Trajan finds Hope title with 65, Leonard collapse

D.J. Trahan played like the seasoned veteran.

The 27-year-old Trahan, who had won just once before, charged from four shots back Sunday to overtake Justin Leonard and win the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in Palm Desert, Calif.

The 35-year-old Leonard, whose 11 victories include the 1997 British Open, was the one who faltered.

Trahan shot a sparkling 7-under 65 to beat Leonard by three strokes. The younger player said a four-shot deficit looked imposing heading into the final round of the five-day tournament.

"You certainly don't feel particularly optimistic about it when you're playing against a guy like Justin Leonard," Trahan said. "I wasn't playing against a rookie who was in the lead for the first time.

D.J. Trahan, from Mt. Pleasant, S.C., holds his trophy after winning the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic golf tournament at Classic Club golf course in Palm Desert, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008. Trahan won by one stroke with a five day score of 26-under-par 334. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

"He's won a major championship, Ryder Cups. I don't know how many times he's won on tour, but it's definitely more than me."

Leonard closed with a 72 that included a 39 on the back nine at the Classic Club. He still was only one shot behind before his drive went into the water on No. 18 to end his chances.

"To have a four-shot lead and come out and play as well as I did the first eight holes, and lose a golf tournament is disappointing," Leonard said.

Trahan birdied the final hole to finish the 90-hole tournament at 26-under 334 for his biggest payday, $918,000, and the right to play in this year's Masters.

Leonard, who last year failed to make the cut in his first six events, including the Hope, began playing well in July and finished the season strong. So he wasn't discouraged by his runner-up finish this early in the season.

"I get some perspective in the fact that at this time last year, I was pretty lost," he said. "That gives me a bit of comfort, but still it only takes a little bit of the sting out of it, not all of it."

Kenny Perry, the 1995 Hope champion, and 22-year-old Anthony Kim, who played high school golf in nearby La Quinta, shot 69s to tie for third at 338.

Trahan turned what had threatened to be a runaway into a duel when he picked up four shots over three holes beginning at No. 9. He sank an 8-footer birdie putt on the ninth hole, rolled in a 40-footer from the fringe for another birdie on the 10th, then parred the 11th while Leonard went par-bogey-bogey.

Trahan took the lead for good with an 8-footer for birdie on No. 14 to go to 25 under. He capped his round with a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 18 while Leonard took a bogey 6.

Champions Tour

Fred Funk won the Champions Tour's season-opening MasterCard Championship, birdieing the final two holes for a 7-under 65 and a two-stroke victory over Allen Doyle in Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii.

The 51-year-old Funk, coming off a 10th-place tie last week in the PGA Tour's Sony Open, finished with a 21-under 195.

-- The Associated Press