McCarron wins Allianz Championship; Stephen Ames T6
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Allianz Championship is where eagles dare, and it was entirely fitting that Scott McCarron’s victory Sunday came as the result of an eagle on the 18th hole.
For three days under brilliant skies, the conditions were perfect for bird watching and The Old Course at Broken Sound didn’t disappoint. There were 26 eagles and 1,096 birdies, the third most all-time in a 54-hole event on the PGA TOUR Champions.
McCarron made two eagles in the final round, adding a 2 on the par 4 seventh hole, and had three total. He shot 67 for 17-under-par 199.
“All wins are exciting but this one, to be able to finish it off the way I did, really something special,” he said. “It was a very good day.”
With Kenny Perry and Carlos Franco in the clubhouse (actually, Perry was on the practice range staying prepared for the possibility of a playoff) at 16-under 198, center stage belonged to McCarron in the last group. He produced an inviting final act.
A bogey at the 17th hole had dropped McCarron back to 15 under but with the 18th lurking – it’s a short par five of 507 yards by modern standards – McCarron was still easily in the mix. He needed a birdie to join a three-man playoff, an eagle to win.
After an ideal drive, from 179 yards he hit 7-iron to six feet. The winning putt was almost a formality.
“Yeah, no hesitation,” McCarron said. “As soon as I walked up and saw where it was, my caddie and I actually read greens through AimPoint, so he putts a level on every 5-yard grid on the green. I knew exactly where we had a level, right there 2.0 percent slope. I knew as soon as I stepped up what that putt was going to do. I walked around it just because I had plenty of time to do it. I really wasn’t looking at anything else. I knew it was in.”
McCarron’s executive from tee to green was flawless on the deciding hole.
“Getting in the fairway after I hit a good (drive), I’m not thinking about I’ve got to make eagle, I’m thinking about I’ve got to hit a good 7-iron, I’ve got to make a good swing here,” he said. “I’m going to start it right there and it’s just going to peel off just a little bit … When you start saying I’ve got to make eagle or I’ve got to do that, I think you start putting undue pressure on yourself. I was just trying, ‘This is a driving range 7-iron, get up there and hit it just like you know how to and we’ll see what happens.”
It was clear Saturday night when the smoke had cleared from the second-round shoot-out that there would be more of the same Sunday.
The top 11 on the final leaderboard all shot in the 60s Sunday, ranging from 64s by Kevin Sutherland and Paul Broadhurst, to the 69s by Fred Couples and Doug Garwood.
Canadian Stephen Ames cracked the top-10, following up a 63 on Saturday with a 5-under 67 on Sunday to finish T6 at 14-under. Fellow Canuck Jim Rutledge closed with his best round best of the event, shooting a 7-under 65 to finish T62 at 2-under.
Perry, extending his solid play for the week, shot 66. His attempt for an eagle putt at the 18th, three groups before McCarron, narrowly missed.
“I hit a great putt,” Perry said. “Just a great putt. It was in the middle of the hole, a foot from the hole, and it just broke a hair to the right, hit the right side of the cup and spit it out.”
Franco’s number starting the final round was 63. His inspiration came from the Maybank Championship Malaysia where a protégé, 33-year-old Paraguayan Fabrizio Zanotti, shot a final-round 63 Sunday to win the title in the European Tour event.
Zanotti has modeled his golf after Franco but this time it was Franco who was playing follow-the-leader.
“I played very solid the last 27 holes,” Franco said. “(Saturday) on the back nine I shot 5 under and today I played really, really confident. Only three behind the leader and I know exactly what I need to make. My number today is 8-under and I shoot 65.
“I tried to make a 63 because my partner, Fabio Zanotti, who won the European Tour, he shot 63, 9-under. Another 63, maybe another win.”
It didn’t quite happen but neither did it discourage Franco.
“I’m happy,” he said. “This golf, you don’t know who’s going to win, especially for the PGA TOUR Champions. The last hole is very important for a chance to win.”
If Franco’s paradigm needed validation, McCarron gave it to him.
Ace and sizzling 9-under 63 vault Stephen Ames into T12 at Allianz Championship
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Fred Couples birdied the final two holes Saturday to pull within a stroke of the leaders in the PGA Champions Tour’s Allianz Championship.
