Vincent Publishing - Index

Vincent Publishing - 2008 Travelers Championship Magazine - Index

"I know what I
need to work on to
get to that next
level. I learned that
I can play with
these guys. And I
learned that I'm
going to be a
golfer for a while."
- JAY WILLIAMSON
PHOTO: (BELOW) FRED FUNK
WALKS WITH HIS CADDIE DURING
THE FINAL ROUND.
24 This is the new era.
The 40-year-old won the Nationwide Tour's Fort
Smith Classic in Arkansas in May and ranks seventh
on that Tour's money list with $153,249 in earnings.
He'd take home a cool $1 million with a win.
Williamson bested his second-round co-leader
Toms and first-round leader Mahan over the final
four holes to finish 11-under par.
"I wasn't really looking at the leaderboards," he said.
"I figured if I could just keep making birdies, making
good swings, I've got 18 holes and we'll figure it out
tomorrow.
He hit an eight-foot birdie putt on the par-4 No. 15
to go 11 under and made par the rest of the way,
nearly chipping in for birdie on the 18th.
"I don't usually get excited on the golf course," he
said. "But if that ball would have gone in, I don't
know what I would have done."
Williamson graduated from nearby Trinity College in
Hartford, where he played baseball and hockey. He
said he didn't even know this TOUR event existed
when he was in school. Now he's playing for an
exemption through 2009.
"There's a lot riding on this, obviously, if I really sat
there and thought about it, I may be overwhelmed,"
he admitted.
Toms, a 12-time winner on TOUR, including the
2001 PGA Championship, bogeyed the par-3 16th
and fell two back after his drive on the signature 17th
hole found the water.
His 69 was good enough for third place, a stroke
behind Mahan, who shot a 67.
Williamson was trailing by one when he birdied No.
15. After Toms and Mahan bogeyed the 16th, he
saved par to take sole possession of the lead.
Fred Funk, a gallery favorite, shot a 67 to finish alone
in fourth place. Funk has already won this year on
two different Tours, claiming the Turtle Bay
Championship on the Champions Tour in February
and then winning the PGA TOUR's Mayakoba
Classic in March.
"It's nice to have options," he said Saturday.
But this one belonged to the younger guys. Mahan
gathered all his confidence after his opening round
and closed the deal on Sunday.
"After that 62, I felt it almost came out of nowhere.
... I felt like I could play good here, I know I can win,"
Mahan said.
He shot a 65 on Sunday. Trailing by a stroke on the
final hole, he hit a 144-yard approach to within
seven feet. After Williamson missed a 12-footer for
birdie, Mahan put his in the back of the cup, pumping
his fist and sending the pair back to the tee.
Mahan then hit his 134-yard approach on the first
playoff hole within two feet.