When Mike Heinen was learning golf in high school, he considered fellow Louisiana native Hal Sutton a hero.
Now Sutton's looking up at Heinen.The 27-year-old PGA rookie outdueled veteran Sutton on Sunday to win the Houston Open, topping Sutton, Tom Kite and Jeff Maggert by three strokes.
"When I was growing up, I wanted to be like Hal Sutton," Heinen said. "He was from Louisiana. He was my idol."
He even managed to meet Sutton once back then, something Sutton says he doesn't remember.
"I know him now," Sutton said. "I threw some birdies at him. I saw no evidence of him bowing at all. He seemed excited to be there. He never acted scared all day long."
Few people may have heard of Heinen, but it's not unusual for a tour unknown to make his first big splash at the Houston Open: For the fifth consecutive year, the title went to a first-time winner on the PGA Tour.
"You wonder if this guy is going to be the next superstar or is this a fluke week where he just had everything going?" Kite said. "There's no way of knowing. We just have to wait and see how he handles it from here on out."
Heinen, who picked up $234,000 with the victory, finished with a 4-under 68 Sunday, playing steady golf with four birdies and no bogeys.
Kite and Maggert, who began play Sunday tied for the lead with Heinen, and Sutton shared second at 275.
Kite, the all-time PGA money winner trying to win in his home state for the first time, and Maggert, playing on his home course, struggled early and never were factors. Each shot 1-under 71.
Vijay Singh and Bob Gilder were six shots back at 278. At 279 were John Daly, Gil Morgan and Peter Jacobsen.
Daly, sporting his new bald look, made a late charge with a 32 on the back nine, including a hole-in-one on the 193-yard 16th hole and three birdies to get to 10 under. But a bogey on the 18th pushed him back to a 67.
Sutton, looking for his first win in eight years, closed within one shot with three holes remaining. But Heinen refused to fold.
At Las Vegas, Raymond Floyd birdied five straight holes on the back nine for a 7-under-par 65 and a three-stroke victory in the Las Vegas Classic.
Floyd had a 13-under 203 total on the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin to tie the tournament record Al Geiberger set at Desert Inn in 1987. Floyd earned $135,000 for his seventh victory in 26 starts on Senior PGA Tour to pass Lee Trevino for the top spot on the money list with $421,600.
At Daytona Beach, Fla., Sherri Steinhauer, who had only one victory in a decade on the LPGA tour, shot a 2-under-par 70 on Sunday for a one-stroke victory over Kelly Robbins in the LPGA Sprint Championship.
Steinhauer, who earned $180,000 from the LPGA-high $1.2 million purse, had a 15-under 273 total on the Indigo Lakes course. Robbins closed with a 68. Sandra Palmer shot a 2-under-par 70 to win her fourth straight Sprint Seniors title with a 143 total.