When J.B. Holmes reached the third grade, he was good enough to play on the high school golf team. Four tournaments into his PGA Tour career, he again showed he can play with the big boys.

The rookie gained five shots on his nearest competitor on the 15th hole and walked away with a seven-stroke victory yesterday in the FBR Open at Scottsdale, Ariz.

The 23-year-old from Kentucky shot a 5-under 66 in the final round — 5-under 31 on the back nine — to finish at 21-under 263 and win $936,000. Combined with the $127,500 he won for a 10th-place tie at the Sony Open in Hawai'i, Holmes became the fastest to win $1 million on the tour. It took Retief Goosen five tournaments to reach $1 million in 2001.

"It was one of my goals to win out here. It happened real quickly," Holmes said. "I didn't expect it so soon."

Ryan Palmer, who made the turn with a one-shot lead, hit the water twice for a triple bogey on the par-5, 552-yard 15th, while Holmes, his playing partner, sank a 14-footer for eagle. Holmes' one-shot lead expanded to six, and the tournament was decided.

Palmer (72) tied for second with Steve Lowery (67), J.J Henry (72), Camilo Villegas (69) and Scott Verplank (68) at 14-under 270.

ELSEWHERE

ANZ Ladies Masters: South Korean Amy Yang, 16, became the first amateur to win a major women's professional golf tournament in Australia, beating American Catherine Cartwright in a playoff at Gold Coast, Australia. Yang made a 23-foot birdie putt to win on the first playoff hole after she bogeyed the final hole in regulation to tie Cartwright at 13-under 275 on the Royal Pines course. Yang attends nearby Robina High School.