MILWAUKEE -- Ben Crane's wire-to-wire domination of the U.S.
Bank Championship in Milwaukee came to an end at 5:40 p.m.
(ET) on Sunday.
By that point, it almost seemed to be all that mattered.
People
were checking their watches to see how long it took the deliberate
29-year-old from Westlake, Texas, to close out his second
career PGA TOUR victory. For the record, his tap-in par putt
hit the bottom of the 72nd hole 3 hours, 55 minutes after
his group began what proved to be a ceremonial final round
-- with Crane doubling the two-stroke lead he took to the
first tee -- on a sweltering day at Brown Deer Park Golf Course.
That's
because that's who Crane is. Methodical. Almost every adjective
has been used since Rory Sabbatini showed his frustration
at Crane's pace of play six weeks ago at the Booz Allen Classic.
"After
Booz Allen, when I played well (tied for second) and it looked
like I was going to keep my card, I thought `OK, I'll just
play fast now," Crane said Sunday.
But Crane,
who also won the 2003 BellSouth Classic, decided to consult
with his sports psychologist Preston Waddington first.
"I
talk to him every week on the phone for about an hour,"
Crane said. "And he goes 'You aren't going to go out
there and try to play fast now, are you?' I said 'How did
you know that?'"
"He's
really into Ben being Ben and trying to improve over time
and not do it overnight."
Crane
held the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee from the minute
he signed for his first-round 62. He persevered through
three rain delays, causing Thursday to spill into Friday
and Friday into Saturday before the tournament got back
on schedule.
Crane's
deliberate pace of play, though, caused his group to be
timed Saturday after falling a hole behind on the 13th hole.
On Sunday, his group fell out of position and was warned
for slow play on the 11th hole.
Crane's
emerging public reputation is difficult for other golfers,
though. They like him. And who wouldn't like a guy who spends
his free time fishing, studying the Bible and playing ping-pong.
Many
golfers -- like Wisconsin-born Jerry Kelly -- spent the
week rushing to his defense. Kelly bristled Sunday when
a reporter suggested that Crane's victory might lead him
to take even more time over shots."That's
a good idea," Kelly said. "So the next time he
gets timed, he gets fined $20,000. I don't think he wants
to do that. He doesn't want to be known as a slow player.
Absolutely not.
"Ben
is trying to get faster. He's a great guy. He's just extremely
slow. But I tell you what, if he wasn't such a great guy
more people would be on him. But because he is such a great
guy and he handled the (Booz Allen) issue with such class,
we're waiting for him to get faster."
Crane,
however, cautioned reporters after his victory not to expect
a change soon. On doctors' orders, of course.
"If
I did try to go out there and just flip the switch, I probably
wouldn't play any good at all," said Crane, whose victory
vaulted him from 79th to 33rd on the money list and 52nd
to 27th in Presidents Cup points.
"So
is (winning) going to help? Yeah, it takes a little pressure
off. But do I think it will flip the switch like I wish
it would? No."
That,
like Crane, will take some time.
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