Brian Gay won his second PGA Tour title in as many years when a closing 64 gave him victory in the Verizon Heritage by 10 shots.
American wins by 10 shots at Harbour Town
Brian Gay won his second PGA Tour title in as many years when a closing 64 gave him victory in the Verizon Heritage by 10 shots.
Defending a three-stroke overnight lead, the 36-year-old effectively put himself out of reach with a fearless birdie-eagle start before picking up further shots at the fifth and eighth to take him eight clear.
None of his challengers could land a blow - playing partner Tim Wilkinson managing just a solitary birdie - with England's Luke Donald and American Briny Baird coming out of the chasing pack to share second place on 10 under par.
The win completes a remarkable transition for Gay, who went 292 tour starts without a win before losing his maiden tag in the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico last season.
Validation
"I'm glad it's over," Gay said afterwards. "It's never as easy as it looks. It's just a little bit of validation, coming back this year and winning again."
He recorded only his second bogey of the week at the 12th but instead of giving him a case of the jitters it spurred him on, birding three of the next four holes to stretch the lead to 10.
And with the pressure off he was able to par the final two holes to complete a sensational win, the first by double digits since Phil Mickelson won the Bellsouth by 13 in 2006.
His success also books him a trip to Augusta next year, something he insisted was not on his mind during his final round.
"I've had a lot of heartache not getting in that tournament, winning (the Mayakoba), not getting in, and missing by one spot on the money list two times," he added.
"I just figured, who cares? What's going to happen is going to happen, just go play golf."
Fine weekend
Donald had no fewer than eight birdies in his final round of 66 to complete a fine weekend's work after Saturday's 65.
There was a heart-warming performance from Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal, whose 67 left him in a tie for sixth with Wilkinson.
Englishman Paul Casey was another to enjoy a profitable final round, his bogey-free 66 enabling him to leap from 41st overnight into a share of 11th place on six under, while former champion Davis Love went the other way with a disappointing 74 that left him two further back.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy finished at two over par for the tournament after closing out with a level-par 71.
