1995 / 77th PGA RIVIERA : One Berth Leads to Fast Birth : Golf: Faxon goes through labor pains on way to 63 and the Ryder Cup.

Brad Faxon’s soon-to-be-newborn baby doesn’t know it yet, but the family’s golf nut doctor is going to induce labor a week early because daddy made a par putt on No. 18 Sunday.

If ever a 15-footer could change a life--actually, three of them--this was it. By saving par, Faxon not only shot an eight-under 63 for the final round of the PGA Championship and finished fifth, but he would later squeak onto his first U.S. Ryder Cup team. And because the Ryder Cup matches begin Sept. 22, only four days before the newborn’s due date, the Faxon family physician plans to deliver the child a week earlier than expected.

“The doctor’s a big golf fan,” Faxon said.

Faxon, who began the day at five under, earned his own share of admirers Sunday as he flirted and romanced golf history as if he had a crush on it. He shot a 28 on the front side, which broke a PGA Championship record for nine holes, and set a final-round record with the 63. For a while, there was even talk of you-know-what.

“You know, I laughed on 12 when I had about an eight-footer,” Faxon said. “Some guy said, ‘59,’ before I putted. And you know, I wasn’t even thinking about that. I said, ‘Oh, God, now I’ve got to put this out of my mind.’ ”

Fat chance. Faxon spent a semi-sleepless Saturday night thinking about all sorts of final-round possibilities. He began staring at the digital alarm clock at exactly 2:14. Then he woke up at four-something and then 6:15, 45 minutes before his scheduled wake-up call.

Faxon said he had a feeling something special might happen Sunday. Thanks to a tip from teaching guru David Leadbetter, Faxon was hitting the ball as well as he ever had. Sure, he was a no-show on the leader board, but if he got off to a fast start, and someone faltered, and a snowstorm hit Riviera immediately after he putted out on 18 . . . hey, who knew what might happen?

There would be no 59, but it wasn’t because Faxon didn’t try. He eagled Riviera Country Club’s first hole. Then he birdied No. 3, then No. 5, then the sixth. By then the crowd had swelled like a sprained ankle. At every green there were shouts of “Ryder Cup!” or “59!” or simply “Win.”

A victory was probably out of the question, but the Ryder Cup wasn’t. Faxon birdied the seventh and then the ninth. So hot was Faxon that little Jim Croke, the teen-age kid in charge of keeping the portable scoring board up to date, was pulling out red numbers before Faxon’s putts even rolled in the cup.

He knew. So did Faxon.

“It was the best front nine I’ve ever played,” he said. “I hit every shot where I needed to--solid, straight, close to the flag--and made a bunch of putts. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

The back nine wasn’t quite as special. Faxon parred No. 10, settled for a birdie at No. 11 after just missing the eagle and pulled his eight-foot birdie try on No. 12. It was at this point that one woman in the gallery noticed the remarkable scoring run and, with Faxon within hearing distance, said, “Brad Faxon is 13 under?”

It could have been better. He had birdie chances at the 13th, 14th and 15th and actually lost a stroke, thanks to a three-putt on 15. Then he got the stroke back on No. 16, almost birdied the 17th and hit what he called “the biggest putt of my life, no question,” on No. 18 to save par.

As Faxon double-checked his scorecard, caddy John (Cubby) Burke stood outside the clubhouse and marveled at the round he had just seen.

“He hit every fairway, every green,” said Burke, who was off by one fairway and one green.

Under the Ryder Cup selection format, the top 10 U.S. point scorers automatically qualified for the 12-member team. That left two at-large selections for U.S. captain Lanny Wadkins. Faxon started the day tied for 14th.

Back in late January at a practice round for the Phoenix Open, Faxon had made sure to compliment Wadkins on his swing, his hair, his physique . . . anything. He even brought cookies.

“Finally he caught on that I was kissing up to him,” said Faxon, who has a videotape library full of Ryder Cup matches.

He officially clinched his Ryder Cup berth when Mark O’Meara didn’t make an eagle on No. 18. Had O’Meara canned the shot, Faxon would have finished sixth, O’Meara fifth.

“O’Meara hit his second shot?” Faxon said after taking a call from Davis Love III and Fred Couples. Told that he had, Faxon began accepting handshakes from Burke and Jay Haas.

“Whatcha going to do tonight?” someone asked.

Faxon didn’t hesitate.

“I’m probably going to have a cigar,” he said.

One for the kid. One for the 63.