Brian Gay posted a 7-under 64 (the round of the day) on April 19 to finish at 20-under 264, cruising to the 2009 Verizon Heritage title by 10 strokes over Luke Donald (66) and Briny Baird (68).
The victory is the second of Gay’s career (2008 Mayakoba Golf Classic) and comes in his 330th career start on the PGA TOUR. Gay’s 264 winning score breaks the previous scoring record at the Verizon Heritage, which was set by Loren Roberts in 1996 (19-under 265). The 10-stroke winning margin is also a tournament record, besting Davis Love III’s sevenstroke win in 1998.
Gay managed just two bogeys (No. 10-2nd round, No. 12-4th round) at Harbour Town – the fewest at the Verizon Heritage since 1983. The previous low during that time was three, set by Loren Roberts in 1996.Gay’s 10-stroke victory is the largest on the PGA TOUR since Phil Mickelson won the 2006 Bell-South Classic by 13 strokes. His win is the ninth in TOUR history (dating back to 1970 when records began) with a double-digit winning margin. With the victory, Gay will earn his first-ever invitation to the Masters Tournament in 2010. He is a former resident of Louisville, Ga., about 50 miles from the Augusta National Golf Club.
