Japan's Isao Aoki won his first Senior PGA Tour title in four years, shooting a 7-under-par 65 Sunday for a four-stroke victory in the Instinet Classic.

The 59-year-old Aoki, winless since the 1998 BellSouth Senior Classic, is the 17th player 59 and over to win a senior tour event, and the third oldest winner in tournament history.

Aoki finished with a 15-under 201 total on the TPC at Jasna Polana and earned $225,000 for his ninth senior victory.

``Every time I participate in a tournament, my aim is to win,'' Aoki said through a translator. ``I didn't expect this to happen. At this event there were many good players, but some of the better players were not here. I think that allowed me to win.''

John Jacobs closed with a 70 to finish second, and Allen Doyle (71) and Mike Hill (70) tied for third at 9 under.

``I played good enough to win today, but I just putted terrible,'' Jacobs said. ``You have to putt well to win a tournament. I could have shot 5 or 6 under on the front if I putted well.'

``Some days you putt well and some days you putt bad. If we putted good all the time, we would always win.''

Hale Irwin (71), Dana Quigley (69) and Tom Jenkins (68) followed at 8 under, and Jim Thorpe, who entered the day with a one-stroke lead, shot a 75 to tie for eighth with Bobby Wadkins (69) at 7 under.

Aoki, the third Asian to win a PGA Tour-sanctioned event in the last four weeks, had 13 birdies and one bogey in the final two rounds, playing the final 21 holes without a bogey.

``I have been swinging the club well, making some good shots, but my problem was with my putting,'' Aoki said. ``This week, my putting was very good.''

The Japanese star entered play Sunday tied with Doyle at 8 under, two strokes behind Thorpe and one behind Jacobs.

Aoki and Thorpe both birdied the first hole, and Aoki moved ahead when he birdied Nos. 3 and 4 and Thorpe bogeyed 4.

Jacobs birdied No. 6 to tie Aoki at 11 under, but Jacobs bogeyed No. 10, and Aoki pulled away with birdies on Nos. 12, 13, 16 and 17.

On the 10th hole, Aoki hit a tree with his second shot, but chipped from 98 yards to 3 feet of the cup and tapped in to save par. ``His whole round turned around after that,'' Jacobs said.

Thorpe birdied the first for a two stroke-lead over Jacobs and Aoki, but found bunkers on Nos. 3, 5, 6, 9 and 10. He saved par on the fifth with a chip from the bunker, but bogeyed Nos. 4, 6 and 9 to drop out of contention.

Divots

Gil Morgan, the 2000 and 2001 winner who is playing with shoulder and rotator cuff problems, shot a 70 to tie for 15th at 4 under. ... Lee Trevino (73) also finished 4 under. ... George Archer had the tournament's lone hole inone Sunday, using a 5-iron on the 17th hole.

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