Golf

Better pacing means better finishes for Petrovic

MIAMI -- In his second year on the PGA Tour, Dade City's Tim Petrovic is becoming accustomed to life in the big leagues.

A pro for 15 years and a Tampa Bay resident for almost a decade, Petrovic finally is hitting his stride at age 36. A final-round 67 Sunday was good for a fourth-place finish in the Ford Championship at Doral, his second top-five showing of the season and fourth among the top 15. He tied for third at the Phoenix Open.

"I've done a lot of things in the offseason just to get my body in shape," said Petrovic, who lives at Lake Jovita and finished 86th on the money list in his rookie year, earning $797,206. "Playing the golf courses for the second time helps. And I'm a lot more patient this year. I'm not trying to grab the whole enchilada the first day. You've heard the saying, 'you can't win the tournament the first day, you can lose it.' It's four days of golf, kind of long and drawn out. It's not going to happen real fast."

Petrovic has his sights set on a higher prize: the Masters. The top 10 money winners through the Players Championship, which starts in three weeks, get an invitation. With the $240,000 he earned Sunday, Petrovic jumped from 28th to near the top 20.

GOOD FINISH: Clearwater's John Huston would love to have the first round back. After opening with 74, he shot three straight 68s to tie for 14th at 10-under 278.

"These greens are tough to putt from 15 feet," he said. "You have to really hit it close, and I didn't hit it close enough. You can make those putts, but you have to be pretty fortunate."

Huston, who won Doral in 1994, is intent on qualifying for the Masters. He will play the Honda Classic, Bay Hill Invitational and Players Championship. After those, the top 50 in the world qualify for the Masters. Huston is 40th.

"Just let it happen," he said. "I think if I play decent at all, I'll be in."

ODDS AND ENDS: The playoff is the first at Doral since Rocco Mediate defeated Curtis Strange in 1991, also requiring a Monday finish. It is the fifth in the 42-year history of the tournament. ... Jim Furyk played the par-5s at 15 under and had eagle for the fourth consecutive round, chipping in at the par-5 10th. ... Jonathan Byrd was 2 over through four holes but played the final 14 holes 8 under for 66 and a tie for fifth. ... Bob Tway, the 1986 PGA champion, winless since 1995, finished third and collected the biggest check of his career, $340,000.

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