Through 15 holes of yesterday's final round of the Greater Baltimore Classic, eight golfers were within two strokes of the lead, then shared by eventual champion J.C. Snead and Rodger Davis.

One by one, the would-be contenders faded coming in, some falling victim to the par-5 18th.

Doug Tewell and Bobby Wadkins didn't necessarily fade -- Tewell shot 5-under-par 67 yesterday, Wadkins had a 66 -- but each would have hoped for a more fortuitous finish.

Tewell walked up to the 18th green in a tie for the lead. With the leaders playing two groups behind, he had a chance to set the bar at 13-under, needing only a par from the back fringe.

Tewell ran his downhill 20-footer three feet past the hole. Then, he missed the uphill par attempt coming back.

"You hate to miss putts like that in front of all these people. They're up there saying, 'Ah, well, he choked,' " he said. "I didn't choke today. I shot 67. That was one shot. That's really the only bad thing I did today."

Tewell said he was "praying" one of the leaders would move to 14-under so he wouldn't have to worry about his dashed title hopes, but that didn't happen. Snead's par putt a half-hour later on 18 gave him the win, a shot ahead of Tewell, Wadkins and John Mahaffey, who missed a 15-footer that would have tied Snead on the 18th.

Not quite as dramatic as Tewell's, but just as disheartening, was Wadkins' finish. Wadkins missed a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th hole and a 10-foot birdie attempt on 18 to finish 12-under.

"I think one of them probably would have got me in a playoff. I think both would have won the tournament. I played good, though," said Wadkins, who had six birdies and no bogeys on his final-round scorecard. "I made some nice putts today, but I needed to make one on 17 or 18."

Positive reviews for event

Executive tournament director Ray Daue said the three-day tournament was a big success, both financially and from the fan's perspective. Daue said about 10,000 people attended yesterday for a three-day total of 24,000. Last year, organizers announced attendance of 70,000.

Throughout the week, players spoke highly of the conditions at Hayfields.

Daue said the tournament organizers are negotiating with three potential corporate sponsors for next year's tournament, and they hope to announce something as soon as July. He also said the chances are good Hayfields would again be the site of next year's tournament.

Inside the ropes

It was an exciting day for Hector and Marge DiNardo of Timonium. The retired dentist and his wife spent the afternoon as honorary observers, walking in the fairway right alongside the final threesome of Snead, Davis and Mahaffey.

"We're in awe of these players," said Marge DiNardo, who won the honor through a Sun contest. "We're enjoying this so much. We were going to go on vacation before this came up."

The DiNardos are longtime members at Hillendale and still play there three times a week even though Hector, 74, has twice undergone heart bypass surgery. Marge, who is "39 plus," said she still enjoys walking while playing.

The DiNardos, who were accompanied outside the ropes by some of their eight children and 16 grandchildren, hope to attend this week's U.S. Senior Open at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills.

"I don't have tickets, but I'm working on it," Marge said.

Sun staff writers Don Markus and Kevin Van Valkenburg contributed to this article.