The 57-year-old Couples shot a 7-under 65 to reach 11-under 133 on The Old Course at Broken Sound.
Doug Garwood, Joe Durant, Scott McCarron and first-round leader Olin Browne shared the top spot, all birdieing the par-5 18th. Garwood shot 64, Durant 65, McCarron 66, and Browne 69. Tom Pernice Jr. had a 64 to match Couples at 11 under.
Couples birdied the first three holes, dropped a stroke on the par-4 fourth, birdied the par-5 sixth and eagled the par-4 10th. He two-putted from about 100 feet for birdie on 18.
“It was a good round overall,” Couples said. “I made some putts, obviously. That’s really about it. I didn’t do anything overwhelming, but I didn’t do much poor. A couple times I got it up-and-down to keep going. I birdied the first three holes and I absolutely butchered the fourth hole from about 80 yards. I came up way short and three-putted.”
He holed out with a wedge on the 10th.
“I forgot about that,” Couples said. “I hit a 3-wood and got it way down there and I was surprised, 90 yards, which is a perfect sand wedge. I hit it right by the hole, took a bounce and spun back in. I totally forgot about those fun things. But that was a surprise. Picked up two quick ones there. It kind of pushed me, obviously, close to everybody.”
Couples is playing in Florida for the first time since the 2006 Honda Classic.
“Glad I came,” said Couples, the Hall of Famer who won the last of his 11 senior titles in 2014. “The course is beautiful. I’ve never played here, so yesterday was a little bit of a guessing game because I had never played the course and we got rained out in the pro-am after eight holes. But I got it around and today was much better. I love the course and plan on coming back.”
McCarron won twice last year on the 50-and-over tour.
“A lot less wind today, but some tough hole locations, so it made it play tough,” McCarron said. “Yesterday was a lot tougher with the wind, but today was nice. It was windy when we started and then just kind of laid down toward the afternoon. This is such a great golf course and it’s in phenomenal shape, so it’s going to be a shootout tomorrow.”
Canadian Stephen Ames fired a sizzling 9-under 63 Saturday including an ace on the 204-yard par-3 14th hole to climb 39 spots into a share of 12th heading into Sunday’s final round. Fellow Canuck Jim Rutledge bounced back from an opening-round 80 with at 2-under 69 Saturday in 74th position.
Bernhard Langer was tied for 54th after his second straight 71. The 59-year-old German star is coming off a victory in the season opener in Hawaii, his 30th career victory on the PGA Tour Champions. He won the Allianz Championship in 2010.
Defending champion Esteban Toledo was 8 under after a 67.
Winning Ryder Cup captains Jose Maria Olazabal and Paul McGinley are making their senior debuts. Olazabal was tied for 23rd at 6 under after a 67, and McGinley was tied for 44th at 3 under after a 73.
John Daly eagled the 18th in a 75 that left him tied for 69th at 2 over.
Champions Tour announces 2017 tournament schedule
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The Champions Tour announced today its 2017 tournament schedule, featuring 26 official tournaments and two “Challenge Season” events. The 23-event regular season will again highlight the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, which will be used to determine the season-long Charles Schwab Cup champion. The Tour will contest events in four countries and 18 states, with total prize money of $55.7 million (U.S).
The 2017 season will feature five tournaments with new host venues, including Trump National Golf Club outside Washington D.C., Salem Country Club in Peabody, Mass., Caves Valley Golf Club in suburban Baltimore, Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Wales and Phoenix (Ariz.) Country Club.
The season will begin with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, set for the week of January 16-21 in Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii. Thirteen-time PGA TOUR winner David Toms, who turns 50 on January 4, is expected to make his PGA TOUR Champions debut. Toms will be joined by fellow rookies Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly during the 2017 season.
This past year, World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer claimed an unprecedented fourth Charles Schwab Cup title after putting forth a dominant four-win season on PGA TOUR Champions.
The five major championships on the Champions Tour will kick off with the Regions Tradition, which returns to Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Ala. the week of May 15-21. The KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship will be contested the following week at Trump National Golf Club near Washington D.C.
