Esteban Toledo

He had just finished playing 18 holes in the rain, so Esteban Toledo was soaked. His sweater stuck to his back, his shoes were caked with grass and mud and his hair was matted down. He looked as though he had just walked through a car wash. But Toledo was standing there and smiling, probably because he knew he had been a lot wetter before. When he was 8, he used to hide in the trees on the golf course in Mexicali.

Charley Hoffman's quick start gave him a two-shot lead over U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson after three rounds of the RBC Heritage on Saturday at Hilton Head Island, S.C. Hoffman had four birdies on his first five holes to shoot a bogey-free five-under 66 and keep out front at 11 under on a windy, cool day at Harbour Town Golf Links. Simpson also didn't make a bogey on the way to a 65, tying the lowest round of the tournament. Kevin Streelman shot a 69 and was alone in third at eight under.

Make no mistake, Esteban Toledo would rather be in Scottsdale, Ariz., this week. That's where the PGA Tour has set up camp for the Phoenix Open, a tournament with a $1.5-million purse and a national television audience. The winner will pocket $270,000. Compared to those figures, Toledo will be playing for a pittance at the Taco Bell Newport Classic, a $100,000 pro-am Friday and Saturday at the Newport Beach Country Club. But Toledo insists he's not a reluctant participant.

Esteban Toledo has spent most of his life overcoming long odds, so there is no reason to think he can't do it again this week. Toledo, who opened with a four-under 67 Thursday and is two shots behind leader Jesper Parnevik, has no victories and only seven top-10 finishes in 167 career PGA Tour starts. But for someone who grew up in a poor Mexican town, success is not measured in victories.

Like most journeyman PGA Tour players, Esteban Toledo is accustomed to receiving minimal attention from fans. The superstars attract the huge galleries, the swarms of autograph seekers and the media requests. The other guys labor in semi-anonymity, even during a successful year such as the one Toledo had in 2000, when he finished 69th on the money list with $673,000. But Toledo got a taste of how golf's royalty must feel last month when he won the Mexican Open by four strokes.

It has been a great year for Esteban Toledo any way you look at it. On the course, Toledo won enough money to clinch a spot on the PGA Tour for a third consecutive year. In March his wife, Colleen, gave birth to a daughter, Eden. Recently, the Toledos, including 9-year-old son Nicholas, moved into a bigger house in Irvine. "I've been doing this for 15 years," said Toledo, who played in every PGA Tour qualifying tournament from 1986 to 1997. "People have seen me on the bottom.

Charley Hoffman's quick start gave him a two-shot lead over U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson after three rounds of the RBC Heritage on Saturday at Hilton Head Island, S.C. Hoffman had four birdies on his first five holes to shoot a bogey-free five-under 66 and keep out front at 11 under on a windy, cool day at Harbour Town Golf Links. Simpson also didn't make a bogey on the way to a 65, tying the lowest round of the tournament. Kevin Streelman shot a 69 and was alone in third at eight under.

Esteban Toledo has spent most of his life overcoming long odds, so there is no reason to think he can't do it again this week. Toledo, who opened with a four-under 67 Thursday and is two shots behind leader Jesper Parnevik, has no victories and only seven top-10 finishes in 167 career PGA Tour starts. But for someone who grew up in a poor Mexican town, success is not measured in victories.

About an hour before David Duval eagled the last hole to end his historic and record-tying round of 59 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in front of a gallery of thousands and a television audience of millions, 36-year-old Esteban Toledo of Mexicali, Mexico, signed his scorecard for a 68 in front of his caddie and the woman who kept his score. Duval finished first and won $540,000; Toledo finished tied for 28th and won $20,850. If Duval was happy, Toledo was ecstatic.

Strolling the fairways at plush country clubs last week during the PGA Tour's Bob Hope Classic in Bermuda Dunes, Esteban Toledo was only a three-hour drive from his hometown of Mexicali, Mexico, but was a long way from his roots. He played with confidence, producing the types of shots seen only on the PGA Tour and finished tied for 51st--a comfortable distance from the cut line and a far cry from the Toledo of most of the 1990s who struggled to make cuts and keep his playing privileges.

Like most journeyman PGA Tour players, Esteban Toledo is accustomed to receiving minimal attention from fans. The superstars attract the huge galleries, the swarms of autograph seekers and the media requests. The other guys labor in semi-anonymity, even during a successful year such as the one Toledo had in 2000, when he finished 69th on the money list with $673,000. But Toledo got a taste of how golf's royalty must feel last month when he won the Mexican Open by four strokes.

Strolling the fairways at plush country clubs last week during the PGA Tour's Bob Hope Classic in Bermuda Dunes, Esteban Toledo was only a three-hour drive from his hometown of Mexicali, Mexico, but was a long way from his roots. He played with confidence, producing the types of shots seen only on the PGA Tour and finished tied for 51st--a comfortable distance from the cut line and a far cry from the Toledo of most of the 1990s who struggled to make cuts and keep his playing privileges.

It has been a great year for Esteban Toledo any way you look at it. On the course, Toledo won enough money to clinch a spot on the PGA Tour for a third consecutive year. In March his wife, Colleen, gave birth to a daughter, Eden. Recently, the Toledos, including 9-year-old son Nicholas, moved into a bigger house in Irvine. "I've been doing this for 15 years," said Toledo, who played in every PGA Tour qualifying tournament from 1986 to 1997. "People have seen me on the bottom.

About an hour before David Duval eagled the last hole to end his historic and record-tying round of 59 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in front of a gallery of thousands and a television audience of millions, 36-year-old Esteban Toledo of Mexicali, Mexico, signed his scorecard for a 68 in front of his caddie and the woman who kept his score. Duval finished first and won $540,000; Toledo finished tied for 28th and won $20,850. If Duval was happy, Toledo was ecstatic.

Make no mistake, Esteban Toledo would rather be in Scottsdale, Ariz., this week. That's where the PGA Tour has set up camp for the Phoenix Open, a tournament with a $1.5-million purse and a national television audience. The winner will pocket $270,000. Compared to those figures, Toledo will be playing for a pittance at the Taco Bell Newport Classic, a $100,000 pro-am Friday and Saturday at the Newport Beach Country Club. But Toledo insists he's not a reluctant participant.

He had just finished playing 18 holes in the rain, so Esteban Toledo was soaked. His sweater stuck to his back, his shoes were caked with grass and mud and his hair was matted down. He looked as though he had just walked through a car wash. But Toledo was standing there and smiling, probably because he knew he had been a lot wetter before. When he was 8, he used to hide in the trees on the golf course in Mexicali.

Esteban Toledo of Costa Mesa is in third place after the second round of the Southern California Professional Golfers' Assn. California Open at Indian Wells Country Club. Toledo shot a five-under 67 and is eight under after the second of four rounds. Dennis Trixler of Foster City is the leader at 12 under after rounds of 65 and 67. Kevin Riley of La Mesa is second at nine under. John Burckle of Aliso Viejo and Mike Miles of Huntington Beach are both at six under.

The last round of the PGA Tour Qualifying tournament, scheduled to be played at La Purisima Golf Course near Lompoc, was canceled Tuesday because of rain, the first time that has happened since the 108-hole format began in 1982. The tournament was shortened to 90 holes because the course was unplayable after two daysof rain, which meant that 49 players at even par or better earned PGA Tour cards for 1997. Allen Doyle and Jimmy Johnson had the best scores in the five rounds at eight-under 352.