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Monday, May 18, 1998

Cook wins Byron Nelson Classic

By RON SIRAK / AP Golf Writer

IRVING, Texas (AP) -- John Cook came from four strokes behind on the back nine, helped by a water ball by Fred Couples on No. 17, and won the GTE Byron Nelson Classic on Sunday with a closing-round 65.

Cook's 15-under-par 265 was three strokes better than Hal Sutton, Harrison Frazar and Couples, who never trailed in the final round until he made a triple-bogey 6 on No. 17.

"I just tried to keep my head about me and not make too many mistakes," Cook said. "What happened to Fred was a shame but sometimes that's what you need to win a a tournament."

Tiger Woods, the defending Byron Nelson champion and winner last week at the BellSouth, made a run at the lead early but finished at 272, seven strokes back.

Couples started the day two strokes ahead of Frazar, his playing partner, and four strokes ahead of Cook. The lead grew to three strokes when Frazar made a bogey on No. 2, three-putting from 25 feet.

Couples was cruising along comfortably when in a matter of minutes a three-stroke lead became one. While Cook, playing in the group in front of Couples, had a gimme birdie on No. 13, Couples' ball was against the lip of the fairway bunker at No. 12.

He popped it out, pitched to the green and missed a 20-foot try at the par-saving putt.

Cook, who trailed Couples by four strokes when he turned to the back nine, pulled into a tie at 15 under par with a 7-foot birdie putt on No. 14, his fourth birdie in six holes.

Couples got the lead back on No. 15 when he rolled in a 7-foot par putt moments after Cook made a bogey when he had to lay up short of the green from the left rough.

Cook wisely played an iron from the right rough on the par-5 16th, instead of trying to hit a wood. He was then able to play a wedge from the fairway to four feet and made the birdie.

Couples drove into the left rough on No. 16 and tried to hit a wood, pulling the ball into a bunker left and well short of the green, leaving one of the hardest shots in golf -- a sand play from 58 yards.

He left the ball 25 feet from the pin and ended up making a par on a definite birdie hole.

Cook almost out-thought himself on the par-3 17th, playing safely away from the water to the center of the green. But it left him with a 45-foot putt he hit eight feet past the hole, but he made it coming back to save par.

Couples, meanwhile, was standing on the tee watching. He went right at the flag and watched helplessly as the ball drifted right, bounced off the rocks and back into the water.

The splash was a reminder of the double-bogey 7 he made on No. 13 in the final round of the Masters -- also hitting into the water -- as he finished second, one stroke behind Mark O'Meara.

Woods made four birdies in five holes beginning at No. 7 and got to nine under through 11 holes while Couples was at 14 under through three.

On No. 15, Woods hit a brilliant bump-and-run shot from 183 yards out beneath a tree in the right rough. The ball hit about 20 yards short of the green and bounced and rolled within six feet of the hole, setting off a thunderous roar from the massive gallery.

But Woods missed the birdie putt, the first of four consecutive 6-footers he missed on the last four holes as he finished with a 67.

"I'm really close," Woods said about his game. "I hit the ball good in spurts and putted good in spurts, but I couldn't do both together."

Woods will play next at the Memorial Tournament in two weeks. Divots: Mike "Fluff" Cowan, caddie for Woods, will carry the bag for Peter Jacobsen this week at the Colonial Invitational. Woods is off and Cowan used to caddie for Jacobsen. ... University of Texas standout Brad Elder, the 1997 Jack Nicklaus College Player of the Year, turned pro over the weekend and will make his debut this week at Colonial. ... Fans with cameras used to the be biggest problem for players, but now it's cellphones. There were numerous incidents during the tournament, including one that went off as Woods was putting on the final hole. ... John Daly, who seemed to have put his tendency to play poor final rounds when he is out of contention behind him, closed with a 79. ... Steve Stricker got his first top-five finish since the Tour Championship in 1996.