At one point in Saturday's final round of the Nike Utah Classic it looked like Michael Christie was beginning to think for the first time that he might not win, but only for a brief moment.
After an even-par front side at the plush Riverside Country Club, Christie found himself in a three-way tie with R.W. Eaks and Jerry Haas. It was beginning to resemble last year's tournament, where three players finished regulation tied.But Christie returned to his aggressive self on the back nine with five birdies and turned a tight match into a cake-walk victory. In fact, a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole was just frosting on his four-shot win over Eaks.
"I let the field back in the ballgame on the front, but I never thought I wasn't going to win," he said. "I tried to screw up today and I couldn't."
His final round 67 put him at 20-under par, seven shots better than the previous tournament record. In 54 holes, Christie made 21 birdies and an eagle. His length off the tee seemed to be the key. Even with a bogey Saturday on the par-5 5th, he played the par 5s this week at 10 under par. Most of his birdies on the par 4s came from short chips and tap-in putts. He plays with a cockiness that he hopes doesn't offend fans.
"I don't mean anything by it, I just believe in my game right now," he said.
Christie predicted the final round would become match play between him and Eaks, and for the most part, it was. He started the day with a one-shot lead, that quickly spread to two after a birdie on the 1st hole. The lead went to three when Eaks bogeyed the 4th hole. Eaks moved back to within two when Christie hooked a fairway wood into the trees on 5 and bogeyed the hole. Eaks got another shot back when he birdied 7.
The match was even when Eaks rolled in a 15-foot birdie on the par-3 9th. After Haas had pulled even with Christie and Eaks at 15-under par, he faded with two quick bogeys and wasn't heard from again.
The back nine belonged to Christie. He birdied 10, and gained another shot when Eaks missed a short par putt on 11. A birdie by Eaks at 12 made it a one-shot lead again. Both birdied the par-5 13th.
The match really turned on holes 14 and 15. On 14, both players hit drivers to the short par 4 toward the green. Eaks' ball hit the large tree in front of the green and dropped straight down. Christie's ball went right through the tree and ended up in a greenside bunker. Christie birdied the hole, Eaks didn't.
On 15, Eaks hit a spectacular recovery shot to end up with a 3-foot birdie putt. But when Christie lipped out a chip for eagle, the wind appeared to leave Eaks and he missed his short birdie putt. Christie coasted in from there.
"That would have rattled me," Christie said.
Eaks' second-place finish is the second time he has earned runner-up honors in Utah. At the inaugural event in 1990 he finished second to another long knocker, John Daly. Normally when the 45-year-old Eaks is in contention, he wins. A hot competitor and his own cold putter kept it from happening Saturday.
"I haven't won since January and it's killing me. It's eating me up," Eaks said. "But the way I'm playing I'll win pretty soon."
Utah golf fans saw the Nike Tour's best. With the win, Christie moves atop the money list with $188,018 in earnings, a mere $860 short of the winnings record. He's the only three-time winner on the tour this year, and since Aug. 12 he's won two tournaments and finished second twice. He's a lock to win player-of-the-year honors and move to the PGA Tour next year.
He certainly impressed PGA Tour regular Dan Forsman, who followed Christie around Saturday. Forsman met Christie in the media room after the tournament and told him his talents belong at the big show. We'll find out if Forsman has any pull if Christie gets a sponsor's exemption in the next few weeks to a PGA Tour event.