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University of North Carolina Athletics
Tom Scherrer Gets First PGA Victory
June 5, 2000 | Men's Golf
June 5, 2000
POTOMAC, Md. -- Another Kemper Open, another first-time PGA Tour winner.
Make it nine since 1983. In other words, there's a 50 percent chance that Sunday will bring a fresh, overwhelming display of emotion at the 18th hole of the TPC at Avenel course - and later at the microphone.
"It's tremendous," Tom Scherrer said after his two-stroke victory Sunday. "I've been in the media room after the first round, the second round and even the third round a couple of times, and being here Sunday afternoon is really special. I'm so pleased that my wife and baby were here. I'm sure my parents were watching at home. It's just been a dream week."
The stream of first-time winners makes for good conversation every year, and the most common explanation isn't the most comfortable for local organizers: Because the tournament doesn't usually attract the most stellar fields, it's easier for a lesser known to rise from the ranks.
This is the time of year when players are picking their tournaments carefully in preparation for the U.S. Open. On the two recent occasions when the Kemper has been held directly before the Open, the big names have come out in force. This year, however, Ernie Els was the only player in the world's top 10 at Avenel.
Of course, that doesn't lessen the impact for Scherrer, the 29-year-old Syracuse native who split time between hockey and golf in his youth. He joins Kirk Triplett, Darren Clarke, Jim Carter and Robert Allenby as the tour's first-time winners this year. He also joins Fred Couples (1983), Greg Norman (1984), Bill Glasson (1985), Tom Byrum (1989), Billy Andrade (1991), Grant Waite (1993), Steve Stricker (1996) and Rich Beem (1999) as first-time tour-winners who achieved that life-changing landmark at the Kemper.
"I'm sure it will change," said Scherrer, whose $540,000 winner's check accounts for about one-third of his career earnings. "It's something I've been dreaming about forever. It's going to change my life, but it's not going to change me."
Unlike Beem, who came out of nowhere last year and hasn't done much since, Scherrer was due. He had been playing his best golf lately, with a career-best second-place tie finish in Tucson, Ariz., in February and rounds of 69 and 71 in The Memorial last week before falling back over the weekend.
Scherrer first made the tour in 1996, but it lasted just a year when he finished 141st on the money list. After two years on the Nike Tour, he regained his card and returned last year. He recently lost 30 pounds as he got back in shape following problems with his shoulder.
Scherrer didn't lead the Kemper until the back nine on the final day, when he closed with a 4-under-par 67 for a 13-under 271 total and a two-stroke victory. He was the only player to shoot sub-70 each round.
He battled Steve Lowery, the leader or co-leader after each of the first three rounds, down the stretch. The difference: Lowery had two bogeys, while Scherrer had two incredible par saves.
The most difficult came at the 16th, when Scherrer sprayed his tee shot way right - beyond the cart path and next to a green plastic trunk under the television crane.
"It's embarrassing to hit a shot that far off line," Scherrer said.
Scherrer was given a drop, only to hook his next shot into the back greenside bunker. His wedge shot landed within 3 feet, setting up a par to keep his one-stroke lead.
Lowery shot a par 71 and tied for second with Justin Leonard (69), Greg Chalmers (68), Kazuhiko Hosokawa (66) and Franklin Langham (70). Last Monday, Lowery played the final round with Tiger Woods in the rain-delayed Memorial.
"It's a lot of stress on you," Lowery said.
Scherrer began the day at nine under, trailing Lowery by two strokes. Scherrer made up the deficit with birdies at Nos. 2 and 6 before a disheartening 3-putt from 14 feet gave him a bogey at the turn.
Scherrer recovered immediately, however, hitting a birdie putt from 22 feet at No. 10 and another from 5 feet at No. 11 to take the solo lead for the first time at 12 under.
From there, it was a two-man battle. Scherrer and Lowery both got to 13 under, then Scherrer nearly lost the lead when his approach landed right of the green at No. 15, but he saved par with a 15-foot putt. Then came his amazing recovery at No. 16.
Lowery, whose only tour victory came six years ago, fell out of the tie when he missed an 8-foot putt for par after landing in the sand at 15. The victory was sealed for Scherrer when Lowery's tee shot landed in the water at the par-3 17th.
Chalmers, Leonard and Hosokawa had their moments on a gorgeous day in which the clouds kept the temperatures comfortable. Chalmers birdied four of the first five holes to take the lead at 12 under, but he put his tee shot in the water at the par-3 9th.
Leonard birdied No. 11 to briefly take the solo lead at 12 under, but he pulled his tee shot into the rough at the difficult 12th for a double-bogey.
Hosokawa started the day five strokes off the lead, but had four birdies on the back nine and came within an inch of holing from the rough at 18.
© Copyright 2000 The Associated Press
