Greenville, S.C. — With four previous major championships and more than a $1 million in career earnings, Alton Jones already had an impressive professional fishing résumé.

But the 44-year-old from Waco, Texas, finally broke through on the sport's biggest stage Sunday, winning the 38th Bassmaster Classic on Lake Hartwell.

Jones, in his 11th Classic, caught five fish weighing 13 pounds, 7 ounces to beat Cliff Pace of Petal, Miss., in total weight by more than five pounds.

Jones finished the three-day competition with a total weight (15 bass) of 49-7. Pace, fishing in his second Classic, had 44-5.

Jones, a favorite with many of the 15,000 fans that watched the final-day weigh-in at Greenville's Bi-Lo Center, won $500,000 for first place.

"This is a little bit overwhelming," said Jones, who caught most of his fish with jigs and jigging spoons in 28 to 35 feet of water on the inside edges of submerged timber stands. Jones' Sunday catch was the second-heaviest stringer of the tournament.

"When I see all the names of [previous winners], I don't feel worthy," he said. "I'm humbled just to be part of all this."

Two-time Classic win-ner Kevin Van Dam of Kalamazoo, Mich., probably the sport's best-known figure, was third with a 43-8 total, including a final-day catch of 11-7. Others in the top five: Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla. (42-7) and Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La. (41-7).

Lake Hartwell, located on the Georgia-South Carolina state line, gave the world's top anglers fits for three days, with changes in weather and fishing conditions. Because of that, techniques ranged from shallow to deep water, and slow to fast retrieval techniques.

"It was a grind," Jones said.