Irwin Holds Off Competition To Capture Senior Pga Title

Hale Irwin, a rookie on the PGA Senior Tour, turned back a huge foreign challenge Sunday to win America’s oldest senior professional golf championship.

Irwin fired a closing round of 1-under-par 71 to capture the 57th annual PGA Seniors’ Championship on the 6,702-yard Champion course at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Irwin finished with an 8-under-par 280, 2 strokes ahead of Japan’s Isao Aoki, who closed with 71 for 282. Vicente Fernandez of Argentina was 2 more shots back in third at 73-284.

It was Irwin’s fourth Senior Tour victory in 10-1/2 months and his second this year.

Loren Roberts knew what do with a large lead, shooting a safe 67 to win the MCI Heritage Classic at Hilton Head Island, S.C., in a record performance.

He slid in a 45-foot putt on the 18th hole to move to 19-under 265, three ahead of Mark O’Meara and one better than the previously best mark by Hale Irwin two years ago.

Barb Mucha, forced to play 29 holes because of rain the previous day, closed with a 2-under-par 70 to finish with a three-round total of 8-under 208 and win the LPGA Chick-fil-A Charity Championship in Stockbridge, Ga., by 2 strokes.

Dottie Pepper and Liselotte Neumann shared second at 210.

Tracy Hanson of Rathdrum, Idaho, shot a final-round 76 to finish 13 strokes off the lead.

At Vancouver, Wash., Indian Canyon pro Gary Lindeblad shot a 68 to share the first-round lead in the $102,000 Giusti Memorial Invitational with Jerry Olson of Portland.

Chris Mitchell of Sun Dance, the 1992 champion, is tied for second with four players at 70.