Gilder wins again in playoff

Bob Gilder's even disposition held up better than his bogeyless streak during the tumultuous finish of the FleetBoston Classic.

His calm and his birdie on the third extra hole Sunday gave him his second straight playoff victory on the senior tour as he beat John Mahaffey, who surged into contention with a 65 despite back problems.

``I've always been the kind of person who doesn't get too nervous. Sometimes I have to fight being flat,'' Gilder said. ``That's just my makeup.''

It was severely tested Sunday.

Gilder, who led after each of the first two rounds, never trailed Sunday. He birdied the 17th hole, a 170-yard par 3, to go 14 under and break a tie with Mahaffey and Jim Thorpe.

Then Gilder, who had played 64 straight holes without a bogey, picked the worst time to get one -- on the 18th, a 521-yard par 5. And Thorpe had just a 5-foot putt for a birdie and the victory.

``I thought Jimmy was going to win it,'' said Gilder, who beat Hale Irwin a week earlier on the first playoff hole of the SBC Open in Chicago. ``I really didn't expect him to miss that putt.''

But Thorpe went past the hole by 6 feet then just missed coming back.

``The putter just exploded,'' Thorpe said. ``I guess that's what you call choking.''

So he missed the playoff while Mahaffey, who started the day tied for 10th and five strokes behind Gilder, got in with a 7-under par round after playing the back nine at 5 under.

Gilder shot 70 and both finished at 13-under 203 on the Nashawtuc Country Club course.

Both made pars on the first two extra holes, the 18th and 17th, then returned to the 18th.

Both put their first two shots in the fairway, although Gilder was much closer when he hit a 4-wood on his second shot within 30 yards of the green.

``I just didn't have a club to get there in two,'' the 54-year-old Mahaffey said, ``I'm too old now.''

His third shot reached the green but was about 35 feet from the hole. Then the 51-year-old Gilder, last year's rookie of the year, chipped within 8 inches.

``I just wanted to take the normal loft to get it rolling on the green,'' he said.

Mahaffey nodded in Gilder's direction as he walked on the green. Mahaffey then missed his putt and Gilder made his tap-in to become the first winner of consecutive senior tournaments since Thorpe last September.

The emotions of an exciting finish, ``are the kinds of emotions you have to put on the side and just get down to business,'' Gilder said.

Mahaffey, whose last senior win came in 1999, nearly withdrew with back spasms before Sunday's round. But Dave Eichelberger, who ended up finishing tied for third with Thorpe at 204, suggested he get treatment.

So after 20 minutes in the medical trailer, he emerged with a back brace.

``I was very lucky to play,'' Mahaffey said. ``When Eichelberger came off the 18th green, he said, `You owe me some money.' ''

Gilder won $225,000 of the $1.5 million total prize money and moved from sixth to second in earnings with $1,320,914. Irwin leads with $1,712,106.

Gilder is the first player since Lee Elder in 1985 to win consecutive senior events in playoffs.

``This is overwhelming,'' he said. ``If the high lasted from last week, this is what happened.''

Two-time defending champion Larry Nelson and Wayne Levi tied for fifth, two strokes off the lead. Nelson failed to become the first player since Chi Chi Rodriguez from 1986-88 to win the tournament three straight years. He rallied Sunday with a 65.

Now Gilder gets a chance to become the first player to win three straight senior tournaments since Gil Morgan won the last two in 1997 and the first in 1998. He plans to play next weekend's Lightpath Long Island Classic.

``I'll probably come down the next few days,'' he said. ``If I can finishthree rounds next week I'll be happy.''

Notes

The senior record for consecutive holes without a bogey is 97 set by Jack Kiefer in 1994. ... Irwin kept the lead in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, which recognizes the tour's leading player. Gilder moved from sixth place to second. The winner gets a $1 million annuity. ... Irwin has 24straight par or better rounds at the tournament.

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