After second victory, Gay says he's a different player

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After waiting 293 starts for his first PGA TOUR win, Brian Gay only needed 37 to land his second.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- It took Brian Gay a long time to get a taste of the winner's circle. Now it appears the old boy may be ready for a regular seat at the table.

Inside the Numbers

Gay's Final Stats

Category Total Rank Eagles 1 T2 Birdies 20 T1 Pars 49 T25 Bogeys 2 78 Double Bogeys 0 N/A Other 0 N/A Driving Accuracy 83.9% 2 Driving Distance 260.1 yds. 72 Greens in Regulation 66.7% T3 Putts per Round 25.3 T3 Putts per GIR 1.604 3 Sand Saves 75.0% T10

It took Gay only two holes Sunday to answer the doubters who were waiting to see if he could hold a three-shot lead on the final day of the Verizon Heritage. Quicker than you can say birdie-eagle, Gay's lead had risen to six and the CBS exit polls had declared him the winner.

The former University of Florida star doggedly hung onto the lead, continued to press his advantage and quickly removed any potential drama at Harbour Town. Alas, there is no mercy rule in golf, otherwise Gay would have had them tapping out by mid-afternoon.

"But it's never as easy as it looks," Gay said.

He wound up shooting a 64, which gave him a 10-stroke win over a strong field. His 20-under 264 total broke the tournament record set by Loren Roberts in 1996. His margin of victory was three shots better than the tournament record established by Davis Love III in 1998. And his victory was the first double-digit triumph on the PGA TOUR since Phil Mickelson won the 2006 BellSouth Classic by 13 shots.

"It was just an unbelievable day," said Gay, who never peeked at a leader board all day to check on his standing. "I told myself to keep my head down and keep plugging away."

Luke Donald and Briny Baird shared the consolation prize, but neither got closer than six shots all day. Gay was so dominant that he even got a free pass for wearing a pair of day-glo green pants; it was his last good outfit in the closet, he said. But when you make 57-footers for eagle, as Gay did on the second hole, anything can become fashionable.

It was the second career victory on the PGA TOUR for Gay, who won the 2008 Mayakoba Golf Classic, an event held opposite the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. That long-awaited victory, his first in 293 starts, earned Gay a much-sought two-year exemption.

He only waited 37 tournaments for his second win. No offense to his victory in Mexico, but his victory at Hilton Head carries more weight. The list of winners at Harbour Town is highlighted by names like Hall of Famers Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer, Hubert Green and Greg Norman. That's some pretty nice company. And Harbour Town is truly a thinking-man's course, one that can't be bullied by a brute with an oversized driver.

This win earned him a first-place check for $1.026 million, his biggest career payday, and he vaulted from 29th on the FedExCup points list all the way up to seventh.

Oh, he gets to play in the 2010 Masters, too. It's been at least eight years since he was at Augusta National as a spectator and he swore he'd never play there until he had qualified for the tournament. He's had some close calls, twice missing by one spot on the money list. Do you have his mailing address, Mr. Payne?

Gay's dominant performance begs the question: What took him so long? He was a two-time All-America and two-time Southeastern Conference champion while at Florida. He's one of the TOUR's shortest hitters (ranking 171st in driving), but is exceedingly accurate (ranking fourth) and knows how to get it in the hole, indicated by his 70.9 scoring average. Now, at age 37, he appears to have it figured out.

"You know, a lot of it's trust, believing in yourself, confidence," Gay said. "It's a lot of mental, it's a lot of experience, learning golf courses. I think I'm a different player than way back."

And that's a good thing.