Sandy Lyle 63rd with $227,572 earnings

Bernhard Langer tops US seniors'

money table for 2nd year in row

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Florida-based German Bernhard Langer has topped the US Champions (Seniors) Tour Money List for a second consecutive year to cap a magnificent season of four wins and 15 top tens in the United States.
Europe's 2004 Ryder Cup captain earned his second Arnold Palmer Award as the Champions Tour leading money-winner after finishing the year with $2,139,451, ensuring that for the second straight year he was the only player with over $2 million in earnings having won $2,035,073 in 2008.
The 52 year old European Senior Tour Member, pictured, also earned his second consecutive Byron Nelson Award for the lowest scoring average on the Champions Tour of 68.92, the lowest since Tom Watson in 2003 (68.81). He also headed the top ten table with an impressive 15 top tens in his 20 events on the US Champions Tour.
Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the European Senior Tour, said: “Our congratulations to Bernhard on a wonderfully consistent season and particularly his four victories. He carried his form in the United States over to Europe when he performed with distinction in two regular European Tour events – the BMW International Open and the Mercedes-Benz Championship – and to win over $2 million on the US Champions Tour was a wonderful achievement.”
The Charles Schwab Cup went to Loren Roberts, with Langer fourth after John Cook won the season ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
The finale to the European Senior Tour season - the OKI Castellón Senior Tour Championship – takes place in Spain this week where Ian Woosnam, Glenn Ralph and Sam Torrance lead the battle to be Number One. Woosnam will be aiming to follow the example of his fellow Masters Champion by winning the European Senior Tour Order of Merit for a second successive season.
2009 US CHAMPIONS (Seniors) TOUR LEADING MONEY-WINNERS
(Number of tournaments in brackets)
1 Bernhard Langer (Ger) (20) $2,138,451.
2 Loren Roberts (US) (22) $1,960,613.
3 John Cook (US) (23) $1,798,664.
4 Jay Haas (US) (21) $1,758,395.
5 Fred Funk (Us) (21) $1,569,810.
6 Jeff Sluman (US) (25) $1,378,094.
7 Andy Bean (US) (24) $1,313,217.
8 Mark O'Meara (US) $1,278,985.
9 Dan Forsman (US) (23) $1,203,638.
10 Nick Price (Zim) (23) $1,203,638.
Selected others:
20 Tom Watson (US) (12) $798,672.
31 Mark James (Eng) (17) $500,625.
63 Sandy Lyle (Sco) (19) $228,572.
64 Greg Norman (Aus) (6) $213,676.
80 Des Smyth (Ire) (5) $105,434.
87 Sam Torrance (Sco) (2) $84,515.

Bill Britton wins US Senior PGA pro championship

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida -- Bill Britton of Rumson, New Jersey, rewrote the record book and spent Sunday afternoon holding off a late charge from Texan Perry Arthur at PGA Golf Club, on his way to capturing the 21st US Senior PGA Professional National Championship.
Britton fired a final-round 5-under-par 67 to complete a 72-hole performance of 18-under-par 270 and a one-stroke victory. His overall total was a stroke better than the previous record held by Jeff Coston of Blaine, Washington, who won in 2006.
The 54-year-old PGA Director of Instruction at Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck, New Jersey, Britton made a 5ft par-saving putt on the 18th green to preserve the victory over Arthur, who earlier knocked home a difficult 8ft birdie putt to finish alone in second place.
"Perry [Arthur] didn't have to make a 3 on the last to make it tough," said Britton jokingly. "I left my first putt a little shorter than I wanted to, but played the putt to move a little left and it dropped."
Britton and Arthur were knotted at 15-under through 12 holes, before Britton was able to separate himself with birdies at Nos. 13 and 14.
"Perry was doing really good early and it was close," said Britton. "I was plodding along, then made a 12-footer at 13 for a birdie and at No. 14, I made a 20-footer uphill into the grain for birdie. I was fortunate and feeling pretty good from there."
Britton knew that the final round against this field would not be easy.
"I shot a 65 yesterday and would not have been surprised if we had a few others do that today," said Britton. "It was ideal today and I knew I would have to make birdies to win and I was able to do that."
Britton, the Low Club Professional at the 2007 US Senior PGA Championship, will lead a 35-player contingent of Senior PGA Professionals to Colorado Golf Club near Denver for the 2010 Senior PGA Championship (May 24-30).
"I will probably appreciate this all a little more later, I am still a little nervous," he said. "I think I made all the putts that I didn't make all summer long down here this week."
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• Complete coverage of the Senior PGA Professional National Championship
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Arthur, enjoying his best overall performance in six national championship appearances after sharing 11th in 2004, caught Britton with a 4-under-par front side and held the deadlock until the 13th hole.
Arthur, who birdied the 16th hole to come within two strokes of Britton, did his best to put extra pressure on the leader on the 408-yard 18th hole.
Facing a stiff crosswind and with a flagstick perched just a few paces in the front of a green side bunker, Perry executed to near perfection. He hit a 117-yard pitching wedge approach to eight feet and knocked home the birdie putt.
"I made six birdies, shot 66 and my hat's off to Bill," said Arthur, a PGA Teaching Professional at Sherrill Park Golf Course in Richardson, Texas. "Bill kept it going so well with birdies on 13, 14 and 16. Bill and I have played a lot of golf together, much of it on the Tour. I knew how good he was with the putter."
Championship alternate Paul Daniels of Port St. Lucie, Florida, finished alone in third place with a 273.
"I was a little nervous starting out, but I wasn't upset with how I played," said Daniels, who had never made a cut in a national championship event. "To come in third after never having been in this position before and to get a bye for the first round of the [Champions Tour] Q-School is something I never would have imagined. It was a great week and yes, I did learn a lot out there against some very fine players."
Defending National Champion Kirk Hanefeld, 53, of Acton, Mass., fired a final round 75 and finished in a tie for 23rd.
On Sunday, The Wanamaker Course yielded the lowest scoring average (71.79) over the four rounds of the Championship.