Quigley beats Kansas locals to win

Figuring he had no business beating one of the best players in golf history, Dana Quigley did anyway.

With the gallery of 25,000 cheering every step hometown heroes Tom Watson and Jim Colbert took, the self-effacing Quigley rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a dramatic one-stroke victory over Watson today in the TD Waterhouse Championship.

Watson, the overwhelming crowd favorite, was waiting to tap in a 12-inch birdie putt for a final-round 63. But Quigley cooly holed his 12-footer for a 6-under 66 and an 18-under 198 total on the Tiffany Greens course.

Colbert, another Kansas City native who attended Kansas State and was getting every cheer not going to Watson, shot a 71 to finish third.

"This was a miracle," said Quigley, who hadn't won on the Senior PGA Tour in almost two years.

"Tom Watson is probably one of the five greatest golfers in the history of the sport. I didn't beat them because I'm better than they are. I beat them because I'm blessed."

Colbert shot a course-record 61 in Friday's opening round and held a two-stroke lead over Quigley and a six-stroke advantage over Watson when the day began. But he double-bogeyed the par-4 13th while Watson and Quigley, playing in the same threesome, both birdied and went ahead of him.

"All my friends at home, my parents, my mother, my family, my wife, my kids -- they all know I was outclassed out there," Quigley said.

"And I know I was outclassed out there. But if you just believe in yourself and keep grinding, good things can happen."

The gallery behind the 18th green jumped to its feet and roared when Watson put his 8-iron approach shot on the 420-yard 18th hole a foot from the cup.

"I was just hoping it hadn't gone in," Quigley said. "I knew then that I was going to have to make my putt because I didn't want to go back out on the golf course with Tom in a playoff."

Watson was playing his first tournament round in his hometown since winning the 1971 Missouri Amateur.

"My hat's off to Dana Quigley," he said "He hit a pure putt at the last hole. It was an exciting week."

Even Watson was surprised at the intensity of the support he got from the gallery.

"Now I know how Arnold Palmer feels every time he plays," Watson said.

At every tee and green, people cheered, "Go Tom, come on, Tom," or "Let's go Jim, come on, Kansas State."

"Once I heard somebody yell, 'Come on, Dana,' " Colbert said. "I pointed him out to Dana and he said, 'Yeah, that's the guy I played with in the pro-am.' "

Colbert, who had birdied the first eight holes of the back nine on Friday, finished third at 15 under.

Quigley leading Watson by two, hit his approach shot on the par-4 17th into the bunker to the right of the green and wound up with a bogey. But Watson missed a chance to pull even when his 8-foot birdie try slid past the hole.

Quigley, playing in the 105th straight senior event in which he was eligible, sank a long birdie putt on the par-5 16th hole to go to 18 under for the tournament, two strokes ahead of Watson and three in front of Colbert.

Play was halted for almost 90 minutes when a rain shower moved through the area.

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