MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Brian Gay thought so little of his chance to play his way into the U.S. Open in his last possible chance that he had plans for a week off. Not even a tentative plan sketched out just in case.

Well, he better figure something out pretty quick. His wire-to-wire victory yesterday in the St. Jude Classic punched his ticket to Bethpage Black.

"Right now I don't know if we're going home first or what we're going to do, whether we spend tomorrow traveling, going home and repacking," Gay said. "Get to work on Tuesday I guess."

Gay came to Memphis as one of seven players with a chance to grab the Open exemption as a multiple winner in the last calendar year. He responded with his second win in his last five events and the third victory of his career, beating David Toms and Bryce Molder by five strokes.

Gay grabbed the $1,008,000 winner's check at TPC Southwind in runaway style, too.

He led by only a stroke after each of the first three rounds, then shot his third straight 4-under 66 to pull away. He birdied three of the first six holes to take all the suspense out of the final round, and birdied the 18th to finish at 18-under 262.

Toms finished with a 65, and Molder had a 70. John Senden (64), Paul Goydos (68) and Robert Allenby (69) tied for fourth at 12 under.

"It was a pretty good golf tournament except for one guy stealing the show," said Toms, the tournament winner in 2003 and 2004.

Phil Mickelson, in his first event since announcing wife Amy has breast cancer, and John Daly, returning from a six-month PGA Tour suspension, tied for 59th at 1 over. Mickelson closed with a 75, and Daly shot a 70.

ELSEWHERE

Johnson closes in on promotion: Kevin Johnson tied the Nationwide Tour career victory record and moved within a win of an in-season promotion to the PGA Tour, beating Bradley Iles with a birdie on the second playoff hole yesterday in the Knoxville (Tenn.) Open. Johnson closed with a 4-under 68 to match Iles, who tied the Fox Den Country Club course record with a 63, at 20-under 268. Johnson, who has six Nationwide Tour victories, has won twice this season and needs one more to earn an immediate promotion to the PGA Tour.

Green's leg to be amputated: Champions Tour golfer Ken Green, who was injured in a recreational vehicle crash in Mississippi last Monday that killed his brother and girlfriend, will have his lower right leg amputated, his agent said yesterday. Kevin Richardson said Green is struggling with the "double whammy" of the deaths and his own career-threatening injuries. "Initially they were hoping to save the leg, but as the days went on it became apparent there was too much structural damage," Richardson said. Green was a five-time winner on the PGA Tour with $3.7 million in career winnings.