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GOLF ROUNDUP : Stockton Wins Senior Event Easily, but Son Fails to Complete Double

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From Associated Press

David Frost held off Greg Norman for a one-stroke victory in the Greater Hartford Open on Sunday at Cromwell, Conn., and frustrated Dave Stockton Jr.’s bid to make history with his father.

Earlier, Dave Stockton won the Senior Players Championship at Dearborn, Mich., by six strokes over Jim Albus.

The Stocktons were trying to become the first father-son combination to win PGA events on the same weekend and the first to win the same tournament. The elder Stockton won the Greater Hartford Open in 1974.

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He wrapped up his latest tournament championship with a four-under-par 68 in the final round, finishing at 17 under before parking himself in front of a television to watch his son’s title bid.

The elder Stockton saw Frost finish up a final-round 69 to set a 72-hole record at 12-under 268, one shot better than Norman, who finished birdie-birdie for a 69.

The younger Stockton, a PGA Tour rookie who shared the third-round lead with Frost, shot a 72 and finished in a four-way tie for third at 271.

Still, his father couldn’t have been prouder.

“I think it’s awesome what he did,” Stockton said. “It’s just phenomenal. This is really going to help him. All he’s needed was a good, high finish.”

Stockton had such a large lead on all the challengers that he could easily afford to keep up with his son’s progress. He repeatedly asked television crew members for updates while working his way around the TPC of Michigan course.

“I figured I had this tournament pretty much under control,” Stockton said. “I figured it was OK to check on him a little bit.”

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Said his son, after completing his round: “I haven’t talked to (my father) yet. I heard he won by six strokes. I don’t know what hole I was at, but I had a smile from ear to ear.”

Frost’s smile wasn’t nearly as wide as he left the 17th tee. He lost a stroke after finding a pond with his three-wood. After a drop, he hit an eight-iron to the green and two-putted for bogey.

“I made a bad swing on the tee,” Frost said. “But there’s not much else to say. I had a lot of shots to play with and that was the worst that was going to happen.”

After Norman’s birdie-birdie finish, Frost’s lead was down to one, but he made it stand up when he two-putted for par on 18.

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Donna Andrews overcame swirling wind and a wobbly finish to shoot a final-round three-over-par 74 and score a two-stroke victory over fast-closing Michelle Estill in the ShopRite LPGA Classic at Somers Point, N.J.

Andrews almost lost her lead down the stretch when she bogeyed No. 15, double bogeyed No. 16 and bogeyed No. 17.

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Jill McGill defeated Heidi Voorhees, 6 and 4, to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship at Canton, Ohio.

McGill advanced to the final by beating Erin O’Neil, while Voorhees, of Valley Village, defeated Jo Jo Robertson in the other semifinal.

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