Bernhard Langer wins to tie Jack Nicklaus’ mark of 8 major senior titles

Bernhard Langer pulled away from the other contenders – and pulled even with Jack Nicklaus.

Langer cruised to his second straight Regions Tradition victory in Birmingham, Alabama, shooting an 8-under-64 on Sunday to match Nicklaus’ record of eight PGA Tour Champions major titles.

“Yeah, that’s pretty neat,” Langer said. “Not many people can say they match Jack Nicklaus in anything. To have won as many majors on this tour as he has is outstanding obviously and a thrill for me.

“I’m still way behind on the regular tour, though, in majors.”

The 59-year-old German star was way behind at times in this one, too.

He wiped out a six-stroke deficit over the weekend and entered the final round two strokes behind Fred Funk, but once again made sure there was no drama. He finished at 20-under 268 for a five-stroke victory over Scott McCarron (69) and Scott Parel (70), after winning last year by six.

It’s the first time Langer has won a major after coming from behind on the final day.

Langer has 31 victories on the 50-and-over tour, also winning the season-opening event in Hawaii in January. The Hall of Famer won the Masters twice for his lone regular majors, leaving him 16 behind Nicklaus.

PGA Tour

Billy Horschel won the AT&T Byron Nelson in Irving, Texas, with a par on the first playoff hole after Jason Day pulled his 4-foot par putt left and past the hole.

That miss by Day almost wasn’t even needed for Horschel, whose 36-foot birdie chance was rolling straight toward the center of the cup before stopping just short. He won for the fourth time on the PGA Tour and for the first time since taking the 2014 Tour Championship for the FedEx Cup title.

With a 1-under 69, including a 60-foot birdie putt at the 14th hole, Horschel matched Day at 12-under 268. Day had a 68.

Third-round leader James Hahn was a stroke back. He just missed a miraculous eagle at the 18th hole that would have gotten him in the playoff with his playing partners.

Because of early morning rain that delayed the start Sunday, threesomes were used instead of the usual weekend twosomes. No one outside of that final group made a real charge to contend with the final trio.

The playoff wrapped up the Nelson’s 35th and final tournament in Irving. The event will shift next year to the new links-style Trinity Forest Golf Club south of downtown Dallas.

Horschel earned $1.35 million.

LPGA Tour

Lexi Thompson shot a 6-under 65 to finish off a wire-to-wire victory in the Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg, Virginia, with a tournament-record 20-under 264 total.

Thompson broke the tournament record of 19 under at Kingsmill’s River Course set by Annika Sorenstam in 2008. The victory came in Thompson’s third event since she lost the ANA Inspiration in a playoff after being penalized four strokes for a rules violation reported by a television viewer during the final round.

The victory, Thompson’s eighth, gave her at least one in five consecutive seasons.

In Gee Chun, playing with Thompson, shot a bogey-free 67, but was no match for the leader, finishing five shots back. Thompson was also bogey free and finished the tournament with just two bogeys, both on the par-3 17th hole.

Thompson began the day with a three-shot lead and quickly added to it, rolling in long birdie putts on the par-4 first hole and the par-5 third. Chun used birdies on the third, par-4 fifth and par-5 seventh to get within two shots, but Thompson answered with a birdie at the par-4 ninth and then made three birdies in a four-hole span on the back nine. She eclipsed Sorenstam’s record with a birdie on the par-5 15th, pushing her lead to five shots.