PEBBLE BEACH, Calif., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Davis Love III saw a three-shot lead disappear over the closing holes Sunday and then birdied the famed, par-5 18th at the Pebble Beach Golf Links to defeat Tom Lehman by one shot and claim his first PGA Tour title in two years.
By winning the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for the second time in three seasons, Love became the first American champion on the tour in 2003. He had gone winless since his triumph on the Monterey Peninsula in 2001, but at the age of 38 demonstrated he still has the game to rank among the game's elite.
"After not winning in two years and having physical problems, this is really special," Love said. "And I could feel it. I was pretty nervous out there."
Love became the winner thanks chiefly to a stretch of six birdies in eight holes that gave him what seemed to be a safe cushion. In the midst of that run, Love received a huge break when his tee shot at the par-3 12th sailed over the green, only to hit the leg of a photographer and bounce back to within four feet of the hole.
He made that putt for birdie and then rolled in a six-footer for birdie at the par-4 13th that put him at 14-under for the tournament and shoved him three shots in front of Lehman and Canadian Mike Weir, who won last week at the Bob Hope Classic.
But Lehman put together a birdie run of his own and got to 13-under when he holed a 20-footer at the par-3 17th. And when Love drove into a fairway bunker at the par-4 16th and made bogey, he found himself tied with Lehman.
Playing in front of Love, Lehman tried to reach the green at the 18th in two, but his second shot missed to the right. He hit an excellent pitch over the greenside bunker, but missed a six-footer for birdie.
That gave Love an opportunity to win the tournament with a birdie on the closing hole and he hit a huge drive that left him only 199 yards to the front edge of the green. Love then hit a 4-iron to within 10 feet and two-putted for the birdie and the victory.
"I've had a lot of good breaks this week," Love said. "I guess everybody does when they win. But I hung in there and it is a very satisfying win."
Love bounced back from two early bogeys to shoot a 4-under 68 that gave him a 72-hole total of 14-under 274 at the end of a week of perfect weather. Lehman fired a 67 for his 275 total while Weir shared third place with Tim Herron at 276. Herron played well this week after letting a chance to win last week get away when he made a quadruple bogey just three holes from the finish.
Jim Furyk and Rocco Mediate tied for fifth at 279 and were followed by Brad Faxon, Paul Stankowski and Phil Tataurangi at 280.
Love ended a streak of victories by non-Americans that included two triumphs by South African Ernie Els and one each by Weir and Vijay Singh of Fiji.
The focus now shifts down the coast to San Diego, where next week Tiger Woods will make his season debut at the Buick Invitational. He has been recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery.
