The usual stars stayed away from the Buick Open in Grand Blanc, Mich., boosting the chances for the rest of the field.

Brian Bateman still didn't think he had a shot.

Bateman, who entered 204th on the money list, birdied the final hole yesterday to break a four-way tie and become the improbable winner of the Buick Open by one stroke.

"I didn't really have any expectations," he said.

He closed with a 3 under to finish 15-under 273, the highest winning score at Warwick Hills since 1997, to claim his first victory on the PGA Tour. He had finished third in two previous tournaments.

Jason Gore (67), Justin Leonard (67) and Woody Austin (69) finished tied for second. Jim Furyk (70) and Scott Verplank (71) were in a group of five that were two shots behind Bateman.

In a tournament that started in 1958, Bateman was just the second player to birdie 18 for a one-shot victory. Rocco Mediate did it in 2000.

A perfect drive and approach set him up for a 12-footer for birdie, and he made the putt that broke slightly from right to left. When the ball went in on the side of the cup, Bateman buckled his knees, tossed his putter and pumped his fists.

Bateman, a 34-year-old from Monroe, La., earned an $882,000 check -- surpassing his total earnings in all but one of his previous five years on the PGA Tour. He made just over $900,000 in 2004, when he finished a career-best 86th on the money list.

While Bateman's final putt will make the highlights on TV, a putt he made at No. 17 made the win possible -- without a playoff. He made an 8-footer for par after missing the green on the par-3 hole.

"I knew I was close with four or five holes left and my putter really bailed me out," Bateman said.

Other tournaments

Commerce Bank Championship: Lonnie Nielsen, who didn't win in five years on the PGA Tour and had made 91 starts on the Champions Tour without a victory, shot a 2-under 69 for a two-stroke victory over Loren Roberts in East Meadow, N.Y. Nielsen, who came into the tournament with one top-10 finish this year and was 45th on the money list with $187,921, finished at 14-under 199.

French Open: England's Graeme Storm won his first European Tour title with a one-stroke victory over Denmark's Soren Hansen in Versailles. Storm closed with a 5-under 66 and finished at 7-under 277. He started the day in eighth place.