Golf: Parry outshines the stars

WASHINGTON - Australian Craig Parry recorded the biggest victory of his career when he blew away a star-studded field at the US$5.5 million ($11.89 million) WGC-NEC Invitational in Seattle yesterday.

Parry putted brilliantly to card a flawless six-under 65 and win by four strokes.

Another Australian, Robert Allenby, shot 69 after recovering from a mid-round slump to birdie the final four holes and tie for second with American Fred Funk.

World No 1 Tiger Woods was fourth, five strokes behind Parry.

New Zealand's Michael Campbell closed with a 69 to finish 11th equal on 278.

Parry, this year's New Zealand Open champion, finished at 16-under 268 to record his first victory in 236 starts on the US PGA Tour.

For the 36-year-old, victory meant he had resurrected a career that seemed to be drifting. Among the rewards he receives for beating a field that included all of the world's 50 top-ranked players are US$1 million ($2.16 million) and a three-year US PGA Tour exemption.

He will skyrocket from his present world ranking of 118.

Oddly enough, Parry gained entry into the event by virtue of his victory in the New Zealand Open at Paraparaumu Beach in January. That tournament became a qualifying event only because Woods played in it.

Although Parry has 19 worldwide victories, he had played 11 seasons fulltime on the US PGA Tour without a win.

"I'm very, very happy. It's been a long time ... I've been knocking on the door for years, playing events in America," Parry said yesterday.

"Today I probably used a lot of experience, a lot of the setbacks over my career, especially in America. I stuck to my game plan as far as playing the golf course. And I hit the ball pretty good."

"Pretty good" is an understatement for Parry's play, particularly in the final three rounds. He did not record a bogey after his sixth hole in the second round, for a run of 48 consecutive bogey-free holes.

Over his final 54 holes, he had 18 birdies and one bogey.

Parry, who started the final round tied for the lead with Allenby, stamped his authority on the tournament with a hat-trick of birdies, starting at the second hole.

A long birdie at the par-three ninth extended his lead to three strokes, and that was as close as anyone got.

But it was not all smooth sailing for Parry, who sank an important six-metre par putt at the12th to keep his momentum going, before picking up another birdie at the par-four 14th, from 15 metres.

With no one able to mount a real charge, Parry only had to avoid falling on his sword over the final four holes - something easier said than done for a man who had never won on golf's toughest battleground.

He flirted with danger at the par-three 17th, where a poor tee shot left him in a bunker, staring at a pond waiting to gobble up his ball if he hit his recovery too hard. But he safely blasted out to nine metres and curled the sharply breaking putt in the left-hand door to save par.

He got on the green in two strokes at the par-five 18th and two-putted to finish in style with another birdie.

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American Chris Riley won the Reno-Tahoe Open for his first US PGA Tour title yesterday, beating Jonathan Kaye with a par on the first hole of a playoff.

Riley, coming off a third-place finish in the PGA championship last week, two-putted from eight metres on the playoff hole to claim the US$540,000 ($1,168,073) winner's cheque.

Compatriot Kaye, who remains winless on the Tour, had a chance to extend the playoff, but his five-metre putt for par lipped out.

Tied for the lead with Steve Flesch at 12 under after three rounds, Riley and Kaye shot matching five-under 67s to tie the tournament record of 17-under 271 set last year by John Cook on the Montreux Golf and Country Club course.

Flesch had a 73 to slide to sixth equal on 277.

New Zealand's Michael Long had the best result of his rookie season on tour, finishing in a share of 32nd place after closing with a 71 to be at four-under 284. It was the fifth cut made by Long in 17 outings this year.

Compatriot Frank Nobilo was a further six shots behind after posting a 70 yesterday.

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Adam Scott left no doubt he was playing the wrong tournament when he scored a crushing 10-stroke win in the Scottish PGA championship.

The talented Australian went within one shot of the European Tour's 72-hole scoring record when he lapped the field with a closing nine-under 63 to finish at 26 under.

His finishing flourish of eagle, birdie, eagle brought an appreciative Scottish crowd to its feet at Gleneagles' PGA Centenary course.

Scott's third European Tour win wiped away the disappointment of missing out on playing the WGC-NEC Invitational.

A recent drop from the world's top 50 to 61st in the rankings caused that, but yesterday's win will ensure he does not miss any other major international events for a while.

"When you are hot, you're hot," Scott said after his blistering round, which ensured his five-shot overnight lead was never seriously challenged, even by second-placed Raymond Russell, who carded a 68.

Scott's effort earned him US$256,000 ($556,642) and three records for this season's European Tour - lowest tournament score, biggest winning margin and best closing score to win.

Scott also won in South Africa early last year and followed it with a victory in the Qatar Masters in March, which ensured a start in the US Masters, where his debut ninth placing impressed everyone.

- AGENCIES