GOLF ROUNDUP : Dent Wins Shortened Senior Event

Jim Dent shot a five-under-par 66 to win the rain-shortened Kroger Senior tournament at Mason, Ohio, by one stroke over Harold Henning.

Dent’s 36-hole total was a nine-under-par 133.

“I got off to a good start and just held on,” said Dent, who strung together three birdies on the front nine.

The Senior PGA Tour event was scheduled for 54 holes over the 6,628-yard, par-71 Grizzly Course at the Jack Nicklaus Sports Center. But it had to be shortened to 36 holes when Saturday’s round was rained out. Senior Tour rules don’t allow for postponing a round to Monday.

Henning, who started the final round five strokes back, rallied with a 64, the best round of the tournament, to finish at 134.

“I didn’t have any idea I was going to shoot a round like this,” said Henning, who was among nine players at 70 after the first round.

Henning missed a chance to force a playoff when he missed a 10-foot putt on the 18th hole.

Charles Coody shot 68 to finish at 135, a shot ahead of first-round co-leaders Lee Trevino and Dave Hill, who could do no better than par 71s. They were joined at 136 by George Archer, Homero Blancas and Walt Zembriski.

“I couldn’t hit my irons today,” said Trevino, the leading money winner on the Senior Tour. “I beat down on the ball, and it’s too wet . . . just too soggy today.”

The victory, worth $90,000, was Dent’s third this year and boosted his earnings to $453,593, second to Trevino on the money list.

Morris Hatalsky birdied three of the last four holes and won the $900,000 Bank of Boston tournament at Sutton, Mass., by one stroke for his first PGA Tour victory in two years.

After dropping two strokes behind on the 14th hole, Hatalsky rebounded to finish with a three-under-par 68 and a nine-under 275 total at the Pleasant Valley Country Club.

Third-round leader Scott Verplank, despite a birdie of the final hole, had a closing-round 73 and finished at 276.

With just his third victory since he joined the tour 15 years ago, Hatalsky charged from four strokes back.

Mike Smith, Rick Fehr and D.A. Weibring tied for third at 277.

Verplank, 10-under after 54 holes, extended his bogey-free streak to 49 holes before he bogeyed the final day’s second hole.