Irwin retains title by a stroke

Hale Irwin approached the final round of the Nationwide Championship with the same mindset he used to win three U.S. Opens.

"I tried to take the path of least resistance," Irwin said today after a 3-under-par 69 gave him a one-stroke victory over Vicente Fernandez and Tom Jenkins. "It was a tough day, and the idea was not to beat myself. There's a big difference in playing to make birdies and playing to make pars."

Impeccable course management allowed Irwin to play bogey-free in the final two rounds. He took the lead for good at 9-under with a birdie at the par-4 12th, where he hit a pitching wedge within seven feet.

His other two birdies came on par-5s. At No. 1, he hit his pitching wedge within four feet and at No. 9, he rolled in a 20-foot putt.

Irwin, the Nationwide's first repeat champion, rolled in a 5-foot putt at No. 18 for his sixth straight par and 9-under 207 total. With 26 victories, Irwin now stands two short of tying Lee Trevino's Senior PGA Tour career record.

"I don't care who you are or how many times you've won, you always get butterflies," Irwin said after earning $217,500. "I was nervous out there playing."

Fernandez and Jenkins, who both started the day three shots behind second-round leader Larry Nelson and one behind Irwin, shot 69s to tie for second.

Fernandez finished second at the Royal Caribbean Classic on Feb. 6.

Jenkins, who earned his first top-three finish of the year, pushed his 6-iron close to the water on the par-3 17th, chipped within five feet and missed the putt.

"To come in and play like this is a confidence booster," Jenkins said. "I'm not really worried about what Hale Irwin did. Him playing good is great for the senior tour."

Irwin's victory at the Golf Club of Georgia last year, which came when he eagled the par-5 18th by holing a wedge from 74 yards, was his first of five wins in 1999.

Nelson, who began the day with a one-shot lead over Walter Hall and Mark Hayes, birdied the first two holes to go 10-under, but followed with two straight bogeys. Despite getting back to 9-under with a birdie at the par-4 8th, Nelson bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11 and never recovered. His 74 left him tied for seventh.

"Larry has been playing awfully well, but you might have one time where you pick the wrong club," Irwin said. "That can set a tone for the rest of the round."

Hall and Hayes also unraveled.

Hall, who finished with a 77, played the final nine holes six over par and finished in a tie for 21st.

Hayes, the first-round leader, had no birdies in his final round and closed with a 75.

On a day that began with eight players within three shots of the lead, Mike McCullough matched a course record by playing the back nine in 5-under. McCullough, who birdied all four of the par-5s, finished with a 65.

Gil Morgan eagled No. 18 for a 70 and tied McCullough for fourth at 209.

DIVOTS: Bob Murphy, who won the 1995 Nationwide and finished second last year, birdied Nos. 14, 16 and 18 to finish in a tie for seventh place with a 68. ... A double-bogey at the par-4 16th ruined Bruce Summerhays'S chances. At 5-under after the double bogey, Summerhays bogeyed the last two holes to finish with a 74. ... Tom Watson birdied 16 and 18 to finish with a 70 and in a tie for eighth. Watson is still seeking his first win of the season. ... Irwin increased his record earnings at the 10-year-old event to $843,100.

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page