Huston wins Southern Farm Bureau Classic in style

BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2003 Southern Farm Bureau Classic | Wrap | 06 Oct 2003

John Huston today recorded his seventh PGA Tour career win when he fought back in round four to win the Southern Farm Bureau Classic in Madison, Mississippi by one shot over South African Brendan Pappas.

For Huston who has shown a liking for tropical conditions, this was the first time he has won on bent greens with all other wins coming either in Florida or Hawaii where Bermuda is the predominant grass.

Huston had taken a two shot lead into round four over Paul Stankowski and Hidemichi Tanaka and an eagle at the fifth and a birdie at the eighth appeared to give him the buffer he would need for a cruise to the finishing line. That was until Brendan Pappas emerged with what was a brilliant run.

When he stood on the sixteenth tee, Pappas was at ten under for the day and had taken a two shot lead over Huston who had struck a shaky patch in the middle of his round. Huston seeing the title slipping from his grasp rallied to birdie fifteen, sixteen and seventeen and take back the lead from Pappas who was looking to win for the first time on tour.

Huston would go on to win from Pappas who bogeyed the par five final hole at a crucial moment but still completed a rather unique double as his brother Deane had finished second by one shot to eventual victor Luke Donald here last year.

Japan’s Shigeki Maruyama was 3rd, with Paul Stankowski, Chris Anderson and Hidemichi Tanaka sharing 4th.

Scott Laycock had one of his better finishes of the year with a placing of equal 31st, after a last round that saw eight birdies follow a shaky bogey, bogey start. He was the leading Australian with Paul Gow 42nd, Greg Chalmers 51st and Anthony Painter 68th.