Jacobs gains narrow win

Free-swinging John Jacobs knew what was at stake, and he was determined to live on the edge, anyway.

Jacobs drove into a water hazard on the final hole Sunday but escaped with a one-stroke victory in the rain-shortened Royal Caribbean Classic.

Jacobs salvaged a par and closed with a 6-under-par for an 11-under 133 total. He won for the fourth time on the Senior PGA Tour.

Needing only a par to secure the win, Jacobs used a driver on the difficult 18th hole, a par-5 with water to the left and mangroves to the right. Jacobs drove into the hazard on the left and scrambled to make par to win the $217,500 first-place check.

``I know one thing,'' Jacobs said. ``If you're in a position to win, you had better give it your best shot. If you don't, you're not going to win.''

For Jacobs, his best shot turned out to be a 3-wood from 265 yards after taking a drop on the 18th. That shot, his third, landed just short of the green, and he chipped close enough to save par for the win.

Sharing second in the $1.45 million event were Isao Aoki (64), Bruce Fleisher (68) and Tom Watson (66). Aoki, runner-up last year, had the day's best round.

The tournament, the first full-field event of the year, was reduced to 36 holes after rain washed out Friday's round.

Jacobs, whose previous win was in the 2000 Bruno Memorial Classic, held a two-shot lead after his seventh birdie of the day moved him to 12-under par through 14 holes.

``I told my caddie that I needed four pars to win, and that must have been the kiss of death,'' Jacobs said. ``I should have never looked at the scoreboard.''

Jacobs wobbled down the stretch, leaving birdie putts on 15 and 16 short, and he three-putted the par-3 17th to carry a one-shot lead to the final hole.

``That's the worst hole to have to make par on,'' Jacobs said. ``You're back on the tee in that chute, and the fairway looks like it's 15 feet wide.''

Jacobs didn't panic after the errant tee shot, recovering with what he described as ``the best 3-wood of my life.'' Jacobs pitched to within two feet and sank the putt to preserve his one-shot lead.

Jacobs, who turns 57 in March, earned $217,500. It was his first seniors win since the 2000 Bruno Memorial Classic.

Fleisher, who won this event in 1999 and 2000, had a chance to force a playoff but also faltered on the 18th after a poor drive. Fleisher, three back one hole earlier, pulled within one shot with a birdie on the 17th combined with Jacobs' own bogey on that hole.

However, Fleisher, playing in the group behind Jacobs and needing birdie to force a playoff, drove into the water hazard to the right on No. 18 and scrambled to make par.

``There's some trouble on that hole and I found it,'' Fleisher said. ``I knew where I was (one shot back), but I wish I hadn't.

Watson's round included an eagle on the par-4 5th when he holed a 7-iron from 163 yards.

First-round leader Jay Overton (70) and Tom Kite (68) finished two shots back at 135.

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