Golf: Price mirrors the methods of his role model

NICK PRICE, at 35, the same age as Nick Faldo, took on a mirror image of the Englishman in the final round of the 74th US PGA Championship at Bellerive. Price won his first major championship by modelling himself on the Faldo approach. 'When the pressure comes it's the guys who don't make mistakes who win,' Price said. 'Faldo is a perfect example of that. He plays solid and waits for others to slip up.'

Price, whose mother came from Barry Island in south Wales, his father from Nottingham, was born in South Africa, grew up in Zimbabwe and has settled in Orlando, Florida. Although the US Tour is his playground he holds a British passport.

Price's game plan worked perfectly on Sunday when he shot 70, one under par, six under for the championship and it gave him a three-stroke advantage over Faldo, Jim Gallagher, John Cook and Gene Sauers. The four finished joint second on 281 compared to Price's 278. Price won dollars 280,000 (pounds 155,000), Faldo and Co dollars 101,250 apiece.

Another thing Price has in common with Faldo is that they are both coached by David Leadbetter. 'I only hit one bad shot,' Price said of his final round. 'So often in major championships I've made mistakes.' Price led the Open championship by three strokes with six holes to play at Royal Troon in 1982 and lost it by a stroke to Tom Watson. 'That was inexperience,' Price said. 'I was 25. I didn't realise what could happen. Before I knew it, it had gone.' In the Open at Royal Lytham four years ago he led by two shots going into the final round. Paired with Seve Ballesteros, Price scored 68, the Spaniard 65.

After his Bellerive victory Price said: 'I feel like I got a monkey off my back, a whole troop of them. There have been some doubts. When you get to your mid-thirties you need to win one of the big ones. But Jack Nicklaus, Ray Floyd, Hale Irwin and Tom Kite, who won in their forties, gave me hope. I played at Bellerive four years ago and I knew there would be a premium on driving and long irons. I knew if I was patient, avoided mistakes and putted well I had a good chance. It's been a long wait but it's worth it. Who knows what would have happened to me if I had won a major championship at the age of 25. I don't think I'd be the person I am today.'

Faldo finished in style, transposing Saturday's 76 into a 67 on Sunday. At three under par he was back on the leader board. Faldo thought he would have to shoot 64 to win. Had he done so he would have tied Price's score. When Faldo was asked after his round on Sunday to give a press interview, he declined. He had a plane to catch. PGA officials pointed out to him that he was the leader in the clubhouse and it was not beyond the bounds of possibility that he would win the championship.

One by one, the leaders lost ground, all except Price. Sauers led the championship by two strokes after a birdie at the fourth hole but disintegrated after finding the water at the short sixth. Jeff Maggert took the lead with a birdie at the eighth and after the 11th he was two strokes clear. His game went to pieces. Sauers finished with a 75, Maggert with a 74.

Twelve months ago Price sat at his home in Orlando and watched the unknown John Daly win the US PGA Championship at Crooked Stick in Minneapolis. Price's caddie, Jeff Medlen, without a bag for that week, caddied instead for Daly and earned a 10 per cent bonus of the winner's prize money. Medlen was onto another nice little earner on Sunday.

Price had withdrawn from the championship because his wife Sue was about to have their first child. His decision meant that Daly, the ninth reserve, got a place in the field virtually at the last minute.

Price's win brought his earnings this season to dollars 775,959 and his career total since turning professional in 1977 to dollars 3,388,121. This season he was tied sixth in the Masters, was joint fourth with Faldo in the US Open at Pebble Beach and joint 51st in the Open at Muirfield. Faldo now takes a three-week holiday and reappears in the European Open at Sunningdale next month.

US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP (Bellerive, St Louis): Final scores (US unless stated): 278 N Price (Zim) 70 70 68 70. 281 N Faldo (GB) 68 70 76 67; J Gallagher Jnr 72 66 72 71; J Cook 71 72 67 71; G Sauers 67 69 70 75. 282 J Maggert 71 72 65 74. 283 D Forsman 70 73 70 70; R Cochran 69 69 76 69. 284 A Forsbrand (Swe) 73 71 70 70; B Claar 67 73 73 70; D Waldorf 74 73 68 69.

285 J Sluman 73 71 72 69; C Pavin 71 73 70 71; B Andrade 72 71 70 72. 286 B Faxon 72 69 75 70; G Norman (Aus) 71 74 71 70; M Brooks 71 72 68 75. 287 J Huston 73 75 71 68; R Fehr 74 73 71 69; S Elkington (Aus) 74 70 71 72. 288 T Purtzer 72 72 74 70; L Janzen 74 71 72 71; B Britton 70 77 70 71; F Couples 69 73 73 73; G Morgan 71 69 73 75; T Kite 73 73 69 73; T Nakajima (Japan) 71 75 69 73; 289 N Ozaki (Japan) 76 72 74 67; M Hulbert 74 74 70 71; T Wargo 72 72 73 72; P Jacobsen 73 71 72 73; L Nelson 72 68 75 74. 290 B Fabel 72 76 74 68; D Love III 77 71 70 72; B Fleisher 70 72 75 73; F Nobilo (NZ) 69 74 74 73; C Montgomerie (GB) 72 76 69 73; D Pruitt 73 70 73 74; P Azinger 72 73 68 77. 291 D Edwards 74 70 77 70; M James (GB) 75 72 72 72; B R Brown 72 75 72 72; L Mize 74 74 71 72; F Allem (SA) 74 72 72 73; B Langer (Ger) 72 74 72 73; L Wadkins 72 71 73 75; R Mediate 72 68 74 77. 292 P Senior (Aus) 71 76 73 72; B Bryant 75 71 73 73; M Calcavecchia 74 69 74 75; V Singh (Fiji) 70 73 73 76; S Richardson (GB) 73 66 75 78; R Floyd 69 75 69 79; C Stadler 67 72 75 78. 293 L Rinker 72 75 73 73; J Sindelar 72 75 75 71; K Clearwater 73 72 74 74; B Tway 74 73 72 74; S Pate 70 78 70 75; A Magee 74 71 74 74; G Hallberg 71 72 72 78. 294 J Overton 73 73 76 72; B McCallister 73 75 76 70; J Haas 75 73 74 72; T Watson 72 71 73 78. 295 J Kane 72 73 76 74; H Irwin 71 77 72 75; R Mackay (Aus) 76 72 71 76. 296 P Stewart 76 69 79 72; D Peoples 75 73 74 74; T Schulz 75 71 74 76; I Baker-Finch (Aus) 71 75 78 72. 298 B Lietzke 75 70 80 73; D Frost (SA) 72 76 77 73; B Crenshaw 75 71 78 74. 300 J D Blake 68 77 79 76; S Veriato 70 73 77 80; B Estes 69 78 77 76. 303 T Smith 75 73 79 76; R Gamez 69 75 82 77; S Gump 71 72 78 82. 304 J Daly 76 72 79 77. 305 H Perry 74 74 78 79. 307 N Lancaster 75 72 79 81; K McDonald 78 69 78 82.