Nelson oulasts Morgan in playoff

Larry Nelson isn't making a big deal about his recent hot streak on the Senior PGA Tour. He realizes his accomplishment looks different to outsiders.

Nelson made a 5-foot birdie putt on the sixth playoff hole to beat Gil Morgan in the Vantage Championship today, extending one of the best runs in the history of the 50-and-over circuit.

"I never really thought that this would happen, by anybody, me included,'' said Nelson, whose victory was his fourth in his last five events. "While you're in the midst of it doesn't seem that difficult.

"When you're looking on the outside and said, 'Yeah, I bet you somebody has a chance to win four tournaments and finish second in the other one, what are the odds?' You wouldn't give anybody much odds.''

Nelson finished one shot behind Hubert Green in the tournament he didn't win, the Kroger Senior Classic. The only similar streak was accomplished by Chi Chi Rodriguez, who won four straight events and finished second in a fifth in 1987.

The 53-year-old Nelson knew quite a bit about winning before he joined the Senior PGA Tour. He won two PGA Championships and the U.S. Open on the PGA Tour.

"I won this week but it wasn't very pretty,'' said a modest Nelson, whose last over-par tournament was in February. "I just kind of gutted this one out.''

The leading money winner notched his sixth win overall this season and pocketed $225,000 to improve to $2.496 million. He birdied the par-5, 565-yard 18th hole on four of the six extra holes in what amounted to match play with Morgan, who closed with a 3-under 67.

Nelson took a two-shot lead over Morgan into the final round, but his 29th straight round of par or better -- a 69 -- wasn't good enough to avoid a three-way playoff with Morgan and Jim Dent at 12-under 198.

Dent carded a 66 at 6,600-yard Tanglewood Park, but blew a two-shot lead over Morgan with three holes left. And he led Nelson by three before disaster struck.

Dent bogeyed No. 16 after his drive went right and hit a spectator in the back, bouncing it into some pine straw and behind a tree.

He still held the lead by one stroke, but hit his shot to the par-3 17th hole short and right into a bunker and ended up with a second straight bogey.

"I just made two bad bogeys at the wrong time,'' said Dent, who shot a front-side 31 and one-putted six greens on the back nine but still lost.

The three parred the 18th hole to send the tournament into its first playoff in its 14-year history.

Dent's 15-foot putt from the fringe on the first extra hole for birdie lipped out and he was eliminated when Nelson sank a slick 20-foot downhill putt and Morgan made one from 6 feet.

The two players then put on a spectacular display of approach shots over the next several playoff holes before Morgan made a mistake off the tee on the sixth extra hole, hitting it into the left rough.

His second shot to the par-5 also went left and his third into a greenside bunker. Meanwhile, Nelson nailed a sand wedge within birdie range. After Morgan made an 8-foot par putt, Nelson sank his winner to close out the fourth longest playoff in senior tour history.

At first, Morgan refused to talk with reporters about the loss.

"Anytime you lose you should be upset,'' said Morgan, who has five seconds this year. "If you're not upset you're probably not competing enough.''

Nelson said he felt for his good friend after the extra play that lasted 1 1/2 hours.

"I would have been the same way,'' Nelson said of Morgan's reaction after the tough loss. "You put yourself into it for 24 holes and you come up with something a person who didn't play six holes ago has.''

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