The final three major championships of 2017 will be held during a five-week stretch in the summer, beginning with the U.S. Senior Open at Salem Country Club in Peabody, Mass. the week of June 26-July 2. The Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship will move from June to July in suburban Baltimore at 2002 U.S. Senior Open host Caves Valley Golf Club (July 10-16), while the Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex will be contested at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Wales (July 17-23) for the second time in four years, dating back to 2014.
The schedule will feature two “Challenge Season” events, beginning with the Diamond Resorts Invitational the week of January 9-15, and the PNC Father Son Challenge, which will be contested in December on a date to be announced. The event’s 2016 playing is set for this weekend in Orlando.
Canada will once again have two Champions Tour stops. The Shaw Charity Classic will be played September 1-3 at Canyon Meadows G & Country Club in Calgary. The Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship will be contested at Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria, B.C. from September 15 – 17.
Goydos wins Champions finale, Langer takes season title
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Paul Goydos and Bernhard Langer got the big trophies and checks Sunday in the PGA Tour Champions’ season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Goydos completed a wire-to-wire victory in the tournament, and Langer finished second to win his third straight season points title and fourth overall.
Goydos shot a 4-under 66 to finish at 15-under 195 on Desert Mountain’s Cochise Course. He opened with a 62 in windy conditions and shot a 67 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead in the final round.
Langer had a 64. Recovering from a left knee injury that forced him to withdraw from the playoff opener at Sherwood, the 59-year-old German star won the $1 million annuity as the Charles Schwab Cup season champion and also topped the tour with four victories and $3,016,959.
Colin Montgomerie had a 68 to finish third at 11 under.
Woody Austin (64) and 62-year-old Jay Haas (68) tied for fourth at 7 under.
The 52-year-old Goydos earned $440,000. He also won the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in July in New York and has four victories on the 50-and-over tour. He won twice on the PGA Tour and shot a 59 in the 2010 John Deere Classic.
Goydos leads Montgomerie in PGA Tour Champions finale
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Paul Goydos shot a 3-under 67 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the PGA Tour Champions’ season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
A day after opening with a 62 for a three-stroke lead, Goydos birdied the par-5 18th to reach 11-under 129 on Desert Mountain Club’s Cochise Course.
“I was happy. It was a nice day,” Goydos said. “The wind had calmed down a little bit. It seems to be windy in the morning here and better in the afternoon. Playing good’s an advantage to some extent.
Colin Montgomerie, third in Charles Schwab Cup season standings, remained second. He followed his opening 65 with a 66. The Scot matched playing partner Goydos with a closing birdie.
Points leader Bernhard Langer was third at 7 under after a 66.
The top five in the standings – Richmond winner Scott McCarron is second, followed by Montgomerie, Joe Durant and Miguel Angel Jimenez – can take the season title with a victory Sunday. Durant was tied for 15th at 1 under after a 69, McCarron was tied for 17th at even par after a 71, and Jimenez was 22nd at 1 over after a 67.
The season standings were reset after the event last week in Virginia, with Langer’s lead over McCarron reduced from 935,657 to 200. The tournament winner will receive $440,000 and 2,000 points.
“I just know that there’s a bunch of possibilities like we imagined and here we are,” Langer said. “I guess right now if it stands like this, Monty and I would be tied and we’re going to a playoff. But will it stand that way tomorrow, nobody knows. I don’t know. It’s certainly exciting, it’s volatile. You know, it comes down the stretch.”
The 59-year-old German has a tour-high four victories and has wrapped up the season money title with $2,836,459. He won season titles in 2010, 2014 and 2015. He’s recovering from a left knee injury that forced him to withdraw from the playoff opener at Sherwood.
“It’s been the same for the last two weeks, just being very careful walking,” Langer said. “I can’t read my putts properly because I can’t bend down the way I used to. But my goal is to finish the tournament, not to read my putts properly. Obviously, I would love to read them right, but if that would kick me out of the tournament, that’s no good, so I’ve just got to do what I’ve got to do.”
Goydos is 24th in the standings. The two-time PGA Tour winner won the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in July for his third senior title. He shot a 59 in the PGA Tour’s 2010 John Deere Classic.
