GOLF ROUNDUP : In the End, Azinger, Couples Are Winners

A 25-foot, off-the-green eagle putt on the 16th hole propelled Paul Azinger to a three-stroke victory at the season-ending Tour Championship on Sunday at Pinehurst, N.C.

After three-putting the final green for a bogey, Azinger finished with a 71. Corey Pavin and Lee Janzin, who both shot 68, finished tied for second.

Azinger’s victory was worth $360,000 from the total purse of $2 million.

With an eight-under-par 276 total on Pinehurst No. 2, which he called “the hardest golf course I’ve ever played,” Azinger extended his streak to six years in which he has won at least once and became only the 10th player to go over $3 million in earnings for a career. And, with $929,863 for the year, he surpassed $900,000 for the third time.

Azinger finished seventh on the money list, with Fred Couples finishing first.

Couples, after a 78 on Friday, was in last place in the Tour Championship’s field of 30, four strokes behind the next golfer. But he shot two 66s over the weekend to finish in a tie for fifth.

Couples won $76,000, which brought his 1992 total to $1,344,188, more than $150,000 ahead of second-place finisher Davis Love III, who earned $1,191,630. John Cook was next at $1,165,606 and PGA title-holder Nick Price won $1,135,173.

As the leading money winner, Couples won the Arnold Palmer Trophy. He also is expected to win the Vardon Trophy, which goes the golfer with the lowest scoring average on the tour. The official computer-generated averages were not available Sunday.

Couples is also a shoo-in to be named the PGA Player of the Year, an honor determined by a vote of the players.

Couples said Sunday that he will vote for himself for the first time.

“I feel like I’m worthy of it,” he said. “But on Friday night I was pretty sure I’d be voting for John Cook.”

The player of the year trophy will give Couples all of the year-end honors.

“When I finished, (commissioner) Deane Beman told me I was actually playing in four tournaments this week,” Couples said Sunday.

Because he played the last two rounds in 132, Couples was able to tie Raymond Floyd at 283, one stroke behind fourth-place finisher Keith Clearwater.

Tommy Aaron won his first tournament since the 1973 Masters when he rallied from three shots behind and birdied the final hole to take the $500,000 Kaanapali Classic on Maui.

Aaron’s closing round of seven-under-par 64 gave him a tournament total of 15-under 198 and the winner’s purse of $75,000, his biggest.

Aaron beat second-round leader Dave Stockton by one shot after Stockton shot 67. George Archer closed with a 66 for a 201 total, three shots behind.

Aaron had lost twice in playoffs earlier this year, once to Mike Hill and once to Archer.

“You forget all about that when you win,” Aaron said. “I couldn’t be happier. I played awfully well today.”

Aaron, 57, had to survive more playoff-like drama before securing the victory. His 20-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the 18th hole put him a shot ahead of Stockton, who was playing one group behind.

Stockton left a birdie putt of 15 feet short on No. 18.

Aaron has $384,980 in winnings this year, more than double his earnings in any previous year.

American LPGA Tour golfers, buoyed by Donna Andrews’ five-under par 67, won 10 of 16 matches at Azumamura, Japan, and beat their Japanese counterparts by eleven points to extend their dominance in the Nichirei International.