Sauers Wins Air Canada Championship

<br>SURREY, British Columbia (AP) _ Gene Sauers won what might have been the last Air Canada Championship, closing with a 2-under 69 on Sunday for a one-stroke victory over Steve Lowery. <br><br>The 40-year-old

Sunday, September 1st 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

SURREY, British Columbia (AP) _ Gene Sauers won what might have been the last Air Canada Championship, closing with a 2-under 69 on Sunday for a one-stroke victory over Steve Lowery.

The 40-year-old Sauers, who hasn't had a full PGA Tour card since 1996, finished with a 15-under 267 for his third tour victory and first since 1989. The 13-year gap between wins is the third longest in tour history.

Lowery, who also finished second to Joel Edwards last year, shot a 68, missing an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

Craig Barlow (68) bogeyed the final hole to fall to 13 under and into a three-way tie for third with Fiji's Vijay Singh (65) and Australian Robert Allenby (70).

Sauers, who came into the week 217th on the money list after playing just three events this year, earned $630,000 his biggest payday ever and almost as much as he made in the last eight years.

He might not get a chance to defend the title, with the future of the event in serious doubt. Air Canada's four-year sponsorship ended this week, and Royal Bank's decision not to increase its financial commitment leaves the event without a title sponsor.

``I would be sad,'' said Fred Funk, who finished his fourth appearance in the event at 8 under. ``But we had a dinner meeting the other night with a bunch of corporate people here and they are still interested in saving it and maybe they can do it with a community effort.''

The wind picked up and the greens firmed up in the afternoon sun on the Arnold-Palmer-designed Northview Golf and Country Club course, but it didn't appear to bother Sauers.

He opened with six straight pars before finally finding a birdie on the 584-yard, par-5 seventh. He saved par out of the sand on No. 8 and got up-and-down for par with a 10-foot putt on No. 9.

Sauers birdied the 548-yard, par-5 12th, then ran off six straight pars for the victory.

Lowery, who started the day one group ahead, and two strokes behind Sauers, was tied for the lead before a bogey out of the greenside bunker on the par-3 16th. After the near miss on 18, he watched from just behind the green as Sauers completed the win with a two-putt par.

Sauers started the week as the seventh alternate and didn't find out he would be playing until Monday afternoon. He arrived in Vancouver one day later, but his clubs didn't make it until Wednesday because of a luggage mix-up.

With no time to play a practice round, Sauers arrived at the first tee Thursday relying on memories from his only other appearance at Northview back in 1997.

He bogeyed the first hole of the tournament, but played the next 44 without a blemish, turning in rounds of 69 and 65 heading into the weekend. He recorded his only other bogey midway through his third-round 66 that gave him a one-stroke lead.

Singh, the highest-ranked player ever to take part in the tournament, matched the best round of the day with his 65 that moved him into the three-way tie for third.

Tom Scherrer also shot a 65 for sole possession of sixth place at 12 under. David Gossett and Australia's Peter Lonard, who started one stroke off the lead, tied for seventh at 13 under.

Divots: Glen Hnatuik was the top Canadian, shooting a 67 to finish at 6 under. Mike Weir, the Canadian who won his first PGA Tour titles three years ago in the Vancouver event, finished 1 over. ... After starting the day tied for 29th at 5 under, Australian rookie John Senden got down to 12 under and within a shot of the lead before dunking his second shot into the water on No. 18 en route to a double bogey.