Associated Press
Davis Love III chips onto the green on No. 9 yesterday
at the Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International.

---

Love leaves a legacy

Kapalua's all-time money leader
sets scoring record in
tournament's swan song

By Bill Kwon
Star-Bulletin

KAPALUA, Maui -- For the people at Kapalua, it was a perfect Love story.

They couldn't have scripted it any better for the 16th and final Kapalua tournament at the par-73 Plantation Course, which in 1999 will host the Mercedes Championships.

And the guy who retired the trophy was the one most everyone was pulling for -- Davis Love III -- who first played in the event in 1986 on a sponsor's exemption.

"If nobody believes there's a god of golf, I don't know what else to tell them," said Mark Rolfing, the tournament's chairman.

How else can you explain what happened yesterday?

First, Love beats a 55-player field to win the final Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International.

He does it in record-style, shooting a final-round 68 for a 22-under 268, one better than Paul Stankowski's total last year.

And his second shot at the par-5 18th -- the last attempt in the final threesome -- earned Love a 1998 Lincoln Navigator in a closest-to-the-pin contest on the 663-yard hole.

With the victory, worth $216,000, Love indelibly put his name in Kapalua's record book as its all-time money winner with $802,050 in 11 appearances.

About the only thing Love didn't do yesterday was get a hole-in-one.

He almost did that, too, hitting a 7-iron at the 164-yard 11th hole to within 18 inches for a tap-in birdie that gave him a three-stroke lead over runner-up David Toms, who never got closer the rest of the day.

Toms, who led after the opening round with a 63 and shared the lead with Love the next two days, finished three shots back in second at 271 after a closing 71. He earned $130,000.

Olin Browne, whose best finish on the PGA Tour in 1997 was a fifth-place tie in the U.S. Open, placed third at 272 to earn $80,000 -- his biggest payday. But the aforementioned formed a supporting cast for Love. It was his day and his tournament.

"It's hard to believe that this is the last time around here," Love said. "I wanted to play well. I knew it would mean something to them (his friends at Kapalua) and so it means a lot to me."

Love hoped his victory, especially as the reigning PGA champion, drew some attention to the Kapalua International, which he called "very special."

For a while, though, Toms lurked in the background as a possible spoiler.

A winner for the first time on Tour at this year's Quad Cities Open, Toms birdied the panoramic, par-4 first hole to go a shot up on Love after they started the final round at 17-under 200. Love pulled even with a birdie at No. 4.

Then came the pivotal hole of the day for the two -- the par-4 sixth -- which Love said, "can play easy or can play hard."

Love hit a 60-degree wedge to eight feet and made his birdie putt. Toms three-putted from 30 feet for a two-stroke swing, which Toms couldn't make up.

"Davis was pretty much in control," Toms said. "He hits it so long. He's hitting so good right now, he's tough to beat."

After Love's birdie at No. 11, it became a battle for second place. Chasing Toms were Browne and a bunch of par-busters, including John Cook, who shot a 9-under 64 to tie three others for fourth at 274.

Cook made three consecutive 20-foot birdie putts at Nos. 2 through 4, and was well aware of the course record 10-under 63 Steve Pate shot Saturday at the 7,263-yard Plantation Course.

Toms was pleased with his first -- and last -- appearance in the tournament.

"If you'd have told me I'd finish second, I'd have said, 'No way,' " said Toms, who hadn't touched his clubs for a month before the tournament.

But it was all Love.

He tied Stankowski's tournament record with a 20-foot birdie putt at 17 and had an attempt at an eagle-3 on No. 18 when he knocked his second shot 7 feet, 2 inches from the hole -- beating a disappointed Dan Forsman, who was waiting by the green, by five feet.

Maybe getting an eagle was too much for Love, who two-putted for birdie. After all, the birdie was more than enough for the unassuming Love, Kapalua's last champion.

Kapalua International

At Kapalua Resort & Plantation courses

Final round, par 71

Davis Love III, $216,000 -- 67-66-67-68--268 David Toms, $130,000 -- 63-70-67-71--271 Olin Browne, $80,000 -- 64-72-67-69--272 John Cook, $42,025 -- 69-70-71-64--274 Mike Hulbert, $42,025 -- 66-71-70-67--274 Bob Estes, $42,025 -- 69-68-69-68--274 Kirk Triplett, $42,025 -- 70-65-71-68--274 Chris Smith, $25,650 -- 71-69-66-70--276 Jim McGovern, $25,650 -- 69-69-68-70--276 Billy Mayfair, $25,650 -- 67-71-66-72--276 Roger Maltbie, $25,650 -- 70-68-67-71--276 Paul Goydos, $25,650 -- 71-67-67-71--276 Steve Lowery, $18,500 -- 67-72-69-69--277 Kevin Sutherland, $18,500 -- 68-71-68-70--277 Russ Cochran, $18,500 -- 72-68-66-71--277 Bob Gilder, $16,500 -- 69-71-68-70--278 Loren Roberts, $15,000 -- 66-73-71-69--279 Clarence Rose, $15,000 -- 69-67-71-72--279 Don Pooley, $13,750 -- 73-68-70-69--280 Billy Andrade, $13,750 -- 68-73-29-70--280 Scott McCarron, $13,000 -- 74-68-69-70--281 Brad Fabel, $11,012 -- 71-72-68-71--282 Steve Pate, $11,012 -- 75-73-63-71--282 Tom Byrum, $11,012 -- 71-70-71-70--282 Scott Simpson, $11,012 -- 69-71-69-73--282 Mike Standly, $11,012 -- 68-69-72-73--282 Dan Forsman, $11,012 -- 65-74-74-69--282 Nolan Henke, $11,012 -- 71-66-70-75--282

Duffy Waldorf, $11,012 -- 68-72-74-68--282 Tom Purtzer, $9,650 -- 74-67-29-73--283 Tim Herron, $9,650 -- 71-70-71-71--283 Brent Geiberger, $9,343 -- 69-73-68-74--284 Jim Thorpe, $9,343 -- 72-72-68-72--284 Andy Bean, $9,343 -- 67-72-69-76--284 Jim Furyk, $9,343 -- 69-71-73-71--284 David Ishii, $9,343 -- 71-72-70-71--284 Mike Reid, $9,343 -- 75-68-70-71--284 Skip Kendall, $9,343 -- 73-70-71-70--284 Doug Martin, $9,343 -- 69-73-75-67--284 Woody Austin, $9,187 -- 69-68-73-75--285 Robert Damron, $9,187 -- 70-74-69-72--285 Peter Jacobsen, $9,150 -- 65-73-76-72--286 Thomas Bjorn, $9,100 -- 67-77-68-75--287 Fred Funk, $9,100 -- 75-70-69-73--287 Gary McCord, $9,100 -- 72-74-68-73--287 Brad Bryant, $9,050 -- 71-74-69-74--288 Tommy Tolles, $9,000 -- 68-73-29-79--289 Jerry Kelly, $9,000 -- 71-69-72-77--289 Brian Henninger, $9,000 -- 74-73-70-72--289 Lee Rinker, $8,950 -- 70-74-72-74--290 Brandel Chamblee, $8,912 -- 77-70-72-72--291 Sandy Lyle, $8,912 -- 72-78-70-71--291 David Ogrin, $8,875 -- 73-74-70-76--293 Barry Lane, $8,850 -- 72-78-72-76--298 David Peoples, $8,825 -- 70-82-76-79--307