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Pavin Ends 10-Year Drought
It’s been since the 1996 Colonial that Corey Pavin last accepted the oversized check for a victory in a PGA Tour event. Despite the 10-year absence, the 46-year-old found his way back to the top of the heap by winning the U.S. Bank Championship.
The tournament was held at the par-70 Brown Deer Park Golf Course in Milwaukee. The 6,759-yard municipal track was the perfect setting for a resurgence as the slight Pavin doesn’t overpower courses as much as finesse his way around them. And that Pavin did en route to garnering his 15th career Tour title at the tight, tree-lined Brown Deer Park.
Aided by a PGA Tour record-setting score of 26 on the front nine in his opening round, Pavin sustained a high level of play throughout, finishing at 20-under 260 and two strokes clear of hometown favorite Jerry Kelly. Pavin, who closed with a 3-under 67, earned $720,000. “I’ve never given up on myself,” he said of the long gap between victories.
Pavin, who also won the tournament 20 years ago, was helped by great putting; he averaged only 26.5 putts per round (needing only 10 in setting the nine-hole record). That improved stroke came after he reunited with caddie Eric Schwartz earlier this month in Connecticut at the Buick Championship, where his once-accurate putting touch returned.
“In Hartford, his alignment was real bad,” Schwartz said. “It took about two, three hours to get him straightened out.”
Pavin also received a big boost on Sunday with a timely eagle on the par-4 eighth hole. After driving his ball 270 yards to the center of the fairway, Pavin’s second shot, a 6-iron from 172 yards, bounced three times and rolled into the cup for an eagle. The “2” gave him a four-stroke lead over Kelly, a Milwaukee native who calls this tournament a “major” for its personal importance.
“That was huge,” Pavin said of the eagle. “I was playing real solidly and hitting a lot of greens, but I couldn’t seem to get a putt to go in. Then I hole a shot that gave me a nice cushion.”
One player who wasn’t surprised at Pavin’s performance was another slight but accurate veteran, Jeff Sluman. “Corey had success because he kept it in play,” Sluman said. “I think after three rounds, he had 17 less putts than me. If you putt like that, you can’t hit it bad enough not to have a great tournament.”
