Tom Lehman captured the Senior PGA Championship in a three-way playoff

Monday, 31 May 2010 00:00

Tom Lehman’s consistency paid off Sunday afternoon when he edged Fred Couples and David Frost in the first playoff hole at Colorado Golf Club, to claim his first Champions Tour major title.

Frost and Couples raced around the course in regulation to finish at seven under, and had to wait for Lehman to finish to go into the first playoff hole at the 18th.

It was a superb final round at the Senior PGA, making golf betting so exciting. Check out BetPhoenix special promotions and take advantage to get started on this great betting sport.

Frost birdied 15, 16 and 17 for a final round 67, and Couples had back-to-back eagles on par-5s 15 and 16 for a 69 to tie.

Lehman had to birdie the 18 to win, or make a par, which he did to join the playoff- with a 71 closing round.

After such an exciting finish in regulation, the first (and last), sudden death hole was a disappointment for the spectators. It wasn’t for steady Lehman, however, who split the fairway at the 18th, teeing-up first.

Frost hit his drive under the lip of a fairway bunker, and Couples drew an unplayable lie in a bush after sending his tee-shot even further left than Frost.

It was a long time before Lehman could hit his approach shot, but, when he put his ball on the green about 10 feet from the hole, there was little Frost and Couples could do to deny him victory. They both made double-bogey 6, and Tom Lehman claimed the Alfred S. Bourne Trophy with a par.

The playoff, Lehman said, was just weird.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced anything like that,” he said. “I turned to my caddie and I said, `how many shots have they taken?´ I didn’t know…”

Out of 155 players who started in the 71st Senior PGA Championship, only Lehman managed to shoot four under-par rounds.

“The course requires a lot of patience,” Lehman said. “It’s a very strategic course. One of the reasons I like it so much…If things aren’t going so well, you have always the chance of kind of playing it safe. If things are going really well, you have the chance of being aggressive…So I would say that this week I was playing very well and I took advantage of a lot of these opportunities.”

Mark O’Meara finished fourth at -5, and Nick Price fifth at -4. Larry Mize and Bill Glasson tied for sixth at -3. Jay Don Blake, who shared the 54-hole lead with Lehman, shot 76 on Sunday to finish T8.

The champion, Tom Lehman, said it would take a little time for his victory to set in.

“It probably hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said. “There’s always an amazing sense of satisfaction when you win. But I think to win the Senior PGA Championship with the history of having THE PGA of America, that always is more significant than most. I’ve had so many good friends in the association and so many great experiences because of The PGA OF America. The Ryder Cups and PGA Championships. And so winning this is really significant.”

Lehman was the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup Team captain and 1996 Open champion. He’ll serve as an assistant to U.S. Captain Corey Pavin at the 2010 Ryder Cup in Wales this October.

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Tom Lehman captured the Senior PGA Championship in a three-way playoff

Tom Lehman captured the Senior PGA Championship in a three-way playoff

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