No longer a no-name Bryant cruises to win

GOLF ROUNDUP Beats Tiger by six in Tour Championship Record-smashing show for Annika in Japan

Bart Bryant wondered if he belonged with the elite players at the Tour Championship. He wound up leaving them in the dust yesterday, closing with a threeunderpar 67 in a record performance that capped off a remarkable year.

Bryant birdied his first two holes to open a six- shot lead and led by at least four shots the rest of the way around East Lake in Atlanta, winning by six shots over Tiger Woods to capture the $ 1.17 million ( all figures U. S.) top prize — more money than he won in his first 18 years as a pro.

Bryant, 42, got up- and- down from behind the 18th green for par to finish at 17- under 263 and break by four shots the 72- hole record at the Tour Championship set five years ago at East Lake by Phil Mickelson. His victory margin matched the largest by Tom Lehman at Southern Hills in 1996.

Bryant shot a course- record 62 in the first round and never showed any signs that he would buckle, not even after back- to- back bogeys early in the final round. He played a simple game of fairways and greens and made consecutive birdie putts from outside 25 feet early on the back nine to put Woods away.

“ That little spurt in the middle of the back nine clinched it for him,” said Woods, who made three birdies in a four-hole stretch to give himself a chance. But all he could do was shoot 69 to finish at 11- under 269. Woods earned $ 715,000 and finished his six- win, twomajor year with $ 10.6 million.

Bryant had every reason to abandon his career during his first 18 years on the PGA Tour. He had rotator cuff surgery in 1992, bounced around the minitours, made a half- dozen trips to Qschool and had surgery on both elbows before he finally broke through at the Texas Open last year. Then came validation this summer at the Memorial, where Bryant emerged from a four- way tie for the lead by making par from the hazard on the 18th hole at Muirfield Village to beat Fred Couples. LPGA TOUR:

Annika Sorenstam realized she might not get another chance to make history at the Mizuno Classic. Like so many other times, she came through with her best golf.

Sorenstam birdied four of the last five holes yesterday and closed with an eight- under 64 in a steady drizzle at Otsu, Japan, winning by three shots to become the first player in LPGA Tour history to win the same tournament five consecutive times.

“ I had the chance to do something that nobody else has done, so of course I felt some pressure all week,” Sorenstam said. ‘‘ That is what motivates me. That is why I play this game. To come here and do something like this, it’s just very gratifying.” No one on the PGA Tour has ever won a tournament five straight times. Tiger Woods, Gene Sarazen and Walter Hagen have won the same event four times in a row. On the women’s tour, Laura Davies won the Standard Register Ping in Arizona from 1994- 97.

Sorenstam finished at 21- under 195 and earned $ 150,000, pushing her season total to more than $ 2.3 million. She has 10 wins this year, 65 in her career. PGA TOUR:

Heath Slocum shot six- under 66 for a two- stroke victory at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic yesterday. Slocum finished at 21- under 267 after four rounds over the par- 72, 7,199- yard Annandale course at Madison, Miss.