My win at the BellSouth Classic was an emotional and dramatic victory. To win again, after the well-documented personal and professional problems I had, made this a monumental achievment. My second round eight under par 64 was the key round for me during the tournament. It gave me a two shot lead going into the weekend, and a sense of assurance that if I played consistently that I would be around the top of the leaderboard on Sunday afternoon.
I played a cosistent third round, but had a sporadic fourth round of even par with four birdies and four bogeys. Walking to the eighteenth tee, I knew I needed a birdie to secure the win. I had a great drive on the 499 yard par five eighteenth, but my approach shot landed short in the bunker on the left of the green.
My sand shot landed five feet from the pin, and I thought, "One putt and victory is mine." The putt was only five feet, but it felt like it was twenty feet.
To overcome so many obstacles, and leave Atlanta with a win was a tremendous feeling. As I received the trophy, my hands were still shaking. I dedicated this victory to my daughter Shynah. Her sole existence helped me through some difficult times, and enabled me to walk away a Champion.