Armour shows no cracks in Texas
They do everything bigger in Texas -- just ask Tommy Armour III.
He was a 43-year-old journeyman fighting for his livelihood at the beginning of this week, and by Sunday he was penning a new chapter in the record books.
Armour, grandson of the Silver Scot, had just three top-10 finishes since 2000 (all in 2002) before the Texas Open. Having played the last two seasons with conditional status, he was staring a second Q-school trip in three years straight in the face at 157th on the money list.
That all changed with a Texas-sized turnaround not even he could explain.
Armour posted the lowest 72-hole score in PGA Tour history in San Antonio, winning the Texas Open by a whopping seven strokes at 26-under 254. Loren Roberts, last year's winner, tied for second at 19-under -- the same score he won it with last year.
Armour played his first 63 holes without a bogey, and his $630,000 first-place check is more than double what he has made this year on tour. More important, it makes him exempt through 2005.
| Around the tours ... | |
 This week: Valero Texas Open Site: San Antonio Course: LaCantera Golf Club, The Resort Course (6,896 yards, par 70) Top finishers: 1 Tommy Armour III (-26) T2 Loren Roberts T2 Bob Tway 4 Duffy Waldorf 5 Aaron Baddeley 6 Dan Forsman T7 K.J. Choi T7 Steve Flesch T7 Paul Goydos T7 Glen Hnatiuk T7 Richard S. Johnson T7 Frank Lickliter II
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So how do you explain it? How does a guy who had just one round at 65 or better this season post four in a row (64-62-63-65) in Texas?
"I'm telling you it was scaring me a little bit," Armour said afterward.
More amazing facts and figures from Armour's unexplainable week:
"A month ago, you'd never have thought it," he said. "It just shows how quickly you can turn it around."
The Englishman also earned a spot in this week's American Express Championship with the victory.
Ernie Els was runner-up to Westwood at the Dunhill Links, strengthening his position atop the Order of Merit. The second-place showing was his third of the year, going along with his six worldwide wins. Darren Clarke, his closest pursuer on the European money list, finished tied for fourth.
The World Golf Championships' AmEx will be Els' last opportunity to build on his money lead. He'll skip the European season-ending Volvo Masters.
She'll fall well short of the 13 worldwide wins she racked up last season, but you still have to consider this a career year for Sorenstam.
Besides her impressive foray onto the PGA Tour at the Colonial in May, Sorenstam won two majors -- the LPGA Championship and Women's British Open -- and completed the career Grand Slam.
"It's been an incredible year, I think, in many ways," Sorenstam said Sunday, after successfully defending her Safeway title.
The year will be topped off with her induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Oct. 20. She'll qualify for the honor when she plays in her next event, her 15th of the season (she needs to compete in 15 tournaments to officially complete her 10th season on tour).
Stadler joins Bruce Lietzke and Tom Watson as the only two-time winners on the Champions Tour this season.
David Lefort is ESPN.com's golf editor, and he can be reached at david.m.lefort@espn3.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
