NAPLES, Fla. — Justin Leonard received the Chubb Traditional for his first PGA Tour Champions victory, overcoming a sluggish begin Sunday with a back-nine cost on Tiburon’s Black Course.
Leonard birdied 5 of the final seven holes for a 4-under 68 and a four-stroke victory over Billy Andrade. The 52-year-old Texan received in his forty fifth begin on the 50-and-over tour, his first victory because the final of his 12 PGA Tour titles within the 2008 St. Jude Championship.
“It has been a very long time since I’ve received, and I inform myself on a regular basis that I’ve received,” Leonard stated, preventing again tears on the 18th inexperienced. “But it surely’s straightforward to type of overlook a bit of bit, and say, `Effectively, you already know, is it going to be?
“I simply put plenty of work in. … I imply, final yr was so dangerous it was good. It was good for me. Made some adjustments with my golf swing. … It is simply so enjoyable to lastly be right here as a result of I at all times felt like I might be. But it surely’s good to lastly get it completed.”
After a bogey on 10 dropped him to 1 over for the day, Leonard scrambled for a key par on the eleventh, then birdied the following three. He scrambled once more for par on the par-3 sixteenth, then received a 30-footer to catch the appropriate edge for birdie on the par-4 seventeenth and received up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the par-5 18th for one final birdie.
“I simply saved telling myself that I used to be nonetheless in it,” Leonard stated. “I felt like my greatest golf was forward of me. I performed OK the primary 10 holes. Eleven, the top of it was good, but it surely simply wasn’t my greatest golf. I saved telling myself to only personal the final seven holes. As soon as I received a bit of little bit of momentum I felt like I might experience it.”
Leonard completed at 15-under 201. He shot 65 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead and set himself up for the breakthrough victory in his return to aggressive golf after a long term as a tv analyst.
Leonard has starred in any respect ranges, profitable the 1992 U.S. Novice and 1994 NCAA title for Texas to cap his beginner profession, then taking the 1997 British Open at Royal Troon and making the profitable putt within the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline.
“I did not take into consideration something particularly at this time, however simply understanding I have been there,” Leonard stated. “Despite the fact that it might need been 10, 20, 30 years in the past, I have been capable of do it earlier than.”
Andrade additionally shot 68. Darren Clarke was third at 10 underneath, additionally taking pictures 68.
Fred {Couples} had a 66 to tie for fourth at 9 underneath with Richard Inexperienced (68), Heath Slocum (70) and Paul Stankowski (71).
Ernie Els, a stroke behind Leonard getting into the day, shot a 75 to complete eleventh at 7 underneath.
Bernhard Langer closed with a 70 to tie for twelfth at 6 underneath. He has received the occasion a document 5 occasions.
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