Tewell Stays in Zone, Wins Easily

Doug Tewell believes in holding a lead, not sitting on one.

He demonstrated the difference Sunday, shooting a tournament-record 10-under-par 62 in the final round of The Tradition to win by nine strokes over Mike McCullough and become the senior event’s second wire-to-wire winner in 13 years.

McCullough and Larry Nelson, who made up the final threesome with Tewell at Scottsdale, Ariz., had disastrous starts early in the round. As it turned out, Tewell didn’t need any help.

His 23-under 265 total also set a record, beating the 266 shot by Gil Morgan in 1997, when Morgan led from the start.

“We talked about the zone, and the zone was there today for me,” Tewell said. “I just stayed in it, stayed within myself, stayed away from the mistakes, and that’s what you have to do, I think, to win a major.”

Tewell, the senior tour’s rookie of the year in 2000, won his second major title and fourth tournament overall on the senior circuit. He won his first three championships last year, starting with the PGA Seniors’ Championship last April.

McCullough double-bogeyed the second hole by two-putting from four feet and also bogeyed the fifth, but recovered with seven birdies in the last 13 holes for a 69--his seventh consecutive score in the 60s.

“I don’t shoot 14 under too many times, I really don’t,” McCullough said. “But Doug, he shot 62. That’s the course record, and he did it in these conditions.

“Guys, you could drop the ball from straight up and down, and it would still roll. The greens were very firm. I can’t say enough about what Doug did.”

Hale Irwin, who has won every other senior major, shot a 67 to finish third at 275.

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Jose Coceres and Billy Mayfair will need one more day and at least one more hole to settle the WorldCom Classic at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

The pair, who started the round two shots behind Vijay Singh, shot even-par 71s and matched pars through two playoff holes when play was suspended because of darkness. They will resume play in the PGA event this morning.

“I’ve never had this experience before to go out and play one hole of sudden death or whatever it takes,” said Mayfair, who tied Coceres at 11-under 273.