Jacobsen Continues His Roll By Driving Away In Buick Invitational

Peter Jacobsen shot a 4-under-par 68 to win the Buick Invitational by four shots Sunday, giving him consecutive PGA Tour victories for the first time in his 19-year pro career.

Jacobsen birdied the par-5, 498-yard 18th hole to finish with a 72-hole total of 19-under 269.

Jacobsen, 41, became the sixth player to win two straight tournaments in the 1990s, which was last done by Nick Price and then David Frost in 1993.

Tying for second place at 15-under 273 were Kirk Triplett of Pullman, who saved par on 18 after hitting into the water; Mike Hulbert, who putted one-handed the entire tournament; Hal Sutton; and Mark Calcavecchia. Calcavecchia and Hulbert shot 68 while Triplett and Sutton had 69s. Dan Pohl (70) and Dillard Pruitt (68) tied for sixth at 13-under 275.

Until Pebble Beach, Jacobsen hadn’t won since the Bob Hope early in 1990.

After sinking a 2-foot birdie putt on 18, Jacobsen picked up his wife and acted like he was going to throw her into the pond that fronts the green, but backed off.

Defending champion Craig Stadler shot a 3-under 69 to finish in a four-way tie for 12th at 13-under 277.

Jacobsen started the round with a threeshot lead at 15-under. But Hulbert, playing in the group ahead of Jacobsen, opened with three straight birdies to go 14-under.

“There is a tendency when you get a lead to be a little complacent,” said Jacobsen, who bogeyed No. 2 but immediately recovered for a birdie. “I think that helped me so much to the point where I said, `OK, well, that three-shot lead is history, and now you’ve got to play again.’ And I really relaxed and calmed down.”

Bob Murphy was declared champion of the Intellinet Challenge without hitting a third-round shot. It was Murphy’s fifth career Senior Tour win, and the second in an event shortened to 36 holes at Naples, Fla. He finished with 7-under-par 137.

After play was twice suspended by lightning, and then rain began to fall on The Vineyard’s Country Club course, Senior Tour officials ruled there was insufficient daylight remaining to start the eight threesomes that had yet to start, and called play.