Late heroics give Goodes 1st Champions win
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Mike Goodes, who turned pro two years ago, birdied the par-5 18th hole for a closing 66 yesterday to win his first Champions Tour title at the
The 52-year-old Goodes finished at 15-under-par 201 at the Old Course at Broken Sound, beating practice partner Fulton Allem by one stroke to earn $255,000 in his 32d career event.
"In any dreams I had of this, I feel better than I thought I would," said Goodes, who played top amateur golf while growing the plastics recycling business he co-owns before joining the Champions Tour in 2007.
Goodes, whose best previous Champions Tour finish was second at the 2008 Jeld-Wen Tradition, was thrilled to beat a 79-man field that combined for victories at 100 majors on the PGA and Champions Tour.
"You look at the field - Hall of Famer, Hall of Famer, Masters winner, Open winner, British Open winner - they're everywhere out here and it's pretty cool," Goodes said. "I get to eat lunch with them, breakfast sometimes, and play with them. I like it.
Goodes overran the 18th green with his second shot, but received a drop when his ball landed on a sprinkler head. From the fringe 25 feet away, he two-putted for the win.
PGA - Raging wind that toppled a 40-foot pine and rain that formed puddles on the greens forced postponement of the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, giving it a Monday finish for the first time since 2000. But there is no guarantee that the final round will be played today; the forecast calls for more rain and wind.
Dustin Johnson had a four-shot lead after three rounds. A victory would give the 24-year-old a spot in the
European/Asian - American Anthony Kang ended an eight-year title drought by making a birdie on the final hole to win the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur by one stroke. Kang's 5-under 67 gave him a four-round total of 17-under 271, putting him a shot in front of four players: England's David Horsey (64) and Miles Tunnicliff (68), Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng (68) and India's Jyoti Randhawa (66).
Women's Australasian - Laura Davies saved her best golf for the weekend, going 11-under over the final two rounds to win the Australian Open in Melbourne for the second time. Davies, the 2004 champion, shot a final-round 5-under 68 for a one-stroke victory over Tania Elosegui.
Alison Walshe of Westford, who trailed by one stroke heading into the final round, finished tied for 16th after shooting 78.
