Fleisher Is Steady in Win

Bruce Fleisher is picking up where he left off last season.

Fleisher, a seven-time winner last year as a rookie on the Senior PGA Tour, defended a title for the first time Sunday, winning the $1.1-million Royal Caribbean Classic.

Fleisher, who had five birdies and a bogey Sunday for eight points under the Modified Stableford scoring system, finished with 30 points for a two-point victory over Argentina’s Vicente Fernandez.

Fleisher earned $165,000.

“I didn’t play very well today. I’m glad it’s over,” said Fleisher, who won only one tournament in 30 years on the PGA Tour.

“About midway through, my caddie, Dennis, kind of kicked me in the butt and said, ‘Bruce, this tournament isn’t won on the front side, it’s won on the back side.’ ”

With a one-point lead heading into the 18th, Fleisher--last year’s player and rookie of the year--needed only to finish with a minus-one bogey or better to win. He missed a plus-five eagle putt by about two feet, then tapped in for a plus-two birdie moments after Fernandez finished his round.

“When I got to about this far out,” said Fleisher with his hands at about shoulder width, “I was feeling real good.”

Fernandez made an eight-foot birdie putt to briefly tie Fleisher.

Jim Dent, who started with 12 points, had the day’s best round to finish third with 27 points. He made a plus-five eagle at the par-five, 538-yard first hole. He then took the lead twice on the back nine, first with consecutive birdies at 13, 14 and 15, then with birdies at 17 and 18.

Tom Kite, making his Senior Tour debut, had four birdies and one bogey to finish with 20 points. Kite said he had been suffering from back spasms during the weekend.

Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, playing on a sponsor’s exemption in his first Senior PGA Tour event, had five bogeys and finished at minus-one for the tournament.