BROOKS WINS IT BY A FOOT\Fan helps him take Hope title with 67.

Byline: Dave Shelburne Daily News Staff Writer

Off the spectator, out of the rough, nothing but green.

In case there was any lingering doubt late Sunday as to who would win the Chrysler Bob Hope Classic, Mark Brooks squashed all suspense with one of those fortunate shot sequences that makes golf such an intriguing game.

Walking to the 18th tee at Indian Ridge Club with a seemingly secure two-stroke lead over John Huston, Brooks promptly pulled his tee shot high into the banked left rough.

"It was ugly," Brooks said.

But wait. The ball glanced on a bounce off the foot of a spectator and back down toward the fairway.

Prepared to lay up short of the green, Brooks instead found the ball positioned better than he expected and was able to send a hard-struck 6-iron shot about 180 yards to within 12 feet of the pin.

His subsequent lag putt and tap-in par neutralized Huston's closing birdie and earned Brooks $234,000 first-place place money in this 37th annual desert event.

Brooks closed a week of consistency with a final round of 5-under par 67, his fifth consecutive round of at least 69 in a 23-under-par total of 337.

That was enough to finish one stroke ahead of Huston and two up on fast-closing Scott Hoch, who had one of four final-round 65s to wind up at 339.

"I figured 25 might be enough to be a winner," Brooks said. "I'm lucky nobody shot real low."

Payne Stewart, who shared the lead entering the final round after a course-record-tying 63 at Indian Ridge on Saturday, could do no better than 70 in the final round and finished tied for fourth at 340 with Brad Bryant and Nolan Henke.

Jeff Maggert, who also made a big move Saturday with a 64 at Tamarask CC, slumped to 71 Sunday. He wound up tied for seventh at 341 with Fred Couples (70), Paul Goydos (69) and Kenny Perry, whose closing 65 could not make up enough ground.

Hoch, who effectively ran out of holes after making up four shots on the leader, also ran out of a little money at the end - thanks to Huston's closing birdie.

That birdie, set up by a 126-yard wedge to within six feet of the flagstick, was too late to catch Brooks. But it was enough to break a second-place tie with Hoch, who wound up $26,000 poorer for Huston's accuracy.

It wasn't satisfaction enough for the disappointed Huston, who putted well and felt he might have won the tournament had he been able to stick a few shots a little closer to the pin.

"Anytime you have that good of a chance, it's disappointing," he said. "Since I won at Doral (in 1994) this is the best chance I had."

He and Brooks both thought the tournament swung on the 530-yard, par-5 15th hole.

Brooks went to that tee with a one-stroke lead over Huston but pulled his drive to the left while Huston hit center fairway. Huston, however, could do no better than par while Brooks wound up with a birdie for a two-stroke lead that none of the remaining challengers could overcome.

Hoch ran out of holes at 21 under, two strokes back while Brooks was still on No. 16. Huston had chances but had close misses on birdie putts at 16 and 17 to help Brooks maintain his cushion into the final hole.

It proved just enough with the dramatic - and deceiving - way Brooks finished.

While Huston and others thought Brooks had benefitted from a good-miss pull on that decisive 6-iron to the green, Brooks called it on target all the way.

"That ball went exactly where I told my caddie it was going - right down the middle," he said of his victory-sealing shot from the rough.

The fact Brooks is nearly a quarter of a millions dollars richer today is due in large part to the fact he seldom had to salvage drives from the rough - despite his occasional travails Sunday.

He missed just three fairways in the final round and one of those by just a few inches.

Brooks thought that was a key as much as his improved play with new irons, not to mention a putter he borrowed eight days ago and negotiated well enough for nary a single three-putt green all week.

"They talk about driving for show, (and putting for dough),' Brooks said. But if you can't drive the ball reasonably well, you will not do well on this tour."

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PHOTO

(1--color) Mark Brooks acknowledges the gallery after winning the Bob Hope tournament in Palm Desert Sunday. (2) Payne Stewart, who tied for fourth, reacts to a missed birdie putt at the 11th hole. Associated Press