The Hindu : Sluman runs away with GMO

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 16, 2002

Sport

Sport - Golf

Sluman runs away with GMO

MILWAUKEE JULY 15. Jeff Sluman fired a 3-under-par 68 on Sunday for a four-stroke victory over Tim Herron (66) and Steve Lowery (70) at the Greater Milwaukee Open (GMO).

Sluman's 23-under 261 total was one stroke shy of Loren Roberts' 72-hole GMO record set two years ago.

Last year, Sluman led going into Sunday but finished 10th. He also took the 54-hole lead in 1998, when he won his first GMO.

Kenny Perry (65) took fourth, one stroke ahead of Joey Sindelar, Greg Chalmers and J.P. Hayes, who finished six strokes back.

Sluman, who bettered Roberts' 54-hole record of 19-under with a 20-under 193, took a two-stroke lead over Lowery into the final round on Sunday.

He began his day with just his second bogey of the tournament, but followed with a birdie and made the turn at minus-23 with a four-stroke lead over Lowery.

On the 10th hole, a 447-yard, par-4, Lowery cut the deficit in half when he birdied and Sluman bogeyed. But he negated his gain with bogeys on Nos. 11 and 13.

Sluman went to 23-under with a birdie on the par-3 14th hole and played it safe the rest of the way.

After his birdie putt lipped out on 15, Sluman drove the ball into the trees on the right side on the par-4 16th hole, pitched to the fairway, hit a wedge within 10 feet and saved par.

On 18, he also hit it into the trees on the right, but again he saved par.

Sluman won a career-high paycheck of $558,000 out of the $3.1 million purse with his sixth PGA Tour victory.

Brown Deer's par-71 layout measuring 6,759 yards is one of the shortest on the PGA Tour and puts a premium on iron play and putting. While neutralising the long hitters, Brown Deer serves as an enticing course to veterans long on patience.

Three of the top four finishers were in their 40s.

Herron, who's 32, said his second-place finish was much needed because his wife, Ann, is due to give birth to their first child next week.

``Now, I won't have too much pressure to get on the road to keep my (PGA Tour) card,'' Herron said.

Last year's winner, Shigeki Maruyama, finished in a tie for 21st.

Skip Kendall, who grew up near Brown Deer Park in Fox Point, hit a hole-in-one on the 215-yard, pary-3 seventh hole. — AP

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