Crenshaw Staves Off the Darkness, Wins

Ben Crenshaw beat the field by two strokes--and darkness by a much more narrow margin--Sunday in the Nestle Invitational at Orlando.

Crenshaw finished with a two-under-par round of 70 in the gloom of early evening and scored the 17th victory of his 21-year PGA Tour career. His 280 was eight under par at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club.

The course was raked by 30-m.p.h. winds for two days, dampened by drizzle on another and was subjected to a 57-minute rain delay on the final day.

That delay, combined with the late tee times set for television, pushed the finish to almost 7 p.m. with darkness approaching.

Davis Love III, playing with Crenshaw in the final twosome, tied for second with Vijay Singh of Fiji and Rocco Mediate.

Love, tied for the lead until Crenshaw started a decisive surge during the middle of the round, had a closing 71.

That included a par on the final hole, a water-guarded hole that was played in almost total darkness.

The victory came in typical Crenshaw fashion. He had his adventures off the tee, but saved himself with his putting.

Crenshaw, one shot in front when he and Love teed off in the afternoon, quickly squandered that advantage with bogeys on the second and third holes.

Despite his erratic action off the tee--he hit only six of 14 fairways--Crenshaw moved in front with a string of three birdies in four holes beginning on the ninth.