BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC: LAYUP WEIR'S BEST HOPE BIRDIES ON THE FINAL THREE HOLES RALLIES CANADIAN TO 2-SHOT WIN.Byline: Mark Reinhiller Staff Writer LA QUINTA A division of Seagate that was originally an acquisition and then absorbed into the company by 1999. Quinta was the developer of Optically Assisted Winchester (OAW) technology. See OAW. - Mike Weir
Michael Richard Weir C.M., O.Ont. (born May 12, 1970) is a professional golfer on the PGA Tour. Weir was born in Brights Grove, Ontario, Canada. He attended St. patiently waited for his chance to grab the spotlight. And when he did, he made others pay. The Canadian birdied the final three holes Sunday and came from behind to finish at 30-under-par 330 and win the 44th annual Bob Hope Chrysler Classic The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic is a professional golf tournament played each January in California's Coachella Valley. Part of the PGA Tour's early season West Coast Swing, this tournament is well known for its celebrity pro-am, as well as having five daily 18-hole rounds of at PGA West The PGA West Stadium Course located in La Quinta, California was designed by Pete Dye has been called the "Western Home of Golf." The course was designed to be Dye's answer to the TPC at Sawgrass. . That Weir won the tournament for the first time was not a surprise. How he did it, was. Meltdowns down the stretch by third- and fourth-round leader Tim Herron Timothy Daniel Herron (born February 6, 1970) is an American golfer. Herron was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Nicknamed "Lumpy", he attended the University of New Mexico and played on the 1993 United States Walker Cup team before turning professional later that year. and sentimental favorite Jay Haas Jay Dean Haas (born December 2, 1953) is an American golfer. Haas was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended Wake Forest University and was a member of the NCAA Championship team of the middle 1970s with Curtis Strange and Bob Byman that Golf World paved pave tr.v. paved, pav·ing, paves 1. To cover with a pavement. 2. To cover uniformly, as if with pavement. 3. To be or compose the pavement of. the way for Weir, who finished the day at 5-under 67 to take home the $810,000 winner's check. Weir, a native of Sarnia, Ontario Sarnia is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada (city population 71,419, census area population 88,793, in 2006). It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the three upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River. , became the sixth consecutive international player to win a Tour event. ``To finish like that with three birdies and win a tournament, it's pretty special, really special,'' he said. Weir opened the day at 25-under, good for second along with Haas and four shots behind Herron. He grabbed a share of the lead at 17 when he birdied from 17 feet to tie Haas, who had a par. On the par-5, 543-yard 18th, Weir put his second shot along the fairway, 66 yards from the green. Haas followed and went for the green from just less than 200 yards. However, the shot fell into the water just short of the hole, and Weir pounced pounce 1 v. pounced, pounc·ing, pounc·es v.intr. 1. To spring or swoop with intent to seize someone or something: on the opportunity. Haas could not save par and bogeyed for a 28-under total. Weir then earned his third consecutive birdie from more than eight feet to win. Going for the green, Weir said, was not an option. ``If I hit 10 balls, I might be able to get one on the green, possibly,'' he said. ``Even if I did get on the green, it would be right on the back because I was on such a down slope, I would have to hit it so hard it would be back on the green. ``But I felt if I could lay it up to 80 or 90 yards, ... I had just as good a chance of making birdie from there than I did over the green.'' Haas said he needed to answer Weir's shot with an even better one. ``I'm sure he felt like I was going to go for it, but he probably felt like his best opportunity to make 4 was laying up,'' he said. ``I was between a 4- and a 5-iron. I took the 4. After he laid up, I felt like even the back, middle of the green or back bunker would give me a good opportunity for 4. ``I just mishit mis·hit tr.v. mis·hit, mis·hit·ting, mis·hits To hit (a tennis or cricket ball, for example) incorrectly or badly. mis it a little bit. I was a little surprised it didn't carry.'' Haas said he did not think about laying up on the final hole. ``After Mike did that, I felt like it was an advantage for me,'' Haas said. ``I mean, a 4-iron shot, I know it's over water and everything. ... I felt like I could put it on the green.'' Haas' misfortune was preceded by Herron's failure on 16. His up-and-down day met its demise when he took an 8 on the par-4 hole. Herron placed his tee shot into a bunker, then placed his second shot into the rocks to the right of the green. After several minutes of eyeing the ball, then clearing some rocks, he took a penalty drop and placed his fourth shot across the green into a drainage ditch. Before it was over, he would miss a triple-bogey from 10 and dropped from a tie at the top to fifth place. ``I tried to drop it to where there was a little bit of cushion,'' Herron said. ``There was no cushion at all. The worst thing I thought I could do was hit it short there because then I had no chance of keeping it on the green.'' Herron's bizarre round included two eagles, four bogeys, a birdie and the disastrous 16th hole for a 3-over 75 to tie Chris DiMarco Christian Dean DiMarco (born August 23, 1968) is an American golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, and has been in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings. DiMarco was born in Huntington, New York. He attended University of Florida and turned professional in 1990. for third at 26-under. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Canada's Mike Weir reacts after making a birdie putt on the 17th hold in the final round of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in La Quinta. Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press |
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