Paul Goydos staged an unlikely rally 11 weeks ago just to keep his PGA Tour card. Sunday was even sweeter, with three birdies in the final four holes at the Sony Open in Honolulu for his first victory in 11 years.
Goydos closed with a 3-under-par 67 and made a birdie on the last hole when his 25-foot chip banged into the pin and settled within tap-in range. Charles Howell III and Luke Donald tied for second, a stroke back.
“I never felt like I was going to win,” said Goydos, who earned $936,000, more than he made all last year.
The tournament belonged to Howell for most of a sunny afternoon at Waialae until a sudden shift on the back nine, when Howell made back-to-back bogeys and Goydos made consecutive birdies.
Howell had a chance to force a playoff when his 8-iron from the rough came up 50 feet short of the green. His chip ran 15 feet past the pin, and the birdie putt never had a chance. He shot 70 for his seventh runner-up finish since his only victory in 2002.
Tadd Fujikawa, the 16-year- old who became the youngest player in 50 years to make a cut on the PGA Tour, finished his dream week with a birdie on the final hole for a 72, putting him in a tie for 20th.
“I never imagined myself doing this, especially at this age,” Fujikawa said, who returns to the 10th grade Tuesday.
Goydos, who finished at 14-under 266, might not have been in Oahu except for the final full tournament of 2006. He was headed for Q-school when he put together his best four rounds of the year and tied for second in the Chrysler Championship, earning enough money to finish 97th on the money list and keep his card.
Goydos’ previous victory came at the 1996 Bay Hill Invitational – so long ago that Tiger Woods was still an amateur.
This one looked in doubt until he rolled in a 25-foot birdie on the 15th hole to catch Howell, and a 15-footer on the next hole to take the lead. He made bogey from the bunker on the 17th, and the man they call “Sunshine” – a sarcastic reference to his dour demeanor – finally found reason to smile on the closing hole.
From 25 feet off the green, he hit a chip that banged into the pin and stopped a foot away. Otherwise, it likely would have rolled some 10 feet past the hole.
“I try to win every tournament I play, so I accomplished that goal,” Goydos said dryly. “My last two events I’ve gone 2-1, so it’s going to be hard to improve on that.”
Champions Tour: Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson won the Champions Skins Game in Wailea, Hawaii, earning seven skins and $260,000 on the back nine to edge Gary Player and Jay Haas by $30,000.
