GOLF ROUNDUP : Birdie on Final Hole Saves McCallister

Blaine McCallister sank a six-foot birdie putt on the final hole to blunt Denis Watson’s charge and win the $800,000 B.C. Open on Sunday at Endicott, N.Y.

After a long drive, McCallister hit a nine-iron to set up his winning putt.

“What a feeling,” he said. “To come down the stretch and to have a chance and then hit the shot you want to hit, and then capitalize by making the putt.”

Watson shot a six-under-par 65 to make up a three-stroke deficit and looked as if he would force a playoff when he saved par on No. 18 with a long chip shot from a sand trap that left him with an easy putt.

But McCallister, who started the day with a one-stroke lead, hit his approach shot within six feet of the cup. He took only a few seconds to line up the shot, before sinking it to win the $144,000 top prize.

McCallister, from Ponte Vedra, Fla., finished at 13-under-par 271 for the 72-hole tournament at the En-Joie Golf Club. He shot rounds of 68, 71, 65 and 67.

Watson, from Orlando, Fla., has not won on the tour since 1984. He finished at 272 to win $86,400. He had missed the cut in 14 of 21 tournaments this year and had not finished higher than 30th.

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Lee Trevino survived a bogey and double bogey on the back nine to win the Nationwide Seniors Championship by two strokes with a one-over-par 73 at the Country Club of the South course in suburban Atlanta.

Trevino won his second title on the Senior Tour this season and the 17th of his career. He finished at one-under-par 205 after the three rounds on the 6,856-yard course.

“I probably shouldn’t have won, but I caught a couple of players who weren’t playing very well,” Trevino said.

Jim Ferree’s 66 lifted him into a five-way tie for second at 207 with Rocky Thompson, first-round leader Mike Hill, Dave Stockton and George Archer.

Thompson and Hill each shot 69 Sunday, Stockton 70 and Archer 71.