Paul Willey began playing virtual golf on his home computer as a way to fill his time after the onset of multiple sclerosis ended his Army career in 1995.

On Monday, the 37-year-old Bangor man parlayed those talents into a $100,000 payday by winning the Virtual Golf Association Tour’s world championship in Honolulu.

Willey nailed a 17-foot putt on the 17th hole to top Mike Schuetz of Manassas Park, Va., and win the match-play title, 2-and-1.

Willey said the atmosphere at the finals was intense.

“We were up on a stage in a sports bar,” Willey said. “Joe Montana was there. Russ Francis was there. It was a real pressure cooker.”

Willey, who entered the tournament with a stroke average of 58.56 on the Links 2001 game, earned his berth among the final four contestants by cruising through a 64-player tournament held Oct. 14-15.

But Willey said the fact that he’d been able to roll through the first rounds of competition worried him a bit.

“I’d never been tested,” he said. “I never trailed during those first four matches. I won ’em all by four to 10 strokes.”

In Hawaii, he didn’t have that leisure: He rallied from one hole back with two holes to play to top Hank Hall in the semis before topping Schuetz in the finals.

Willey said despite the fact he became the world’s top-ranked player, he balked at entering tournaments that offered large cash prizes in the beginning for two reasons.

First, he thought the fact he’d entered would scare other people away.

And second, he began playing for enjoyment after leaving the Army and wasn’t sure he wanted to play for such high stakes.

“I didn’t feel like playing this for money,” Willey said. “It was so satisfying, it didn’t feel right.”

But after winning the world title, Willey did admit he’s got plenty of plans for the $100,000.

Five percent will go to daughter Alanda, 14, and son Joshua, 8.

“That was my reward to my kids for all the times I’ve told them to be quiet [while I was competing on the computer] all these years,” Willey said.

Willey also said he and his wife, Lori-Ann, will take the kids on a family vacation next year, and will buy 100 copies of the Links 2001 game for the Maine chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. He said that donation will be matched by Microsoft, the game’s producer.

“I’ve spent $50,000 remodeling the house and getting a handicapped-accessible van, and I’ll use [the money] to pay off some of those bills,” Willey said. “And then [it will be] gone.

“Oh. And my wife wants a pond in the yard. We’ll get a pond,” Willey said with a laugh.

Willey is the brother of standout golfer Thea Davis, but didn’t begin playing the outdoor version of the game himself until 1997, when Thea began giving his son some lessons.

Willey, who spends most of his time in a motorized wheelchair, has become an avid player since then, trimming his handicap to a low of 19.9.

Willey attributed his title to a combination of shot-making and smart choices in the championship match.

“I couldn’t have played it any better from a strategic standpoint or performance-wise,” he said.

Willey said one of the keys to his championship win was the fact he never allowed Schuetz to get on any kind of a roll.

“The two holes he won I conceded to him,” Willey said. “He never made a putt to win a hole, so he never got that chance to get some confidence.”