Haas charges past Watson to claim Senior Players title

On Sunday Jay Haas matched the course record 6-under par 64 at Baltimore Country club to overcome a 5-stroke deficit and win the Senior Players Championship by 1 stroke over Tom Watson. Warson’s 64 on Saturday had given him a 4-shot lead over Loren Roberts,Mark Wiebe and John Cook.Haas was sitting 5 behind at -7. The strong wind blowing on Sunday clearly favored Watson who is a master in these difficult conditions and it seemed unlikely that anybody could put together a low enough round to catch him.Haas played one of the best round of his career and of the Champions Tour major tournaments history, with a birdie-finish at the 18th hole to edge 60-year-old Watson by 1. Watson,who only made 1 bogey in his three previous rounds,had 3 on the front nine with 2 birdies.Haas with birdies at the 3rd and 4th holes, pulled within 1 stroke with one more at the 10th.After missing a 6-foot at 12 he knocked in a 5-footer at 14 to tie Watson at -11.Watson rolled in a 30-foot downhill putt at the par 3 15th to regain the lead but Haas went to birdie 17 to tie again and then hit his approach shot from 195 yards to 3 feet at the most difficult hole on the course 18 and took the lead at -13. Watson couldn’t get close to the pins on 16 and 17 and when his tee-shot found the rough at 18 it was all over. Mark Wiebe and Loren Roberts with 71 finihed tied 3rd at -7,JohnCook (72) and Bernhard Langer (68) tied 5th at -6.

After the dramatic finish at the British Open past July where he lost in a playoff Watson was denied this time to become the oldest player to win a major tournament on the 50-and-over Tour.His level par round 70 was not enough to hold-off Jay Haas’ 64,the best round by 3 strokes on Sunday at Baltimore Country Club.

This is Haas’ third major title on the Champions Tour, his 14th win overall in 4 years and his second consecutive win this season as he took the Greater Hickory Classic two weeks ago.

Haas travelled to San Francisco where he will be assisting-captain for Fred Couples at The President’s Cup this week.The other assisting-captain is legendary basketball star Michael Jordan.

The best american players will defend the Cup at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco against a very strong Internatinal Team,it’s going to be an exciting week of golf. Check out the odds and the matchups at betPhoenix.com