Monday, March 24, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
SUN WIRE REPORTS
Phil Mickelson was known until last year as a player who won all his golf tournaments west of the Rockies.
The reason was simple. Mickelson grew up in Southern California and went to school in Arizona. Winning PGA Tour events in San Diego, Tucson and Phoenix was significant because it came in front of family and friends. Mickelson finally ended his jinx in Florida on Sunday with another tournament that took on added significance.
The Bay Hill Invitational at Orlando was Arnie's tournament.
"It's even more special because it's here at Bay Hill, at Arnold Palmer's tournament, and it's the week he came back," Mickelson said. "And that's what makes it so special."
Mickelson, who had missed the cut in seven of 11 previous tournaments on the Florida swing and had never played on the weekend at Bay Hill in two previous appearances, shot a 7-under-65 to win by three strokes over Stuart Appleby.
It gave Mickelson's his 10th win on tour, worth $270,000 along with the gray blazer and Scottish-styled sword presented to him by the tournament host. Palmer returned to competitive golf this week after prostate cancer surgery Jan. 15.
"It sure was a fun event and great to see Mr. Palmer," Mickelson said.
Palmer must have seen glimpses of his old self watching Mickelson blaze through the back nine of a Bay Hill Club that lost some of its bite under cloudy, calm conditions.
"I tried to emulate the master," Mickelson said.
Three strokes back at the turn, Mickelson rolled in a 12-foot putt for birdie on No. 11 to get to 11-under. By the time he walked off the 14th green, he was at 15-under and alone in the lead.
"I was trying to think that this was Arnie's tournament and what would he do?" Mickelson said. "He'd put on a charge, so that's what I tried to do."
With a two-putt birdie on No. 16 down the ridge, and smart play on the final two holes, Mickelson finished with a 16-under 272.
He shot a 30 on the back nine, tying the tournament record last achieved by Mark Calcavecchia in the final round last year.
The turning point came at No. 12, a 570-yard hole where no one had made better than birdie all week. Mickelson hit a driver from the fairway onto the fringe, and his 40-foot putt died on the left edge and fell in for eagle.
Then he made birdie putts of 12 and 10 feet on the next two holes.
"I still can't believe that putt went in from there," Mickelson said of the only eagle on No. 12 all week. "All I was trying to do was make birdie and creep up on the leaders. That threw me up there quicker than I expected."
* LPGA: At Phoenix, the odds were all against Laura Davies. Trying to become the first LPGA player to win the same tournament four consecutive times, Davies found herself in a playoff with Kelly Robbins, who had a perfect 4-0 record in sudden-death, including a win Feb. 9 in the season's third event. "My record is not too swift in playoffs -- oh-and-six before this," Davies said. "I wouldn't have been surprised if I didn't win this one, either." Instead, Davies followed Robbins' bogey with a 3-foot par putt to win the Standard Register Ping and make history. On the men's tour, Gene Sarazen and Walter Hagen are the only players ever to win four in a row. Hagen won the PGA Championship from 1924-27, while Sarazen took the Miami Open from 1926-30 with no tournament played in 1927. In LPGA history, only Hall of Famers Sandra Haynie (Charity Golf Classic 1973-75), Kathy Whitworth (Orange Blossom Classic 1968-70) and Louise Suggs (Dallas Civitan Open (1959-61) have ever three-peated besides Davies.
* SENIORS: At La Quinta, Calif., Australian Graham Marsh made crucial putts over the final five holes to help him and partner John Bland win the Legends of Golf by three shots. Marsh and Bland closed with a 7-under-par 65 for a 24-under 192 total in the 54-hole tournament that ended Sunday. They split $200,000. Hubert Green and Gil Morgan finished second with a closing round 67 to earn $100,000. Marsh sank a 20-foot eagle putt at the 14th hole, a par-5. He made a 10-foot birdie putt at the 15th, and capped his 4-under effort over three holes with a 12-foot birdie putt at the 16th.
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