Appleby cruises to victory in Houston

HOUSTON, Apr 24 (Reuters) Australian Stuart Appleby carded a final round five-under 67, storming to a record-equalling six shot victory at the Houston Open to claim his second PGA Tour title of the season.

Appleby, winner of the season-opening Mercedes championship, began the day with a two-stroke lead over Sweden's Mathias Gronberg and steadily built on his advantage cruising to a winning score of 19-under 269 yesterday.

It was the 34-year-old Australian's eighth career PGA Tour win and his second in Houston to go along with his 1999 victory.

Appleby joins Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as the only players with multiple PGA Tour wins this season.

Perched alone top the leaderboard all week, Appleby opened his final round by picking up a shot at the first and never stepped off the gas mixing seven birdies with a pair of bogeys before tapping in on the 18th to cap a runaway victory.

American Bob Estes returned a final round 69 to take second with 13-under 275. Steve Stricker finished fired a day's best six-under 66 to finish one shot further adrift on 276.

Gronberg, who had stayed in touch with Appleby through the first nine, stumbled on the home stretch dropping shots at 13, 16 and 17 to finish with a one-over 73 and alone in fourth on 11-under 277.

Vijay Singh's bid for a third consecutive Houston title ended with a one-under 71.

The world number three failed to mount a charge on the final day, mixing three birdies with a pair of bogeys for a total of two-under 286.

Reuters OM DB0508