DULUTH, Ga. — Scott McCarron survived the wind in the BellSouth Classic. Everyone else was blown away.
McCarron managed to shoot 1-over par during a two-round, 36-hole marathon Sunday, good enough for a three-stroke victory and his first triumph on the PGA Tour since 1997.
His last win also came in the BellSouth Classic, the tournament's first year at the TPC at Sugarloaf.
"It's so good to be back in the winner's circle after four years," said McCarron, who won with an 8-under 280 total. "Everybody kept telling me, 'You're due.' I felt that way, too."
He was resourceful, turning around to hit a left-handed shot from behind a tree. He held up under the physical demands of spending 10 hours on a hilly, sprawling course — interrupted only by a 20-minute break for lunch.
McCarron wasn't among the 28 players tuning up for the first major of the year, the Masters just down the road in Augusta. He'll spend the off time moving from California to Reno, Nev., and figuring out ways to spend his $594,000 paycheck.
McCarron needed every bit of concentration on a day when the wind gusted to 38 mph, making club selection difficult and keeping the scores high for just about everyone.
Defending champion Phil Mickelson sent so many balls into the water he could have used a boat. Ernie Els looked like a weekend hacker during his morning round, winding up with an 81 for his highest score in eight years. Stewart Cink, who has a home on the course, couldn't figure it out, either.
"These greens are extraordinarily fast," said Cink, who fell from contention with a final-round 73. "With the wind blowing at 30 mph, it's almost unplayable."
McCarron, who began the rain-delayed third round tied with Chris DiMarco at 10 under, was even for the day after 28 holes. By then, McCarron was six shots in front as DiMarco, Mickelson, Dennis Paulson and every other would-be challenger faded away.
McCarron followed up a par 72 in the third round with a 73 in the afternoon, tapping in at the final hole just as the sun slipped behind the clubhouse.
McCarron slipped briefly on his final nine, bogeying three of four holes. But he sealed the victory by rolling in a 40-foot birdie at No. 16, the ball breaking one way and then the other before disappearing into the cup.
Mike Weir, finishing up on the front nine, got within three shots of the lead with a birdie at 4 while McCarron lipped out a 3-footer for par at 13.
But Weir missed a short par putt at his next hole, ending his charge. He still wound up with a final-round 67, amazing under the circumstances and the best score of the day.
The left-handed Canadian was alone in second at 283. Mickelson, Paulson and Chris Smith tied for third at 284, with DiMarco another stroke back.
Mickelson charged to the lead at the beginning of the third round, but he never recovered from a double-bogey on his 12th hole. Unsure about his club selection, his wedge landed well short of the green and dribbled back into the creek.
In the afternoon, Mickelson wiped out with a devastating two-hole sequence. After a three-putt bogey at No. 8, he hooked his drive at No. 9 into another stream and wound up with a double-bogey.
But there was plenty of hardship for everyone.
In the third round, only seven of 53 players managed to break par. The number dropped to five in the afternoon.
Els, who shot a 67 Saturday, followed with his worst 18-hole score since the second round of the 1993 Honda Classic, when he shot 84.
"It was very windy and I couldn't get warmed up properly. Hey, that's my excuse," Els said, managing a grin. "Obviously, shooting a score like this morning is not quite like me."
Frank Lickliter was at 6 under after the morning round, then shot an 83 in the afternoon, walking off the course like a zombie.
Maybe he should have followed the lead of South African Retief Goosen, who played two holes and withdrew rather than face the gusts.
LEGENDS OF GOLF: At St. Augustine, Fla., Andy North and Jim Colbert successfully defended their Legends of Golf title, holding off David Graham and Bruce Fleisher by three strokes.
North and Colbert shot a 7-under-par 65 in windy conditions for a 20-under 124 total in the best-ball tournament on The King and The Bear Course at the World Golf Village. They split $340,000.
Graham and Fleisher, who also finished second last year, eagled the par-5 18th for a 62. Jim Albus and Simon Hobday won the Legendary Division for players 60-69.