“I’ve gotten off to good starts and, hopefully, I can continue that tomorrow,” Goydos said. “A little sloppy on the back nine, quite frankly. But I’m Paul Goydos, I’m not Bernhard Langer, as I’ve proven time after time after time after time. But I hung in there pretty good. Made a couple birdies on the 5 pars, which is nice, and looking forward to playing tomorrow.”
Goydos shoots 62, leads PGA Tour Champions finale
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Paul Goydos shot an 8-under 62 on Friday in windy conditions to take a three-stroke lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
The 52-year-old Goydos holed out from 167 yards for eagle on the par-4 12th and closed with birdies on the par-3 17th and par-5 18th on Desert Mountain Club’s Cochise Course.
Colin Montgomerie, third in Charles Schwab Cup season standings, was second. The Scot birdied the final two holes.
Points leader Bernhard Langer topped the group at 67. The top five in the standings – Richmond winner Scott McCarron is second, followed by Montgomerie, Joe Durant and Miguel Angel Jimenez – can take the season title with a victory Sunday. McCarron holed out from the fairway for eagle on the par-5 15th in a 69. Durant shot 70, and Jimenez had a 74.
Tom Pernice Jr., the winner of the playoff opener two weeks ago in California, also was at 67 along with Paul Broadhurst and Duffy Waldorf.
McCarron wins PGA Tour Champion playoff event in Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. – Scott McCarron came into the season with a goal of winning the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
He put himself in position to do just that Sunday in the Dominion Charity Classic, making a 6-foot putt on the first hole of a playoff with Tom Byrum to win the second of three PGA Tour Champions playoff events. McCarron will start next week in Scottsdale, Arizona, second in points to two-time defending champion Bernhard Langer with the cup on the line.
“I think it’s awesome. Bernhard Langer’s had a great year, a phenomenal year, one of the best years ever, but it’s a playoff. You’ve got to play well in the playoffs,” McCarron said, who moved into the top five in the rankings by finishing sixth last week in California. “If I can play well next week, I control my own destiny.”
The three-time PGA Tour champion won the Principal Charity Classic in Iowa in June for his first senior victory.
“Any time you win an event, you’ve got a lot of good feelings about your game, you’re playing well. To win in a playoff in the fashion I did just gives you a lot of confidence,” he said. “For me, going into next week, again, I’m second in the Schwab Cup, and if I can win, I can win the Schwab Cup, which I think is amazing.”
McCarron, one of the longest hitters on the tour for players 50 and older, did most of his scoring on the longest holes.
“I thought that if I could take advantage of the par 5s, I could possibly have a great tournament, and I certainly did that for most of the week,” he said.
For the season, McCarron has had birdie or better on 54 per cent of par 5s. This week, be birdied nine out of 13, including the playoff hole.
McCarron and Byrum each shot 3-under 69 in regulation to finish at 13 under on the James River Course at The Country Club of Virginia. Byrum created the tie with a birdie at the 16th hole. Both made pars on the next two holes before McCarron’s winning putt on the extra hole gave him his second victory this season.
Byrum, seeking his first victory in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event since the 1989 Kemper Open, putted first, but his 15-foot putter slid past on the left edge. McCarron then rolled a slightly bending putt into the centre of the cup.
“I hit that putt just like I wanted,” said Byrum, who left soon after the loss to catch a plane. “I thought I made it.”
McCarron had missed a birdie putt on the 54th and final hole of regulation to necessitate the playoff.
Kevin Sutherland shot a course-record 63, with seven birdies and an eagle, to tie for third with Brandt Jobe (67) at 11 under.
Fred Funk was alone in fifth at 10 under. He closed with four consecutive birdies for a 67.
Sutherland also challenged for a coveted top five-spot in Scottsdale. But he needed McCarron to falter and, when the 51-year-old did not, Sutherland wound up sixth in the standings.
The points were reset after the event, so that the top five -Langer, McCarron, Colin Montgomerie, Joe Durant and Miguel Angel Jimenez – only have to win the season finale at Desert Mountain to capture the Charles Schwab Cup.
Langer, who played despite a sore knee that kept him out of last week’s tournament, would have locked up the championship weeks ago because of his huge lead in the player standings, but the first-year format means he has to play to claim the title. He shot a 71 on Sunday to tie for sixth at 9 under.
