ROUND 4

As prognostications go, Sunday was like kissing my sister. I had a hunch Payne Stewart was going to wilt but I didn't think Lee Janzen was going to be the guy to take advantage. I can't say I'm sorry to see him win it, though. Janzen is a deserving champ. His final-round 68 was golf played at the highest level, and the victory couldn't have gone to a sweeter guy.

As a few of you may recall, last September I wrote an inflammatory column pointing out how overrated the U.S. Ryder Cup team was and predicting a European upset. To say the least, many of the American players were upset by the tone and content of the piece, and I heard about it all week (and continue to from a couple of world-class grouches). Janzen thought the whole thing was pretty funny, which showed a rare bit of perspective among the Tour rank-and-file. His good humor was especially appreciated because for most of the Cup I was following him around for a story I was working on.

For those three days in Spain he played some of the stoutest golf I've had the pleasure of watching, which his 2-1 record only hinted at. I remember after he beat my boy José María Olazábal in singles, a match that looked for a while like it might earn the Americans a tie. The hot-blooded Spaniard was asked about Janzen. He merely shook his head and said three words: "Tough. Very tough."

There were a couple of other developments on Sunday that are worth noting: the resurrection of Nick Price and the requiem of Tom Lehman. Price has quietly been playing terrific golf the past year and a half, and I think this was the beginning of another burst of fine play in the majors. He'll never be a factor at the Masters but the other three majors play to his strengths, which are controlled power and course management. It was good to see his name near the top of the leaderboard again.

As for Lehman, golf's tragic hero showed surprising little fight and never really threatened to seize the tournament. He's approaching the two-year anniversary of his last victory, and every week he seems to grow a little more desperate. I love Lehman and all that he represents, but how many times can he take a punch in the nose and keep getting back on his feet? He's given us a lot of good moments over the last five years, but I fear there aren't many left.

Then again, everyone was writing off Lee Janzen of late, so go figure.

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