SANDY LYLE FINISHES 14 SHOTS BEHIND
Phil Blackmar shoots a closing 64 to win
his first US Seniors Tour title
FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
Phil Blackmar won his first US Champions (Seniors) Tour title on Sunday, birdieing five of his first six holes en route to a 7-under 64 and a one-stroke victory over Jay Haas, Tom Kite and Andy Bean in the AT&T Championship at Oak Hills Country Club, San Antonio, Texas.
Blackmar, a three-time winner on the US PGA Tour and who joined the Champions Tour late in 2007, had a 10-under 203 total on the Oak Hills course. The 6ft 7in former University of Texas player earned $255,000 in the final full-field over-50s event of the year.
He jumped 27 spots in the Charles Schwab Cup standings to 30th to take the last spot in the season-ending Schwab Cup in Sonoma, California. He admitted he's been thinking about getting out of golf if he had to go through qualifying school and was unsuccessful getting his card.
"I got very nervous, but I was able to hang in there," said Blackmar, who lives about 150 miles away in Corpus Christi. "This year hasn't been very much fun, so I was comfortable with getting back into broadcasting, or something else."
Haas (69) had a chance to win or force a playoff, but bogeyed the 202-yard, par-3 18th. He left his tee shot short, dumped a chip into the front bunker, then watched his third shot roll over the lip and stay out of the cup by less than an inch.
"You see this ball sitting there and there's no way it's not in," Haas said. "You see very few balls like that that don't fall in."
Kite (68) missed an 8-foot birdie putt on 18, and Bean (70) failed to chip in from past the green. Kite, who grew up and lives in Austin, has never won a professional tournament in his home state.
John Cook, the two-time defending champion and winner last week near Houston, closed with a 66 finish two shots behind Blackmar. Hale Irwin (68) was fifth at 7 under, and Keith Fergus (67), Bernhard Langer (69) and Scott Simpson (70) tied for sixth at 6 under.
Blackmar, who listened to Ted Nugent and Deep Purple in his headphones on the practice tee before the round, knocked the ball within 10 feet on each of the five birdie holes to start his round.
"Listening to that music, I could feel my demeanour change," he said. "I was ready to fight someone."
But at the turn, Blackmar admitted to a bad case of nerves. Still, he tied for the lead when he had a tap-in birdie after blasting out of a greenside bunker on the 527-yard 15th.
He was in the lead when he birdied from 15 feet at No. 16 before Haas birdied the 15th. He had a four-foot par putt on 18 after he blasted out of a greenside bunker.
"I was so nervous I couldn't feel my hands," said Blackmar.
Sandy Lyle finished on 217, 14 shots behind the winner.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
203 Phil Blackmar 72 67 64
204 Andy Bean 67 67 70, Tom Kite 67 69 68, Jay Haas 68 67 69
205 John Cook 68 71 66
206 Hale Irwin 71 67 68
207 Bernhard Langer (Ger) 70 68 69, Scott Simpson 68 69 70, Keith Fergus 69 71 67
208 Russ Cochran 66 68 74, Jim Thorpe 70 69 69, Jeff Sluman 69 67 72, Mike Goodes 68 72 68
209 Tom Jenkins 72 71 66, Chip Beck 70 69 70, Craig Stadler 68 74 67, David Frost (Rsa) 73 69 67
210 James Mason 69 71 70, Mark O'Meara 67 70 73, Dan Forsman 69 71 70, Morris Hatalsky 71 71 68
211 Gil Morgan 71 71 69, Joey Sindelar 73 70 68, Gene Jones 71 71 69, Jeff Roth 69 73 69, Peter Jacobsen 72 73 66, Bruce Vaughan 72 69 70, Mark Wiebe 71 71 69, Loren Roberts 71 72 68, John Morse 69 72 70, Tim Simpson 68 69 74
212 Mark James (Eng) 74 70 68, David Eger 68 71 73, Lanny Wadkins 71 70 71, Keith Clearwater 66 74 72
213 Mike McCullough 71 69 73, Kirk Hanefeld 70 72 71, Tim Conley 69 70 74, Bob Gilder 71 70 72, Ronnie Black 71 71 71, Bob Tway 68 75 70
214 David Ogrin 72 71 71, Fulton Allem (Rsa) 70 72 72, Tom Purtzer 72 70 72, Ben Crenshaw 67 75 72, Mike Reid 68 72 74
215 Brad Bryant 71 74 70, Eduardo Romero (Arg) 75 74 66, Joe Inman 70 74 71
216 Allen Doyle 70 71 75
217 Lonnie Nielsen 73 73 71, Fuzzy Zoeller 75 69 73, Olin Browne 72 73 72, Sandy Lyle (Sco) 74 70 73, Steve Thomas 72 78 67
218 Robert L Thompson 76 70 72, Bruce Fleisher 71 73 74, Tom Wargo 74 70 74, Dave Eichelberger 76 67 75, Blaine McCallister 78 69 71
220 Bruce Lietzke 71 80 69, John Harris 75 73 72, Jay Don Blake 74 74 72, Fred Funk 74 74 72
221 Gary Hallberg 73 74 74, Mike Hulbert 70 75 76, Bobby Wadkins 72 78 71
222 Danny Edwards 70 78 74
223 Denis Watson (Zim) 78 72 73, Don Pooley 79 68 76
224 Mike Lawrence 77 76 71, Jim Dent 72 80 72
226 Raymond Floyd 79 75 72, Mark McNulty (Irl) 73 76 77
227 Tom McKnight 75 73 79
228 Mike San Filippo 74 78 76
243 Jim Albus 78 85 80.
his first US Seniors Tour title
FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
Phil Blackmar won his first US Champions (Seniors) Tour title on Sunday, birdieing five of his first six holes en route to a 7-under 64 and a one-stroke victory over Jay Haas, Tom Kite and Andy Bean in the AT&T Championship at Oak Hills Country Club, San Antonio, Texas.
