Gay's the guy in St. Jude Classic

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – Brian Gay played his way into the US Open in his last possible chance, beating David Toms and Bryce Molder by five strokes to complete a wire-to-wire victory at the St. Jude Classic on Sunday.

Gay earned his second win in his last five events and third of his career to grab the Open exemption at Bethpage Black as a multiple winner in the last calendar year. He grabbed the $1,008,000 winner’s check at TPC Southwind in runaway style, too.

Gay led by only a stroke after each of the first three rounds, then shot a third straight 4-under 66 to pull away. He birdied three of the first six holes to take all the suspense out of the final round, and birdied the 18th to finish at 18-under 262.

Phil Mickelson, in his first event since announcing wife Amy has breast cancer, and John Daly, returning from a six-month PGA Tour suspension, tied for 59th at 1 over. Mickelson closed with a 75, and Daly shot a 70.

Toms finished with a 65, and Molder had a 70. John Senden (64), Paul Goydos (68) and Robert Allenby (69) tied for fourth at 12 under.

“It was a pretty good golf tournament except for one guy stealing the show,” said Toms, the tournament winner in 2003 and 2004.

It wasn’t as large a victory as April when Gay won by 10 at Hilton Head. It just felt like that on a day where no one could get close enough on wet fairways that stopped balls with almost no roll. Officials had moved up the start by four hours hoping to beat incoming storms that popped up in the morning to delay the start of the final round – by four hours. It didn’t rain again. (AP)