Potter defeats Johnson to take Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — For one day at Pebble Beach, Ted Potter Jr. was better than the best in the world. Look back even further, and his three-shot win in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is even more remarkable.

The Ocala had played so many mini-tour events that he lost track of how many he won, some of them only two-day tournaments that paid enough for a week’s worth of food and gas. His biggest paycheck was $33,000. More recently, Potter was out of golf for two years recovering from a broken ankle that required two surgeries — one to insert 12 screws and two plates, another to remove the hardware. There was no guarantee he would return.

Potter started the final round Sunday tied with Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world for the last year. Throughout the day, Phil Mickelson and Jason Day each made a run at the 34-year-old who had 46 missed cuts and only four top 10s in his previous 83 starts on the Tour.

Potter beat them all. He was the one chatting with Clint Eastwood and posing with the crystal trophy that comes with a $1,332,000 check and a return to the Masters.

“I'm so happy right now to get it done today, especially against the world No. 1, playing with him today,” Potter said. “The win here at Pebble is just unbelievable.”

Potter closed with a 3-under 69 and didn't drop a shot after a threeputt bogey on the opening hole. Making it tougher was playing in a threesome behind a foursome in the pro-am format, having too much time to think about the stage, the contenders and the opportunity. He never flinched and

now has a two-year exemption on the Tour along with spots in the Masters and PGA Championship.

The other tournament also was a runaway. Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald teamed with Kevin Streelman to win the pro-am by seven shots.

BOCA RATON — Mark Calcavecchia, 57, took advantage of Bernhard Langer’s messy finish Sunday to complete a wire-to-wire victory in the PGA Tour Champions’ Boca Raton Championship.

Calcavecchia had a 20-foot bogey save on the par-3 16th and parred the final two holes for a 2-under 70 and a twostroke victory over Langer.