On the PGA Tour
John Daly wins �rst title in 13 years
John Daly won his first tournament in 13 years on Sunday – and then received the congratulations of the president for ending his long winning drought . Daly closed with three straight closing bogeys Sunday to hang on for his first PGA Tour Champions title , a one-stroke victory in the Insperity Invitational .
“ It wasn ’ t pretty at the end ,” Daly said . “ But I got it done and that ’ s all that matters .” On Twitter on Monday morning , Donald Trump wrote : “ Congratulations to John on his big win yesterday . John is a great guy who never gave up - and now a winner again !” Daly replied : “ Thank you Mr President and also doing such a great job for our country ! Means a lot !”
The 51-year-old Daly had not won on tour since the PGA Tour ’ s 2004 Buick Invitational . He hasn ’ t exactly torn up the 50-and-over circuit since debuting at The Woodlands a year ago . Wearing American flag pants , Daly shot a three-under 69 to finish at 14 under 202 and earn $ 322,500 . He opened with rounds of 68 and 65 to take a one-stroke lead over Perry into the final round . Perry shot a 69 , and Armour had a 67 . Daly eagled the par-five first , and appeared to be cruising to victory , up to 17 under through the 15th hole to lead by two shots . Poor tee shots on the final three holes led to mistakes that Perry and Armour could not take advantage of in trying to chase down Daly .
As Daly walked up the 18th green , he knelt and kissed the large , colorful umbrella printed on the fairway to honor the late Arnold Palmer . When Daly tapped in the winning putt , he pumped his fist . Moments later friends and colleagues including players Esteban Toledo and Michael Allen ran out to spray their pal with champagne . Daly closed his eyes , leaned back and soaked it all in . “ A win is a win , man ,” he said . “ And I didn ’ t think it would come this soon .” Daly has had his moments at The Woodlands . He had four top-10 finishes in 15 appearances when the Shell Houston Open was played at the course , including a playoff loss to Vijay Singh in 2005 . Daly tied for 17th at his first PGA Tour Champions event last May . The two-time major champion becomes the 12th member of the senior tour to record a win on all three PGA Tour circuits . “ Now , I can say I ’ m a champion on the Champions Tour , which is really cool ,” Daly said . “ Hopefully , I can keep this confidence going .”
Perry looked like he might run down Daly until his approach to No . 17 landed in the water . “ I had my opportunities to flip the scores on holes but I never could do it ,” Perry said . “ But good for him . That first win is always special .” Armour , too ,
Irwin named honoree for 2018 Memorial Tournament
he Captains Club announced that World Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin , a winner of three U . S . Open championships , has been selected as the Honoree for the 2018 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide . Irwin , who celebrated his 72nd birthday last week , is a two-time winner of the Memorial Tournament , in 1983 and ’ 85 , making him one of just six multiple winners in tournament history . Also being honored posthumously in 2018 will be two-time major champion Jock Hutchison and Willie Turnesa , widely considered one of the game ’ s finest amateur golfers .
“ I ’ ve always simply accepted the game for what it ’ s given me and never assumed anything , so I feel very honored ,” Irwin said . “ The whole fact that Jack established this tournament to recognize some of golf ’ s notable figures means everything . Jack and Barbara are very near and dear to me . I have a hard time putting myself in that category with the greats of the past , so I am absolutely delighted .” said he gave away his chances to win . He finished with two bogeys , one on the 17th after also hitting into the water . “ What can I do . I kind of threw away the tournament ,” he said . Kevin Sutherland was fourth at 11 under after a 67 .
During his illustrious career , Irwin won three U . S . Opens and 20 PGA TOUR events in all . He played on five U . S . Ryder Cup teams , captained the 1994 U . S . Presidents Cup team , and won a record 45 times on the PGA TOUR Champions to become the most decorated player in the history of senior golf . The leader in career earnings on the PGA TOUR Champions with more than $ 26 million , Irwin ’ s success in U . S . Golf Association events carried over to his senior golf career . He won two U . S . Senior Open titles and seven senior majors overall . Irwin ’ s record in the U . S . Open also cements his spot among golf ’ s legends . With 11 years between his second and third titles , he ties Julius Boros for the longest span between victories . He is the last winner who received a special exemption ( 1990 ), and that same year , he became the last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to force a playoff . His victory at age 45 years and 15 days also makes him the oldest U . S . Open champion . Only Willie Anderson , Bob Jones , Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus have more U . S . Open victories .
24 G o l f P l u s JULY 2017