Roger Chapman joined impressive company on Sunday, shooting a 4-under-par 66 to win the U.S. Senior Open in Lake Orion, Mich., by two strokes at 10 under.
Chapman, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Hale Irwin are the only players to win the U.S. Senior Open and Senior PGA Championship in the same year.
“It’s a true honor,” Chapman said.
Before this year, the Englishman’s career highlight was a European Tour win in Brazil in 2000.
Bernhard Langer (72), Fred Funk (67), Tom Lehman (68) and Corey Pavin (68) finished tied for second at 8-under 272. Pavin’s two-stroke penalty after his first round for hitting a ball that moved a fraction of an inch proved to be costly.
JEEV SINGH TAKES 1ST
Jeev Milkha Singh beat Francesco Molinari in a playoff to win the Scottish Open in Inverness, Scotland, and secure a late berth in next week’s British Open.
Singh (5-under 67) and overnight leader Molinari (72) tied at 17-under 271. The 40-year-old Indian won by draining a 15-foot birdie on No. 18.
JOHNSON WINS DEERE
Zach Johnson won the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill., on the second playoff hole, hitting his second shot a foot from the cup to set up a birdie to beat Troy Matteson.
After Johnson and Matteson double-bogeyed the 18th on their first playoff hole, Johnson hit a 193-yard second shot from a bunker to 12 inches from the cup, again on the 18th. Matteson needed to sink a 43-footer to match Johnson’s birdie, but didn’t get the putt to the hole.
Johnson birdied three of the last six holes in regulation, taking the lead until Matteson sank a 60-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th. Johnson shot a bogey-free 6-under 65 to finish at 20-under 264. Matteson shot a 69.
PHAY TOPS ROSAUERS
David Phay, the head professional at Whidbey Golf and Country Club, lagged his eagle put on the 18th hole within 3 inches, and made a tap-in birdie to hold off defending champion Corey Prugh for the title at the Rosauers Open Invitational in Spokane.
Phay closed with a 3-under-par 68 at Indian Canyon Golf Course to finish at 19-under 194 – one stroke better than Prugh (65), who birdied the par-5 finishing hole to briefly tie Phay.
Lakewood’s Chris Griffin (64) was the top local finisher, tying for sixth at 13-under 200.
PUTNAM RUNNER-UP
University Place’s Michael Putnam birdied the first hole, the last hole – and had a whole lot of misfortune in between in losing his overnight lead at the Web.com’s Utah Championship.
Putnam had a four-stroke lead to start the day but bogeyed three par-5 holes – including a critical one at No. 17, where his 8-foot putt for par stayed right of the cup – and shot 3-over 74.
His 14-under 270 total was tied for second behind winner Doug Labelle II. The Life Christian graduate earned $36,300, and moved up to 51st in the Web.com money standings ($55,106) after starting the season on the PGA Tour.
TRACKING LOCAL GOLFERS on the PGA tour
This week: John Deere Classic, ended Sunday, TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Ill.
In the field: Puyallup’s Ryan Moore, Gig Harbor’s Kyle Stanley, Tacoma’s Troy Kelly.
Stanley’s fourth-round score: 5-under-par 66.
Moore’s fourth-round score: 3-under 68.
Position: Moore (14-under 270) tied for eighth, and Stanley (12-under 272) tied for 19th – all behind winner Zach Johnson, who defeated Troy Matteson in a sudden-death playoff. Both finished at 20-under 264. Kelly (3-under 139) missed the cut Friday.
Recap: Moore made a valiant run at getting the final spot into the British Open. He rolled in a 40-foot putt at the 15th hole for his fourth birdie, and had a 10-footer on the next hole for another birdie that hit the right edge and stayed out. His lone bogey came on the finishing hole, when he missed a 10-footer. The Cascade Christian graduate recorded his fourth top-10 finish in his past 10 PGA Tour starts, earning him $124,200. It put him over the $1 million earnings mark for the season, giving him at least $1 million each year since turning pro in 2005. ... Stanley had his best round of the week, going bogey-free (five birdies). Three of them came on par-5 holes, including the last one coming at No. 17 (up-and-down from 20 yards in front of green).
Next: Stanley is in the field at the British Open starting Thursday at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in England. Moore will be off next week, and has yet to decide if he will play the Canadian Open, starting July 26 in Ontario. He has played in that event three times before.
todd.milles@thenewstribune.com
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