PGA Franco wins tour event

The Paraguayan won in Milwaukee for second time Sunday.
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Carlos Franco's two favorite places in America are Milwaukee and New Orleans, where he's won twice at each stop for his only PGA Tour wins.
The Paraguayan, who spent his free time fishing for bass at a friend's pond during the week rather than practicing his golf game, shot a 3-under-par 67 Sunday to win the U.S. Bank Championship, which was known as the Greater Milwaukee Open when he won it in 1999.
Franco's 13-under 267 bested Fred Funk (66) and Brett Quigley (69) by two strokes each on a cool, breezy day at Brown Deer Park.
"I'm double happy," Franco said.
Not only for his two wins in Milwaukee but because his family was here to witness it.
His wife, Celsa, had only watched her husband play on TV since he began playing on the PGA Tour full-time five years ago.
And what did she have to say to him after he won $630,000, his biggest paycheck ever?
Only tears
"She doesn't speak to me, only crying," Franco said.
Patrick Sheehan (70), Billy Andrade (67) and Olin Browne (67) finished three shots back, tied for fourth place.
Defending champion Kenny Perry (70) tied for seventh, his worst finish in five trips to Milwaukee, where he had been in the top five the last four years.
Franco is the seventh two-time winner in Milwaukee. He began the final round tied with Quigley and Sheehan atop the leaderboard, his first 54-hole lead since the 2000 COMPAQ Classic of New Orleans, which he won in a playoff to defend his '99 title.
Neither Sheehan nor Quigley, who teed off last, had ever led going into the final day of a tournament on the PGA Tour and the inexperience proved costly.
Sheehan made the turn a stroke ahead of Franco at 3-under for the day but posted a bogey on No. 11, a double-bogey on 12 and a bogey on 13.
He didn't blame nerves.
Not leaderboard watching
"I'm not a board watcher," Sheehan said. "I honestly thought I had a chance to win."
Until No. 12, where his tee shot ricocheted 60 yards off a tree, forcing him to hit a 5-iron instead of a wedge onto the green.
Quigley, who also tied for second at the 2001 Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic, shot a steady but unspectacular round, never making a charge for what would have been his first win on Tour.
"I thought I'd be more nervous than I was today," said Quigley, who had one bogey and one birdie. "I played good golf, just didn't make the putts."
Nobody shot better than 4-under on a cool, breezy day at Brown Deer Park. The golfers credited the demanding pin placements and wicked rough.
"Anytime you hit it in there, you know you've got a good chance of making a bogey; you're not going to be able to make it onto the green," Quigley said. "You saw that with Pat today on 11, 12 and 13. In a blink of an eye he lost four shots.
"And that's the golf course. That's the beauty of it; if you're playing well, you can score. And if you're off a little bit, it'll bite you."
Funk sure was accurate, hitting 87 percent of his fairways for the week on the 6,759-yard layout that is one of the shortest courses on the PGA Tour, putting a premium on iron play and putting.
"When I saw the rough, I really liked it," Funk said. "It's an equalizer for me with the guys who hit it a long way. I can't compete with the bombers."
But he couldn't quite catch Franco, who didn't see the driving range after Wednesday.
Funk admires Franco's celebrated non-practice habits.
"I wish I could do that. He's amazing. It's a great asset to have because he has tremendous speed and power," Funk said. "But I think that's why he's so erratic sometimes."
Franco isn't known for his accuracy off the tee -- except in Milwaukee.
"It's kind of surprising that he wins on this golf course. It's such a tight golf course," Funk said. "I don't think he's known for his accuracy. But he has a comfort level here. It must fit his eye."