Irwin Finishes With a 65, Wins by Five

L.A. Times Archives

Nov. 9, 1998 12 AM PT

From Associated Press

The one question left for Hale Irwin is: Was this year better than last?

“That’s a tossup,” Irwin said, after ending his season with a victory in the Senior Tour Championship on Sunday at Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Last year, Irwin won nine tournaments; this year, seven. His $2.86 million this season surpassed the record he set in 1997 with $2.3 million.

“I’d probably have to say, if I had to make a choice, it would be this year, just because I got the two majors in there, I got this event,” he said. “Twenty out of 22 tournaments in the top five, that’s hard to beat.”

Irwin shot a 65 to finish at 14-under-par 274 and blast past a star-studded field. He won $347,000.

Defending champion Gil Morgan, who began with a one-stroke lead, shot 71 and finished five behind Irwin.

“I hear the guys saying it’s unbelievable how well he plays,” said Jay Sigel, the 1996 winner, who finished third at 280. “Look what’s happened.”

Irwin won three U.S. Opens on the PGA Tour, but among the seniors he has been dominating, with 20 victories since joining in 1995.

He had come to the Dunes Golf & Beach Club a top contender the past four years. Something--the cold weather, poor iron play, hitting the wrong ball--had always kept him down in the Dunes.

In 1995, he marked his ball at Jim Dent’s marker on the 16th hole during the third round, took a four-stroke penalty and shot 75 to fall from the leaderboard.

A year later, Irwin couldn’t overcome frigid, 30-mph wind gusts as he shot 75-76 in the middle two rounds. Last year, he trailed by two at the start of the final round but was beaten by Morgan’s tournament-record 272.

Morgan appeared ready to add another victory after a birdie at No. 3 gave him a two-shot lead.

But birdies at Nos. 8 and 9 enabled Irwin to tie Morgan at nine under. Two more birdies at Nos. 10 and 11 put him ahead to stay. When Irwin got his seventh birdie at No. 16 for a five-stroke lead, there was no question who was No. 1 on the Senior PGA Tour.

Dudley Hart, who had won only once in eight years on the PGA Tour, shot a three-under-par 69 to overtake Bob Tway and win the Sarazen World Open by four strokes at Braselton, Ga.

Hart had a 272 total to earn the $360,000 first prize in the non-PGA Tour event worth $2 million.

Hiromi Kobayashi birdied the third extra hole to beat Tina Barrett and win the $800,000 Japan Classic at Hanno, Japan.

Kobayashi, a regular on the LPGA tour, birdied three of the last four holes to force the playoff.

Kobayashi shot a 69 en route to her second victory this year and fourth on the U.S. tour.

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Sunday’s Winners

Results after Sunday’s final day of play (Complete scores, Page 12):

SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP-Par 72

Hale Irwin: 66-73-70-65--274 -14

Gil Morgan: 70-70-68-71--279 -9

Jay Sigel: 73-71-66-70--280 -8

SARAZEN WORLD OPEN-Par 72