Blackmar, a three-time winner on the US PGA Tour and who joined the Champions Tour late in 2007, had a 10-under 203 total on the Oak Hills course. The 6ft 7in former University of Texas player earned $255,000 in the final full-field over-50s event of the year.
He jumped 27 spots in the Charles Schwab Cup standings to 30th to take the last spot in the season-ending Schwab Cup in Sonoma, California. He admitted he's been thinking about getting out of golf if he had to go through qualifying school and was unsuccessful getting his card.
"I got very nervous, but I was able to hang in there," said Blackmar, who lives about 150 miles away in Corpus Christi. "This year hasn't been very much fun, so I was comfortable with getting back into broadcasting, or something else."
Haas (69) had a chance to win or force a playoff, but bogeyed the 202-yard, par-3 18th. He left his tee shot short, dumped a chip into the front bunker, then watched his third shot roll over the lip and stay out of the cup by less than an inch.
"You see this ball sitting there and there's no way it's not in," Haas said. "You see very few balls like that that don't fall in."
Kite (68) missed an 8-foot birdie putt on 18, and Bean (70) failed to chip in from past the green. Kite, who grew up and lives in Austin, has never won a professional tournament in his home state.
John Cook, the two-time defending champion and winner last week near Houston, closed with a 66 finish two shots behind Blackmar. Hale Irwin (68) was fifth at 7 under, and Keith Fergus (67), Bernhard Langer (69) and Scott Simpson (70) tied for sixth at 6 under.
Blackmar, who listened to Ted Nugent and Deep Purple in his headphones on the practice tee before the round, knocked the ball within 10 feet on each of the five birdie holes to start his round.
"Listening to that music, I could feel my demeanour change," he said. "I was ready to fight someone."
But at the turn, Blackmar admitted to a bad case of nerves. Still, he tied for the lead when he had a tap-in birdie after blasting out of a greenside bunker on the 527-yard 15th.
He was in the lead when he birdied from 15 feet at No. 16 before Haas birdied the 15th. He had a four-foot par putt on 18 after he blasted out of a greenside bunker.
"I was so nervous I couldn't feel my hands," said Blackmar.
Sandy Lyle finished on 217, 14 shots behind the winner.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 213 (3x71)
203 Phil Blackmar 72 67 64
204 Andy Bean 67 67 70, Tom Kite 67 69 68, Jay Haas 68 67 69
205 John Cook 68 71 66
206 Hale Irwin 71 67 68
207 Bernhard Langer (Ger) 70 68 69, Scott Simpson 68 69 70, Keith Fergus 69 71 67
208 Russ Cochran 66 68 74, Jim Thorpe 70 69 69, Jeff Sluman 69 67 72, Mike Goodes 68 72 68
209 Tom Jenkins 72 71 66, Chip Beck 70 69 70, Craig Stadler 68 74 67, David Frost (Rsa) 73 69 67
210 James Mason 69 71 70, Mark O'Meara 67 70 73, Dan Forsman 69 71 70, Morris Hatalsky 71 71 68
211 Gil Morgan 71 71 69, Joey Sindelar 73 70 68, Gene Jones 71 71 69, Jeff Roth 69 73 69, Peter Jacobsen 72 73 66, Bruce Vaughan 72 69 70, Mark Wiebe 71 71 69, Loren Roberts 71 72 68, John Morse 69 72 70, Tim Simpson 68 69 74
212 Mark James (Eng) 74 70 68, David Eger 68 71 73, Lanny Wadkins 71 70 71, Keith Clearwater 66 74 72
213 Mike McCullough 71 69 73, Kirk Hanefeld 70 72 71, Tim Conley 69 70 74, Bob Gilder 71 70 72, Ronnie Black 71 71 71, Bob Tway 68 75 70
214 David Ogrin 72 71 71, Fulton Allem (Rsa) 70 72 72, Tom Purtzer 72 70 72, Ben Crenshaw 67 75 72, Mike Reid 68 72 74
215 Brad Bryant 71 74 70, Eduardo Romero (Arg) 75 74 66, Joe Inman 70 74 71
216 Allen Doyle 70 71 75
217 Lonnie Nielsen 73 73 71, Fuzzy Zoeller 75 69 73, Olin Browne 72 73 72, Sandy Lyle (Sco) 74 70 73, Steve Thomas 72 78 67
218 Robert L Thompson 76 70 72, Bruce Fleisher 71 73 74, Tom Wargo 74 70 74, Dave Eichelberger 76 67 75, Blaine McCallister 78 69 71
220 Bruce Lietzke 71 80 69, John Harris 75 73 72, Jay Don Blake 74 74 72, Fred Funk 74 74 72
221 Gary Hallberg 73 74 74, Mike Hulbert 70 75 76, Bobby Wadkins 72 78 71
222 Danny Edwards 70 78 74
223 Denis Watson (Zim) 78 72 73, Don Pooley 79 68 76
224 Mike Lawrence 77 76 71, Jim Dent 72 80 72
226 Raymond Floyd 79 75 72, Mark McNulty (Irl) 73 76 77
227 Tom McKnight 75 73 79
228 Mike San Filippo 74 78 76
243 Jim Albus 78 85 80.
Labels: Pro seniors
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Monday, October 26, 2009
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