter Mahan |
|
|
69-71--140 |
|
|
|
| 71. Ken Duke |
|
|
71-69--140 |
|
|
|
| 71. Woody Austin |
|
|
72-68--140 |
|
|
|
| 71. Chris Couch |
|
|
67-73--140 |
|
|
|
| 71. Olin Browne |
|
|
69-71--140 |
|
|
|
| 71. Trevor Immelman |
|
|
69-71--140 |
|
|
|
| 84. Tripp Isenhour |
|
|
73-68--141 |
|
|
|
| 84. Johnson Wagner |
|
|
69-72--141 |
|
|
|
| 84. Richie Ramsay |
|
|
69-72--141 |
|
|
|
| 84. J.B. Holmes |
|
|
72-69--141 |
|
|
|
| 84. John Senden |
|
|
68-73--141 |
|
|
|
| 89. Jason Gore |
|
|
71-71--142 |
|
|
|
| 89. Bob Estes |
|
|
70-72--142 |
|
|
|
| 89. Daniel Chopra |
|
|
72-70--142 |
|
|
|
| 89. Kenny Perry |
|
|
70-72--142 |
|
|
|
| 89. Corey Pavin |
|
|
70-72--142 |
|
|
|
| 89. Kirk Triplett |
|
|
69-73--142 |
|
|
|
| 89. Joey Sindelar |
|
|
69-73--142 |
|
|
|
| 89. Jason Dufner |
|
|
73-69--142 |
|
|
|
| 97. Robert Garrigus |
|
|
72-71--143 |
|
|
|
| 97. Brian Gay |
|
|
72-71--143 |
|
|
|
| 97. Fredrik Jacobson |
|
|
73-70--143 |
|
|
|
| 97. Boo Weekley |
|
|
73-70--143 |
|
|
|
| 101. Bart Bryant |
|
|
74-70--144 |
|
|
|
| 101. Fred Funk |
|
|
73-71--144 |
|
|
|
| 101. Tom Pernice, Jr. |
|
|
73-71--144 |
|
|
|
| 104. Andrew Buckle |
|
|
72-73--145 |
|
|
|
| 104. David Frost |
|
|
71-74--145 |
|
|
|
| 106. Kyle Reifers |
|
|
71-75--146 |
|
|
|
| 107. Jeff Sluman |
|
|
71-76--147 |
|
|
|
| 107. Fulton Allem |
|
|
76-71--147 |
|
|
|
| 109. Keith Clearwater |
|
|
75-73--148 |
|
|
|
| WD. Rich Beem |
|
|
74-WD |
|
|
|
| WD. Shigeki Maruyama |
|
|
73-WD |
|
|
|
| WD. Brad Faxon |
|
|
78-WD |
|
|
|
| WD. Todd Hamilton |
|
|
74-WD |
|
|
|
| WD. Rod Curl |
|
|
86-WD |
|
|
|
Posted: 5/27/2007
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