“Glad I played. I know what to work on, a couple of things that weren’t firing,” said Langer, who also won the Cup in 2010 and was the dominant player on the circuit this season. “Spend the next few days working on that and hopefully be ready next week.”
Each dollar earned Sunday was worth two points – McCarron earned $305,000 worth 610,000 – and was added to the regular-season total.
Rod Spittle tied for 39th thanks to a 3-over 75 Sunday. Ames carded a final round even-round of 72 to finish 51st.
Neither Spittle or Ames were among the top 36 who will move on to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Scottsdale.
McCarron, Byrum share PGA Tour Champions lead
RICHMOND, Va. – Scott McCarron and Tom Byrum shared the Dominion Charity Classic lead Saturday, with Bernhard Langer two strokes back in the second of three PGA Tour Champions playoff events.
McCarron shot his second straight 5-under 67, and Byrum had a 69 to reach 10-under 134 on The Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course. Langer also had a 69 in his return for a left knee injury that forced him to withdraw from the playoff opener last week in California.
McCarron birdied the par-5 16th and 18th for the second day in a row, holing a 12-footer on 18.
“I made two nice putts on 2 and 3 from probably 30 feet or so,” McCarron said. “It’s always nice to get off to a good start when you’re making putts like that. Then just played pretty solid and took advantage of the par 5s coming in. Really like this golf course. It’s a great track. It’s in perfect shape, we have unbelievable weather, so looking forward to tomorrow.”
Byrum closed birdie-bogey-birdie, making a 20-footer on 18 to tie McCarron.
“I hung in there. Just tried to stay patient,” Byrum said. “Hit the ball decent on the front nine, struggled a lot on the back nine. I had to scramble a little bit, but all in all it was a good day playing under the pressure of leading and guys coming after me. … Maybe I can be a little more aggressive tomorrow.”
Langer is fighting the knee injury that he re-aggravated at home doing routine spinning. The 59-year-old German star leads the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs standings, had a tour-high our victories and has wrapped up the season money title with $2,697,459.
“The worst thing for me is walking downhill and bending,” Langer said. “I can’t bend my knee very well, so I’m just trying to avoid all stress, if possible.”
The playoff field was cut from 72 to 54 for the event, and Tom Lehman dropped out because of an elbow injury. The top 36 after the week will qualify for the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship next week in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Each dollar earned in the first two events is worth two points – first place is worth $305,000 and 610,000 points this week – and is added to the regular-season total. At the Charles Schwab Championship, points will be reset so that the top five only have to win to capture the Charles Schwab Cup.
The 51-year-old McCarron is fifth in the standings. He won the Principal Charity Classic in Iowa in June for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour.
“I’m having an absolute blast,” the three-time PGA Tour winner said. “I’m playing with some of my best buddies. When you get to play with Hall of Famers like Bernhard Langer it really is a lot of fun.”
The 56-year-old Byrum is 27th in the standings. He’s winless on the senior tour after winning once on the PGA Tour.
Jay Haas (71), Michael Allen (69), Rocco Mediate (71), Scott Parel (66), Paul Broadhurst (68) and Brandt Jobe (69) were 6 under. The 62-year-old Haas won a month ago in Newport Beach, California, to become the second-oldest winner in tour history.
Langer returns to shoot 67, Byrum leads in Richmond
RICHMOND, Va. – Bernhard Langer shot a 5-under 67 on Friday in his return from a left knee injury, and Tom Byrum had a 65 to take the Dominion Charity Classic lead.
Langer missed the PGA Tour Champions’ playoff opener last week in California after re-aggravating the injury at home doing routine spinning.
The 59-year-old German star leads the 50-and-over tour with four victories and has wrapped up the season money title with $2,697,459. He tops the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs standings, 1,038,941 points ahead of second-place Colin Montgomerie.
Byrum birdied three of the final four holes on The Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course.
“My putter was really good,” Byrum said. “I didn’t hit a putt that I didn’t feel good about other than the first hole. The first hole, I three putted. I made a bad stroke at the second putt. After that everything kind of settled down and everything got going and it was good. Drove it in the fairway, which you need to do. Hit my irons on the greens because you can hit the greens from the fairways, the rough is tough.”
He had a one-stroke lead over Miguel Angel Jimenez.
