Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 14, 1995 TAG: 9508150020
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
What was supposed to be the coronation of Ernie Els became the coming-out party of Steve Elkington.
And it was another bitter disappointment for Colin Montgomerie.
Elkington won the PGA Championship on Sunday when he birdied the first hole of a sudden-death playoff, then watched Montgomerie's run at a birdie slide by the right side of the hole.
It was Elkington's first victory in a major championship, and it was Montgomerie's second loss of a major in a playoff - a year after he lost the U.S. Open to Els. (Scores in Scoreboard. B3)
It was supposed to have been Els' tournament, giving the South African his second major championship at 25 years old. But Els played tentatively Sunday, shooting a 72, while Elkington closed with a 64 and Montgomerie a 65.
``I played the round of my life today,'' Elkington said. ``I really didn't know what to expect starting the round, because Ernie seemed so dominant the way he played yesterday.''
Elkington, Montgomerie and Brad Faxon dominated the final round. Elkington and Montgomerie finished at 17-under-par 267 on the Riviera Country Club course, the lowest score in PGA Championship history. It also tied the scoring record for a major set by Greg Norman in the 1993 British Open.
Faxon shot a 63, including a 28 on the front nine, and finished in fifth place, at 271. His score was two strokes behind Els and Jeff Maggert, but was good enough to give him a spot on the Ryder Cup team.
It was a heartbreaking loss for Montgomerie, who played brilliantly down the stretch and forced the playoff with birdies on the last three holes, including a twisting 18-footer on No.18.
``It's a terrible feeling when somebody makes a putt to tie you in a playoff, especially when there's so much at stake, like the PGA,'' Elkington said about Montgomerie's tying putt. ``But golfers are thick-skinned. They are always semi-prepared even though in the back of your mind there is this guy who says he's going to miss.''
It was Elkington who rolled in a 25-footer when they returned to No.18 for the playoff to take the title and Montgomerie who missed a 20-foot birdie putt that would have prolonged the playoff.
``I probably pushed it a little,'' Montgomerie said.
Overall, it was his fifth playoff loss.
``It did go through my mind,'' Montgomerie said about his record in playoffs. ``I felt the law of averages has got to take effect sometime.''
It also was the second consecutive major to end in a playoff. John Daly beat Costantino Rocca to win the British Open in July.
Els came into the final round with a three-stroke lead over Mark O'Meara and Maggert and was five ahead of Montgomerie and six ahead of Elkington. The way he was playing Els looked uncatchable. Rounds of 66, 65 and 66 gave him the lowest 54-hole total in tournament history by three strokes.
``Steve Elkington and myself didn't think that,'' Montgomerie said when asked if he started the day thinking Els was uncatchable. ``Brad Faxon didn't think that. Golf's a great leveler.''
Els backed off the aggressive play that put him in the lead and shot a 72, perhaps losing the tournament with an overly cautious front nine in which he left every approach shot on the first five holes well short of the flag.
``I saw the guys going good,'' Els said. ``I didn't want to make mistakes. I played a little tentative out there.''
He lost all hope when he bogeyed the par-5 17th hole, a hole he had birdied the previous three days.
``Ernie's a great champion,'' Elkington said. ``But you just can't think he'd walk away with it. I've seen it happen so many times.''
While Els backed off, Elkington went right at the course. The 32-year-old Australian, who was a two-time All-American at the University of Houston, got into contention with birdies on Nos.1, 3, 6 and 8. He took control with a three-foot birdie putt on No.10 followed by 10-footers on Nos.11 and 12.
``He's got one of the best swings we've seen,'' Faxon said of Elkington. ``He's a step away from being a dominant player.''
It was Elkington's third strong performance this year in a major championship. He tied for fifth in the Masters and tied for sixth in the British Open. Last year, he tied for seventh in the PGA.
Montgomerie got close with a 32 on the front nine, then made a four-foot birdie putt on No.16, a five-footer on No.17 and the 18-footer on No.18 to finish with a 65.
``The only thing I can say about myself is I did nothing wrong,'' Montgomerie said. ``He won the tournament. I did not lose the tournament. And there you go.''
The victory by Elkington prevented American golfers from completing their first sweep of the four major championships since 1982. Ben Crenshaw won the Masters this year, Corey Pavin took the U.S. Open and Daly won the British. None of them was a factor here, with Pavin and Daly missing the cut.
by CNB