Carlos Franco won the U.S. Bank Championship of Milwaukee for his fourth win on the PGA Tour. Ten years ago, Franco was a struggling professional from Paraguay trying to make ends meet on the South American Tour. He didn't make a name for himself until the 1993 Dunhill Cup at St. Andrews, where he beat Sam Torrance and his Paraguay team beat host Scotland in the opening match. Four years later, Franco got into the 1997 World Series of Golf and finished sixth, then the next year qualified for the PGA Tour. In his first year on tour, 1999, he won at New Orleans and then Milwaukee and has been pretty consistent on tour ever since.

Pete Oakley followed a similiar path to glory. He spent most of his time as a club pro in the Delaware area, first becoming recognized on a national level when he played on the PGA Cup team in 1994. Then in 1999, when Oakley turned 50, he won the PGA Senior Club Professional Championship.

Oakley has never been able to play on the Champions Tour in America, but since his brother David was playing on the European Senior Tour he decided to try out for it. He was lucky enough to get his European Senior card when, on the final hole, he skulled a bunker shot that hit the flagstick perfectly and dropped in the hole.

His win at the Senior British Open will open up a lot of doors for Oakley, including a one-year exemption on the Champions Tour and a spot to play in the British Open next year at the Old Course in St. Andrews.

KEYS TO VICTORY

Pete Oakley: He won thanks to keeping his cool, having a big touch of courage at the right time, and just some really good putting. In the 18-year history of the Senior British Open, there hadn't been a Monday qualifier until this year. Oakley had to play in the qualifier, and he did that at Port Stewart, shooting even par to become one of 20 qualifiers. He then played great at Portush, with his key to victory being his 10-under performance on the par-5 holes. Oakley can also thank his courage on the final hole. He didn't hit the best of second shots, finding a greenside bunker.

"I didn't think it was that difficult a shot when I stood there, but when I saw there was about a 9-foot wall in front of me and I could not see the flag, I wanted to make sure I got it out of the bunker," Oakley said. "I knew it would come out. I was confident it would come out. I have confidence in my bunker play, and I was able to hit the shot I thought I was going to hit, it came off and went farther past the hole than I was hoping. But I've been putting the ball very well also, this week, and just let what happened the entire week happen again, and I rode it right in and won."

With his win Oakley becomes the tenth Champions Tour player to qualify for an event.

Carlos Franco: You have to think that Franco is madly in love with both Milwaukee and New Orleans. Of his four PGA Tour victories, he's won twice in each of those cities, and 32% ($2,209,239) of his PGA Tour earnings ($6,708,363) have come at those two venues.

Franco also becomes the seventh multiple winner in Milwaukee.

Just like with Oakley's win, Franco did it with courage and fortitude. He just continued to make pars while everyone around him couldn't take charge and do anything. Franco's strong suit is his iron play, and he was on his game this week, missing only 17 of the 72 greens.

Franco's stats (with rank in parenthesis):

Fairways hit: 39 of 56	(T9th)
Driving average: 304.1	(T23rd)
Greens hit: 55 of 72	(T2nd)
Putts: 113 (28.25 per rd)	(T14th)
Eagles: 0	
Birdies: 19	(T3rd)