Perks grinds out fabulous finish

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) _ Craig Perks became a golf star the hard way. He stared down one of the harshest courses on the PGA Tour. He overcame the toughest field in the sport. He

Monday, March 25th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) _ Craig Perks became a golf star the hard way.

He stared down one of the harshest courses on the PGA Tour.

He overcame the toughest field in the sport.

He made three unforgettable shots under unbelievable pressure and became the most unlikely winner ever of The Players Championship, one of the most grueling tests in golf.

``I don't know Craig Perks,'' Rocco Mediate said. ``But it was a wonderful moment.''

Ranked No. 203 before this week, Perks shot an anything-but-ordinary closing round of even-par 72 on Sunday to defeat Stephen Ames by two strokes.

Mediate finished third, followed by no fewer than a dozen players, including Tiger Woods, who had a chance to win on a day when shaky nerves played as much havoc with scores as the super-slick greens or the occasional tricky wind gust.

Perks tackled the finish unlike any player in the 20 years this tournament has been played on a diabolical TPC at Sawgrass course.

``I never dreamed I'd finish the way I did, and it obviously worked out,'' the New Zealand native said.

Lying two, and with his ball positioned on a slim piece of thick rough aside the 16th green, Perks chipped in for eagle to take the lead.

Next, he teed off to the center of the devilish No. 17 island hole, then snaked home a 28-foot putt for birdie.

He followed an awful drive into the trees on No. 18 with a chip into the fairway and an approach into the deep grass just off the green.

Then, the capper: a sweet little chip that rolled right into the hole for par. It closed out a three-hole stretch _ three of the most pressure-packed holes in golf _ in which he went 3 under and touched his putter only once.

``When the thing landed on the green, I said 'I won,''' Perks said. ``And when it got closer and closer to the hole, and then disappeared, it was an incredible emotion right there.''

Perks took his cap off and spiked it to the ground. A few minutes later, he had none other than Woods, the defending champion, calling him ``absolutely unbelievable'' at the trophy presentation.

With the victory, Perks won $1.08 million, the biggest first-place prize on the PGA Tour. He earned a trip to the Masters in two weeks, along with the other three majors later this year. He doubled his career earnings and gave hope to all those up-and-coming players who are never given a chance at the tournament widely considered golf's fifth major.

``It was nice to see someone else win for a change,'' said Ames, who is still looking for his first PGA Tour victory.

Perks became the seventh first-time winner on tour this year and the very first player to break through at The Players Championship. He also became the first player since Hal Sutton in 1983 to win the tournament in his first try.

But for 15 holes, he clearly didn't show the stuff champions are made of. He bogeyed seven holes. He missed a pair of putts inside two feet, one on No. 12, the second on No. 15 to fall one stroke behind Ames.

At that point, it looked like some surprise winner _ Ames, third-round leader Carl Paulson, Jeff Sluman _ might emerge, but certainly not Perks. ``I felt like if I could just hang in there, hang in there, you just never know what can happen,'' he said.

Woods finished at 1 under, never finding the momentum or the putting touch to propel himself to the top of the leaderboard. With the Masters two weeks away, he wasn't discouraged.

``I hit the ball well all week,'' Woods said. ``I just couldn't get the breaks I needed to get.''

Neither could David Duval, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els or a slew of other big names who played only bit roles in a tournament highlighted by neophytes and oldtimers.

Scott Hoch, 46, finished in a five-way tie for fourth. The 44-year-old Sluman, who lost in a playoff 15 years ago, was also in that tie. He was teeing off on No. 18 when he heard a roar from over the hill.

``We weren't really sure what it was for,'' Sluman said. ``But we didn't really think it was for par.''

Indeed, it was Perks' eagle, the beginning of a fantastic finish nobody expected from a player nobody really knew.

``I gained a lot of confidence,'' Perks said. ``I'd like to think it's a great start to my career.''