DiMarco Has Last Word

Another record crowd at the Phoenix Open got the exciting finish it wanted. Chris DiMarco would have rather put it to sleep.

Especially the rowdy fan at No. 16.

DiMarco, who showed up the fan by making a birdie, used plenty of grit Sunday to recover from a stunning collapse for a one-stroke victory over hard-luck Kenny Perry and Japan’s Kaname Yokoo at the TPC of Scottsdale, Ariz.

DiMarco got back in the game with an eight-iron from 171 yards that stopped about 18 inches from cup on the par-three 16th.

That’s when a fan yelled “Noonan!” as DiMarco stood over the putt.

That’s a line in the movie “Caddy- shack,” when everyone is shouting at Danny Noonan as he tries to make a 12-foot putt to win the caddie tournament.

“It gave me a little incentive to make the putt,” DiMarco said.

Perry three-putted from 30 feet for a bogey on No. 17 to fall one stroke behind.

It finally ended with DiMarco two-putting from about 50 feet on No. 18 and Perry’s birdie putt burning the right edge of the cup.

DiMarco closed with a two-under 69 and finished at 267.

Perry had a 70 and Yokoo had a seven-under 64.

DiMarco led by four strokes after 10 holes before going double bogey, bogey, bogey.

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U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen of South Africa cruised in the Johnnie Walker Classic at Perth, Australia, despite struggling with a one-over 73 in the final round.

Goosen finished at 14-under 274. Pierre Fulke of Sweden finished second at 282, followed by Sergio Garcia of Spain (283) and Ernie Els of South Africa (286).

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Chris Williams of England is again the South African PGA Championship winner--17 years later.

Williams shot a four-under 68 to beat Hennie Otto by two strokes at Pretoria.

Williams, who won the event in 1985, finished at 17-under 271. Otto, a South African, had a final-round 67.