ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, October 29, 1996 TAG: 9610290085
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: TULSA, OKLA.
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Three years ago, Tom Lehman was a virtually unknown refugee from just about every small tour in the world and had never won a PGA event. With his runaway victory Monday at the Tour Championship on Monday, Lehman staked his claim to player of the year honors.
Lehman finished a dominating performance at Southern Hills Country Club and a sensational year with a 71 in the rain-delayed final round of a 12-under-par 268, six strokes ahead of Brad Faxon and seven better than Steve Stricker.
The victory gave Lehman the money title, the best scoring average and the PGA of America's player of the year award.
``It turned out to be a dream year,'' Lehman said. ``I really didn't think about winning the money title until this week. I played great and everything just fell together.''
Lehman is a strong contender for the PGA Tour's player of the year award, which is determined in a vote by players.
``I told Tom coming up No. 18 that he's got my vote,'' Faxon said. ``He came in here ready to play.''
The $540,000 first-place check gave Lehman $1,780,159, breaking the record of $1,654,959 won by Greg Norman last year and edging Phil Mickelson by $82,360 on this year's money list.
Lehman's 268 was a stroke better than Nick Price's winning score in the 1994 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, when Price ran away by six strokes over Corey Pavin.
He also won the Vardon Trophy by averaging 69.32 strokes for 79 rounds.
Lehman becomes the 10th golfer to win the PGA of America player of the year and the Vardon Trophy, the last being Price in 1993.
Tiger Woods, whose one bad round was a second-round 78 on the day his father was hospitalized with chest pains, finished with a 68 and tied for 21st at 288.
The $55,800 check gave Woods $790,594 for the year in eight events. The rookie earnings record of $881,436 was set by David Duval last year in 26 tournaments.
While Lehman was the big winner, Mickelson, who came into the tournament leading the money list and ahead in the points system that determines the PGA of America's player of the year, was the big loser.
Mickelson, with four victories, and Mark Brooks, with three titles including the PGA Championship, were considered the front-runners in the player voting for the PGA Tour player of the year award.
But Mickelson finished 12th at 283 and Brooks was tied for 27th at 295 as Lehman leaped over both of them to top the money list.
``Well, I needed to finish third or higher to stay on top of the money list and I didn't do it,'' Mickelson said. ``It's a little disappointing, but Tom played great this week. He deserved it.''
Lehman, 37, broke into the PGA Tour in 1983, but in three years won less than $40,000. The next six years he scratched out a living on tours in Asia and South Africa, as well as such minor America tours as the PGT, the Dakotas, the Golden State, the South Florida and the Carolinas.
He returned to the PGA Tour in 1992 and won his first tournament at the Memorial in 1994. Since then he has been a consistent contender, playing in the final group of four major championships - twice at the Masters and twice at the U.S. Open without winning - before playing in the last group at this year's British Open and holding off Nick Faldo.
Lehman finished 1996 with two victories, including the British Open, and 13 top-10 finishes, including a second at the U.S. Open. He finished out of the top 20 only three times in 22 events.
``In all honesty, I don't think I give myself enough credit,'' Lehman said. ``As my confidence has grown, my game has gotten better.''
Lehman just may be right when he says, ``I think my best golf is ahead of me.''
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP Tom Lehman blasts out of a bunker at the 18th greenby CNBMonday at Southern Hills Country Club during the final round of the
Tour Championship in Tulsa, Okla. Lehman won by six strokes.
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