Fred Couples picked a good time for his first career hole-in-one.
It didn't come on the closing hole, but it came on Sunday at the gusty Plantation Course's 168-yard 11th when he was locked in a three-way battle for the lead in $1 million Kapalua International.It broke the logjam and gave Couples the lead over Bob Gilder and Tom Lehman, a lead which he never relinquished.
"It came down to the hole-in-one," Couples said in winning his second straight Kapalua tournament. In describing the shot, he said, "It was almost as shocking as watching George Foreman win last night. The wind took it, hit the fringe and just kept rolling."
His 8-iron shot hit the flagstick and dropped into the cup.
Couples started the day one stroke behind Gilder and two ahead of Lehman, but the three were bunched together as they made the turn over the 7,263-yard course on the island of Maui.
For the final 18, Couples had a 3-under 70 and finished the 72-hole tournament at 11-under 279, two strokes ahead of Gilder. Lehman fell out of the running with a double-bogey at the 11th and finished alone at 7-under 283.
"The greatest thing was to play a tough course well," Couples said. "The wind was brutal, but I actually enjoyed playing in the wind. I can hit most fairways and I just tried to get it on the greens. I know how to run the ball up on these greens."
Gilder made a mini-charge with a birdie on the 13th to move within a stroke, but Couples followed with a birdie on the next hole to regain his two-stroke advantage.
With the victory, Couples collected $180,000 and a new car for the hole-in-one.
Gilder had different thoughts despite the hole-in-one.
His undoing came at the 15th, he said, when he hit a weak pitch shot that prevented him from going for a birdie. But he admitted his poor start contributed to his problem.
With the winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour, the scores soared, Jay Don Blake turned in the day's best round with a 67.
Ben Crenshaw and Bill Glasson shared fourth place at 5-under with Peter Jacobsen alone at 4-under and John Cook, Keith Clearwater and Barry Lane at 3-under.
At Braselton, Ga., Fred Funk's nightmare came true.
Ernie Els, the U.S. Open champion from South Africa, made up a five-stroke deficit in six holes Sunday to beat Funk by three strokes and capture the inaugural $1.9 million Sarazen World Open Championship and its $350,000 first prize.
"I hope to keep my distance from Ernie. He can overpower this course," Funk said after his 66 on Saturday gave him a two-shot lead over Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain and four-shot margin over Els entering Sunday's final round.
Funk, unfortunately for him, was right.
Els shot a 7-under-par 65, including a 30 on the back nine Sunday for a 273 total, 15-under-par. Funk shot a 72 for 276 to earn $200,000.
At Bali, Indonesia, Nick Faldo of England had a six-stroke lead with six holes to play when he was disqualifed from the Alfred Dunhill Masters on Sunday for removing a stone from a bunker the previous day.
Canadian Jack Kay, with a 72 in the final round and a 277 total, won the tournament that Faldo dominated after shattering the course record with a 63 in the second round.