Grounded in victory? Weibring survives ruling to win final Bruno’s at Greystone
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, May 24, 2005
It may have seemed anticlimatic, but D.A. Weibring’s reaction after tapping in his last putt on No. 18 to close the final Bruno’s Memorial Classic at Greystone Golf and Country Club wasn’t from lack of enthusiasm.
He wasn’t sure what had just happened.
After making three good shots to start the 526-yard par 5, Weibring missed his first putt.
When he stepped up to tap in for an apparent two-stroke victory, his ball moved.
&uot;It shocked me so much I should have stopped,&uot; Weibring said.
According to USGA rules, had Weibring already grounded his putter he would have had to replace the ball and taken a one-stroke penalty, enough to force a three-way playoff with Tom Jenkins and Tom Kite.
But Weibring holed out, forcing a near 10-minute review of Golf Channel footage and an akward delay of the trophy presentation.
After watching instant replay from three different angles, tour officials ruled Weibring had not addressed the ball, saying he had not grounded his putter prior to the ball moving.
The announcement gave Weibring, 51, a 3-under-par 69 finish in Sunday’s final round.
He became the 14th different Bruno’s winner with a three-round score of 15-under-par 201.
Weibring earned $225,000 for his third win on the PGA Champions Tour, followed by Kite and Jenkins, who each took home $120,000 for second place.
Weibring played bogie-free golf in the final round, scoring birdies on holes No. 5, 9 and 15.
Kite, who apparently had a different opinion about what had taken place on the 18th green, birdied six holes on Sunday to close with a 6-under-par 66.
Jenkins kept pace with Kite to close the final round, picking up five birdies and one bogey. He holed out with a pitching wedge from 125 yards on No. 12 for eagle.
Mark McNulty and the cigar-smoking Dana Quigley rounded out the top five.
Quigley and Kite each tied the course record with 7-under-par 65s during Saturday’s second round.
The event marked the final Bruno’s Memorial Classic at Greystone Golf and Country Club.
The tournament will leave Shelby County next year when it moves to the new Ross Bridge Golf Course in Hoover.
The new venue, part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, is located next to a Renaissance luxury hotel set to open this summer