Marsh a Major Beneficiary of Snow-Shortened Event

For the second time in four days, spring snowstorms forced a cancellation of play Sunday at The Tradition at Scottsdale, Ariz., leaving Graham Marsh, a 55-year-old Australian, with his second major championship on the Senior PGA Tour.

He backed into the victory when the tournament was called off after 36 holes, giving him his sixth seniors title.

“There are no guarantees--had we gone another round--that I would have been the winner,” he said. “There [are] never any guarantees in golf. But, nevertheless, I can console myself by saying that I played the best golf for 36 holes.”

This was the first time the senior tour shortened one of its five 72-hole tournaments to 36 holes.

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Juli Inkster was exhausted from staying up late dyeing Easter eggs and losing an hour of sleep Saturday night, but it didn’t seem to affect her performance Sunday.

Inkster kept everyone at a distance, shooting a two-under-par 70 to take the $600,000 Long Drugs Challenge at Lincoln, Calif., her second tour victory in a month.

“I was frazzled after Saturday, just real tired,” Inkster said. “And it really killed me to set that clock ahead one hour. I was more nervous playing with a lead in front of my family and friends. I didn’t want to mess it up.”

Holding a three-shot lead over Sherri Steinhauer to start the day at Twelve Bridges Golf Club, Inkster bogeyed two of the first seven holes as the lead dipped to two strokes.

Inkster then birdied the next three holes, moving to eight-under par and increasing the lead to five strokes. She bogeyed No. 18, finishing with an eight-under par total of 280. Her second-round 67, the lowest of the tournament, put her in the lead for good.

Inkster also took the Welch’s/Circle K Championship at Tucson in mid-March, shooting a 65 on the final day for a one-stroke victory.

Her $90,000 victory Sunday was the 19th of her career.