Gilder Breaks Through for First Win Since ’83

Bob Gilder and Jack Nicklaus went in different directions during the final round of the Verizon Classic Sunday at Lutz, Fla.

Gilder shot a four-under-par 67 to win his first Senior PGA Tour title, while Nicklaus’ hopes for his first victory since 1996 faded quickly with a round of 75.

“Of course it’s disappointing,” said Nicklaus, who finished tied for 20th. “I felt good this morning, I felt composed and felt very confident about what I was going to do.”

Gilder finished with an eight-under 205 total for a three-stroke victory over Bruce Fleisher, the 2000 winner, Gil Morgan, Bobby Walzel and Raymond Floyd.

It was Gilder’s first victory since the PGA Tour’s 1983 Phoenix Open.

“That was a long time ago,” Gilder said. “When you haven’t won for that long, you wonder a little bit if it will happen again.”

Gilder’s short game was solid. He made three birdie putts of at least 16 feet.

“It carried me through,” Gilder said. “It gives you a lot of confidence when you know you can putt and chip.”

Allen Doyle, Larry Nelson and Christy O’ Connor Jr. tied for sixth at 209. Hale Irwin, who started the round with a two-stroke lead, shot a 74 to tie for ninth at 210.

Gilder earned $210,000. His biggest previous paycheck, $72,000, came for winning the 1982 Westchester Classic.

Nicklaus hit 14 greens on the 6,783-yard TPC at Tampa Bay course, considered one of the toughest on the senior circuit. But he missed five makable birdie putts on the front nine.

“It was just one of those days. I felt like I played pretty well,” Nicklaus said.

“If I go out on the last round of a tournament and hit 14 greens, I would think I would come up with a pretty good score, and I didn’t do it.”

“As the day went on today, I just kept not making anything I needed to make.”

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Colin Montgomerie won for the first time in Australia, finishing with a three-under-par 69 for a one-stroke victory in the Australian Masters at Melbourne.

Montgomerie, playing his first tournament since early December, had a 10-under 278 on the 6,996-yard Huntingdale course. Australia’s Nathan Green was second after a 71 that included a hole in one.

“I wasn’t actually going to come down here, but I got a late invite, which was very kind,” said Montgomerie, who earned $96,000. “I went to Houston for two days’ coaching and then came here. It’s a long way down, but I’m glad I came.”

Montgomerie’s earnings were dwarfed by Green, who earned $265,000 for his ace on the 176-yard, par-three 12th hole in addition to his second-place prize money.

The ace also moved Green from four shots off the pace to within two strokes of Montgomerie after 12 holes. Green gained another stroke with a birdie at the 13th.

Australia’s Brett Rumford, who had a course-record 64 Saturday and was the third-round leader at 12 under, bogeyed three of his first four holes.

Rumford got to nine under and had a chance on the 18th to force a playoff, but narrowly missed a chip-in for a birdie.

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Masters champion Vijay Singh won the Malaysian Open at Kuala Lumpur on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff with Ireland’s Padraig Harrington.

The victory was Singh’s second in the Malaysian Open--he also won in 1992. He received $151,660 from the purse of $910,000. Singh and Harrington finished 72 holes tied at 14-under 274 on the 6,947-yard Saujana Golf & Country Club course.