“Played well, played solid all day long and no mistakes,” Jimenez said. “One stroke behind the leader, two rounds to go. Nice.”
Langer birdied the final two holes.
Jay Haas, Rocco Mediate and Scott McCarron matched Langer at 67. The 62-year-old Haas won a month ago in Newport Beach, California, to become the second-oldest winner in tour history.
Tom Pernice Jr., the winner last week at Sherwood, topped the group at 68.
Canada’s Rob Spittle was opened with a 70.
The playoff field was cut from 72 to 54 for the event, and Tom Lehman dropped out because of an elbow injury. The top 36 after the week will qualify for the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship next week in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Each dollar earned in the first two events is worth two points – first place is worth $305,000 and 610,000 points this week – and is added to the regular-season total. At the Charles Schwab Championship, points will be reset so that the top five only have to win to capture the Charles Schwab Cup.
Doug Garwood wins first PGA Tour Champions title
CARY, N.C. – Doug Garwood ran away with the SAS Championship on Sunday for his first PGA Tour Champions title, closing with an 8-under 64 for a four-stroke victory.
The 53-year-old Garwood won in his 44th start on the 50-and-over tour . He finished at 16-under 200 in the regular-season finale at Prestonwood Country Club.
“It hasn’t really settled in yet,” Garwood said. “Someone asked me last week when my last tournament win was and I blanked, I couldn’t think of one, so now I won’t have so much trouble. Feels great. It was a great day, played well. Beat a champion in Bernhard Langer, and Larry Mize in my group.”
Langer, two strokes ahead of Garwood and Mize entering the day, had a 70 to finish second.
“Doug just played phenomenal,” Langer said. “His putter was hot. He just hit it and went in, hit it and went in. He started walking after it and it dropped. He was like 9 under after 16 holes. That’s pretty amazing golf.”
Garwood birdied the last three holes on the front nine for a 6-under 30, made it four in a row on the par-4 10th, added birdies on the par-5 13th and 16th and closed with a bogey.
“The putter was obviously hot today,” Garwood said. “I made a little adjustment. I was aiming a little bit right yesterday and I worked on that and rolled in the 12-footer on 1, rolled in the 40-footer on 3 from the fringe, a short putt, about 4-footer on 4 for a two-putt birdie.
“I guess they were saying I was walking them in. The first one at 7 I was walking because it was short. I just played it off like I thought it was going in. Then same thing on 8 and same thing on 9. I knew I had made those when I was walking.”
Garwood earned $315,000 to jump to 19th on the money list with $798,744. He also got a two-year exemption to the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii.
“I didn’t figure it would ever happen really,” Garwood said. “I never anticipated winning. I’ve never been goal oriented, you know, projecting the future. I like to take it a day at a time, just live in the now. I just enjoy playing golf.”
Langer had four birdies and two bogeys. The 59-year-old German star leads the tour with four victories and $2,697,459. He won the 2012 event.
“I just didn’t have my A-game today,” Langer said. “I missed a few shortish putts from eight to 10 feet, three of four of them that I made the last few days. Then missed a few fairways as well. And this course out of the rough, it’s a very tough golf course because you don’t know how far that ball’s going, whether you get a flyer or not. And when it hits the green, it doesn’t stop.”
Mize shot a 69 to tie for third with Tom Byrum (65) and Jeff Sluman (68) at 11 under. Miguel Angel Jimenez (65) was 10 under, and Colin Montgomerie (67) topped the group at 9 under.
Calgary’s Stephen Ames shot 68 to finish T19 at 5-under. Fellow Canadian Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont., closed with a 73 to earn a share of 55th.
The top 72 players on the money list earned spots in the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs opener, the PowerShares QQQ Championship at Sherwood in California on Oct. 28-30.
Corey Pavin finished 72nd with $183,192, but is sidelined by a right elbow injury and won’t play at Sherwood. Michael Bradley was 73rd, $2,388 behind Pavin. Bradley closed with a 69 to tie for 13th at 6 under. John Daly got in at 70th with $191,261 after skipping the event.
A spot also was available for the top finisher in the top 10 in the tournament who ended up outside the top 72 for the season, but all the top-10 finishers were in the top 72.