Gilder gains narrow victory

Bob Gilder won a Senior PGA Tour event the conventional way Sunday, holding off South Africa's John Bland by one stroke to capture the Allianz Championship.

Gilder, whose previous two wins came in playoffs, capped a 4-under-par 67 with five straight pars for a three-round total of 13-under 200.

"Both my playoff wins were difficult. This one was a little dicier," Gilder said. "I didn't feel as confident with the irons. I was pleased to hit the all when it counted. Some of my hard work is finally paying off."

Gilder joined Hale Irwin as the only Senior Tour players with three victories this year, remained second on the money list behind Irwin with a career-best $1,702,209 and moved into second place in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.

"It's hard to explain this," said Gilder, who had not won three tournaments in a year since 1982 on the PGA Tour. "Winning two in a row was a shock. I'm able to really focus on what I need to do and I'm not worrying about what everyone else is doing."

Bland, who aced the 16th hole on Saturday, started the final round with a two-shot lead. But he bogeyed No. 17 on Sunday at the Glen Oaks Country Club and carded a 1-under 70 to remain winless since The Transamerica in 1996.

"It was really match play after 15," Bland said. "I didn't fee comfortable shooting at the flag at 17 and pushed it to the right a little bit."

"John was tough," Gilder said. "I didn't expect him to bogey 17. I knew he'd hang in there until the end."

Irwin tied for third at 10-under 203 with Bruce Lietzke, who closed with a 67. Reigning Player of the Year Allen Doyle and Spain's Jose Maria Canizares were four strokes behind Gilder.

"I played well, with a few exceptions," Irwin said. "I just didn't putt well at times. That's just how it goes."

Both Gilder and Bland played the front nine at 2-under. Gilder offset a bogey at the 212-yard fifth hole with birdies at Nos. 1, 2 and 6, while Bland had birdies at the third, sixth and ninth holes around a bogey at No. 8.

There was a three-stroke swing over a three-hole stretch on the back nine. Gilder pitched to six feet to set up a birdie at the 559-yard 11th, Bland bogeyed the par-4 12th and Gilder came back with a 12-foot birdie at No. 13.

"The putt at 11 was big for me. It got me back in it," said Gilder, who made pars the rest of the way.

Bland moved back into a tie for the lead with a six-foot birdie at the 549-yard 15th hole but missed a birdie opportunity at the 170-yard 16th and gave back the stroke at No. 17, where a poor chip proved costly.

Gilder needed only to two-putt the par-4 18th hole to secure his fifth career Senior Tour win.

"I made things interesting there at the end by leaving that first putt short," he said. "My second putt at 18 was a straight-in putt. I felt like I was going to make it the whole time."

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