Apr 29, 2002 4 min read

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) – Rocco Mediate admitted he couldn’t have won ugly 10 years ago. He pulled it off without a hitch in the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic. Mediate, holding his nerves together while battling 30 mph wind gusts and a shaky swing, shot a 1-under 71 Sunday for a three-stroke victory over Mark Calcavecchia.

“Today I had nothing,” said Mediate, who also had rounds of 68, 67 and 66. “I just felt bad out there. I didn’t feel like I could put the ball where I wanted to because I didn’t know what the wind was going to do.

“It was just about survival. This was ugly and I just kept going forward and going forward. That’s what’s most satisfying to me.”

Mediate finished with a 16-under 272 total for his fifth victory on the PGA Tour and first since the 2000 Buick Open. He also won at Forest Oaks Country Club in 1993, beating Steve Elkington in a playoff.

“Winning twice here is cool because this is a really hard golf course,” Mediate said. “You’ve got to play good here, but today I kind of busted the odds. I think a lot of us did.”

The $684,000 top prize jumps Mediate’s 2002 earnings to $1.487 million and from 21st to sixth on the money list. His total is a career high, topping last year’s $1.474 million.

While Mediate wasn’t comfortable most of the day over the ball, he was nearly perfect with his driving down the stretch.

“The driver swings I made were the best driver swings I may have ever made in that type of situation,” Mediate said. “I didn’t miss a fairway. I knew if I did I was going to lose because if Calcavecchia gets on one of those binges I’m out of here. I knew I didn’t have it, but I brought it in.”

Calcavecchia, who shot a 72, finished second despite matching the tour record for fewest putts in a 72-hole event. Kenny Knox also had 93 in the 1989 MCI Heritage Classic.

Calcavecchia’s putting stats were somewhat deceiving because he hit just 50 percent of greens in regulation over the four-day tournament, meaning he had plenty of short chips and shots from the fringe.

“I must have putted 10 times in four days from an inch off the green,” said Calcavecchia, who was bothered by flying pollen most of his round and went through a sneezing attack on the front nine.

“It’s luck obviously. I did putt great all week. I won’t deny that. But to miss as many greens as I did is almost impossible on top of that. Hey, a record is a record, right?”

Jonathan Byrd shot up the leaderboard with a final-round 66 to tie for third with Chad Campbell at 10 under. It was Byrd’s best showing in 14 career events.

Campbell was at 11 under, but hit his drive on No. 18 way right and had to settle for a bogey and a 73.

Mediate came into the final round two shots ahead of Calcavecchia, but the head-to-head battle was even four holes in.

That all changed for good on No. 5 when Mediate birdied from out of the woods and Calcavecchia bogeyed for a two-shot swing.

The lead grew to four shots over the next two holes as Mediate sank a 12-footer on No. 6 and Calcavecchia three-putted at the seventh hole.

“Really from there he was in the driver’s seat,” Calcavecchia said.

Mediate made the turn four shots ahead and went up by five two holes later as Calcavecchia couldn’t save par from out of the left woods.

Calcavecchia picked up a stroke on the next hole with a 35-foot birdie putt, but never got closer than three shots over the final five holes.

A 4-foot birdie putt on No. 15 after almost holing out a 103-yard wedge helped seal it for Mediate.

DIVOTS: Steve Jones had a hole-in-one on No. 4, hitting a 6-iron from 185 yards. It was the 12th ace on tour this season. There were 27 last year. … Byrd missed the cut in eight of 11 events coming in, but earned more than he had in his first 13 tour events combined. … Paul Azinger’s first trip back here in almost a decade wasn’t very productive. He finished at 6 over and way back in the field after three straight top-five finishes at Greensboro from 1990-93.