Senden earns first PGA title
John Senden grinned and hugged his coach. He was elated and relieved and, most importantly, a winner on the PGA Tour.
The Australian birdied the 17th hole and saved par on 18 to hold off J.P. Hayes and win the John Deere Classic on Sunday at Silvis, Ill., earning his first PGA Tour victory and qualifying for the British Open.
Making his 139th tour start, Senden shot a 3-under 68 to finish at 19-under 265 and beat Hayes (65) by a stroke.
“It was a feeling of relief that you can get it done,” Senden said.
Hayes nearly took it away from him.
Seeking his third tour victory and second in the Deere Classic, Hayes put himself in position for an eagle and the lead on the 17th hole but settled for a birdie instead. He drove his tee shot 335 yards and hit a 5-iron within about 6 feet. His eagle putt rolled to the right of the cup. After a tap-in, he was momentarily tied for the lead.
But Senden took the lead when he birdied the 17th, tapping in from under 2 feet.
Hayes’ second shot on 18 landed in a bunker to the right of the green, but his next one rolled just over 4 feet past the pin. He knocked in the short put to save par and remain within a stroke.
Things got interesting when Senden’s second shot on 18 landed in the same bunker.
He thought the ball would stay on the green, but he wasn’t upset. Senden saw a good angle, and his chip shot landed 5 inches from the hole for an easy tap-in for par and the victory.
LPGA Tour
Natalie Gulbis has waited 4 1/2 years for her first LPGA Tour victory. Mi Hyun Kim made her wait a little longer.
Kim rolled in an 18-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to beat Gulbis and win the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic at Sylvania, Ohio.
Kim earned $180,000 for her second victory of the year and seventh in seven seasons on the tour. The South Korean also won the Ginn Clubs & Resort Open in April.
It appeared Gulbis, who had five consecutive birdies on the front nine of the final round, had ended her drought when she stared down a 12-footer for birdie and the win on the second playoff hole but she missed it. After Kim hit her clutch putt, Gulbis was wide on a 9-foot putt to continue the playoff.
The three top finishers each closed with 6-under 65s, with Kim and Gulbis completing regulation at 18-under 266. Paula Creamer, who birdied Nos. 14, 15, 16 and 17 but missed a 12-footer at 18 that would have gotten her into the playoff.
Senior PGA Tour
Bobby Wadkins overcame a four-stroke deficit, 95-degree heat and a double bogey on the final hole to win the Senior Players Championship at Dearborn, Mich., for his first major win on the 50-and-older circuit.
The 54-year-old Wadkins shot a 4-under 68 to charge past third-round leader Loren Roberts and Jim Thorpe.
Thorpe (69) finished second at 13, and Roberts (74), Jay Haas (68) and Gil Morgan (69) tied for third at 12 under.
Barclays Scottish Open
Sweden’s Johan Edfors shot an 8-under 63 to beat England’s Luke Donald and two others by two strokes in the Barclays Scottish Open at Luss, Scotland.
Edfors, also the TCL Classic and British Masters winner this season, finished with a 13-under 271 total on the Loch Lomond course. Donald shot a 66 to tie for second with South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel (67) and Argentina’s Andres Romero (69).
Celebrity Golf
Actor Jack Wagner made a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole to shoot an even-par 72 and narrowly claim his first victory in the American Century Celebrity Championship at Stateline, Nev.
Wagner, the first nonprofessional athlete to win the tournament in its 17-year history at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, finished with 70 points in the modified Stableford scoring system that puts a premium on eagles and birdies. Former NFL quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver had 69 points and former hockey player Dan Quinn was third with 67.