Funai Classic victory delights Durant

Three months after being robbed, Joe Durant stole a victory last night at the Funai Classic at Walt Disney World.

Durant hardly hit a bad shot, carding a bogey-free seven-under-par 65 to break out of the pack and secure a four-shot victory over third-round leader Troy Matteson (70) and fast-finishing Frank Lickliter (62) on the Magnolia course while Justin Rose failed to relaunch his challenge, finishing fourth.

Durant finished at 25-under 263 for the fourth victory of his PGA Tour career, snapping a 151-event drought stretching back to early 2001, when he won back-to-back starts.

“I felt if I could play the way I did on Saturday I would have a very good chance and that’s what happened,” said Durant, 42.

The self-taught Durant is perennially one of the best drivers on tour. Mediocre putting has prevented him from having the sort of career he perhaps should have, but the Florida native felt at home on the grainy Bermuda greens.

Starting the final round one stroke behind Matteson, he kept pace with the leaders with three front nine birdies, taking the lead for good with a birdie at the par-five 10th to go 22-under.

With nobody else able to mount a serious challenge, Durant was under little pressure, but he added further birdies at the 13th, 14th and 16th holes for good measure to win in style.

Durant claimed the key to his victory was a 10-foot par save on the second hole.

“Once I made that I settled down, but I didn’t relax until I birdied the 16th,” he said. “This is one of the biggest tournaments for me to win, because it’s such a family event and my family has been the backbone of my career. We always dreamed about standing on the 18th (green for the victory presentation) with Mickey.”

Durant’s wife and two children even came out to watch him finish on Sunday, after spending the rest of the week visiting Disney’s various attractions.

Durant revealed that the low point of his year occurred in July in Milwaukee, where his hotel room was robbed while he was playing the first round. He lost a computer, passport and several personal music players, among other things, none of which were recovered.

“I was so depressed,” he said. “I played terribly that day but I went back out Friday and shot (67) and made the cut. For me, that was like winning the US Open, because I felt I had hit rock bottom and things were going to turn around.”

Runner-up Matteson paid tribute to Durant’s performance.

“He was machine-like,” Matteson said. “He didn’t make any mistakes. He’s known for being a ball-striker and he definitely displayed it. He put the total package together.”

Lickliter started the day eight shots back and posted a number before the leaders even reached the turn. For a while it seemed he might have a chance of winning, but that was before Durant cranked it up.

“I never felt I was in the thick of it,” he said, nonetheless delighted with his round. “I hit the ball where I was looking and that’s always a good thing.”

Justin Rose, who shot a 60 in the first round, made a costly bogey at the final hole to fall out of second place, lipping-out a 15-foot putt to finish fourth on 20-under 268.

Davis Love fared even worse, double-bogeying the last to tie for fifth, another shot back.

Love was seeking his second successive victory, after winning at Greensboro two weeks ago, but he hit several timid putts down the stretch.