Faxon Takes Aim at the Masters

Brad Faxon’s pure putting stroke made his wire-to-wire victory Sunday in the Sony Open look easy. It might come in handy at Augusta National too.

Faxon took a big step toward getting into the Masters--his top priority this year--by closing with a five-under-par 65, which included two 30-foot birdie putts that kept him in control and his fourth eagle in as many days.

“Everything went as planned, went as expected, and sometimes even better,” Faxon said after keeping his distance from Tom Lehman and Ernie Els and completing a wire-to-wire victory.

Faxon finished with a 20-under 260, which tied the record score at Honolulu’s Waialae Country Club. John Huston had a 260 in 1998 when the course played as a par 72.

Lehman, who got within a stroke of Faxon after six holes, made only one birdie on the back nine and finished four strokes back with a 67. Els had a 68 and finished third, his third consecutive week in contention without a victory.

“He had a three-shot lead and shot 65,” Lehman said. “That gets the job done. He answered everything I had to give.”

It was the eighth career victory for Faxon, and the $720,000 check was the largest in his 17-year career. This one came with some perks.

Faxon, who faced getting shut out of the Masters for the second consecutive year, should get enough points to move into the top 50 in the world ranking. All he has to do now is stay there for the next six weeks.

“I have some big goals,” he said. “I’ve got to get back into the top 50 to get into the Masters. I want to play in all the majors and make the Ryder Cup team. To do that, I have to play well all year long and win a few times.”

His second victory since July--he won the B.C. Open after failing to qualify for the British Open--also gets him into the U.S. Open. He also moved up to No. 8 in the Ryder Cup standings.

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Sophie Gustafson of Sweden won the Subaru Memorial of Naples, Fla., closing with a two-under-par 70 for a three-stroke victory over Australian star Karrie Webb.

Gustafson, who earned $150,000 for her third victory in nine months, had a 16-under 272 total. She tied the tournament record set by Meg Mallon in 1999.

“It’s nice. It feels good. It’s going good, but I need to improve my short game,” said Gustafson, who shot a career-best 64 on Friday to take the lead for good.

“You can’t play defensively. I knew that wouldn’t work.”

Webb, a seven-time winner last year, finished with a 69.

“I’m very happy to finish second and am glad I ran out of holes out there today because I did not hit the ball the way I like,” Webb said. “It’s just not a confident feeling I have right now out there. I’m not feeling confident over every shot.”

Catherine Cartwright, a 17-year-old playing in her first event as a professional, shot a 77 to finish at seven-over 295 and earned $1,545. Cartwright won the 2000 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links title.

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Larry Nelson won the season-opening MasterCard Seniors Championship at Hualalai, Hawaii, shooting a six-under-par 66 for a one-stroke victory over Jim Thorpe.

Nelson, the Senior PGA Tour’s player of the year last season after he won six times, had a 19-under 197 total on the Hualalai Golf Club course. Thorpe shot a 65.

Thorpe pulled within a stroke when Nelson bogeyed No. 15, but Nelson birdied No. 16 to restore his two-stroke lead. Both players parred the 17th, and Thorpe birdied the final hole.

Bruce Fleisher birdied the last two holes for a 70 and a third-place tie with Ed Dougherty (65) at 202.

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Arnold Palmer will no longer be the chief recruiter for the U.S. Golf Assn. unless they settle differences over his support of non-conforming drivers, President Trey Holland said.

While Palmer was not being kicked out of the USGA, Holland said his role as honorary chairman of the Members Program would not be as “visible.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Up Next

This week’s schedule of events:

PGA

Thursday--Sunday

* Phoenix Open, Scottsdale, Ariz.

LPGA

Friday-Sunday

* The Office Depot, Miami

SENIOR

Friday-Sunday

* Senior Skins Game, Maui, Hawaii