Oct 3, 2002 3 min read

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) – The final edition of the PGA Tour’s Michelob Championship at Kingsmill offers Virginia golf fans something they haven’t seen in a while – a local golfer with a chance to win. John Rollins, from Richmond, whose surprising first victory came less than a month ago, is in the midst of what could be a breakthrough year on tour. He’s 29th on the money list with more than $1.6 million, and smart enough to know that his work isn’t finished.

“The worst thing to do is to become complacent, to feel like, “I’m done. I’ve solidified my spot on the PGA Tour. I’ve won a tournament. I’ve got it made now,”‘ Rollins said. “The biggest thing for me to do now is to really just kind of forget about that, move on and win more.”

Rollins is still somewhat stunned by his victory in the Canadian Open on Sept. 8. He finished about 45 minutes before the leaders and called his wife to tell her he had finished well and would watch the rest of the field come in.

After a closing 65, he was feeling pretty good.

Then Justin Leonard made a bogey on the final hole at Angus Glen in Markham, Ontario, dropping into a tie with Rollins for second. And Neal Lancaster double-bogeyed the last hole, forcing a three-way playoff.

Rollins rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole for the win.

“Winning one tournament, that’s great,” he said. “They say that’s one of the hardest things to do. But I don’t want to win just one tournament.”

This will be Rollins’ third appearance at Kingsmill, which is hosting the Michelob Championship for the 22nd and final time. He didn’t make the cut in 1998, and tied for 75th in his return two years ago.

He would like nothing better than to turn the finale for PGA golf in Virginia into a celebration of the state’s golf history.

“I’m looking forward to being the local hero,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll play well enough to give the crowd something to cheer about.”

A prominent Virginian in the final round would be almost a novelty at Kingsmill. Host pro Curtis Strange has seven top-10 finishes, but has never won, and the last Virginia winner was Lanny Wadkins in 1990.

Strange just returned from England where he captained the losing American team against Europe in the Ryder Cup.

“My concern right now is just trying to play and not embarrass myself, in all honesty,” Strange said after playing in the Pro-Am.

David Toms, another player just back from the Ryder Cup, is the two-time defending champion. The field also features David Duval, another two-time winner, and 1996 winner Scott Hoch, who trails only Toms and Duval in Kingsmill prize money.

Toms has won $1.2 million, Duval $736,000 and Hoch almost $634,000.