Hoch’s Victory Is One for the Books

Scott Hoch walked off the green a happy guy, his arms around his wife and two children, a bright smile lighting up the darkening skies at the Western Open in Lemont, Ill.

This victory was special, for so many different reasons.

“It’s got to be one of my best memories in golf,” he said.

Hoch made a 1 1/2-foot putt on the 18th green Sunday to beat Davis Love III by one stroke. He set a tournament record with a 21-under 267 total, and his eight-under 64 was the low round of the week.

It was the 10th career victory for Hoch, 45, and his second this year. He earned $648,000, giving him a career-high $2,504,686 for the season.

“This is probably the biggest tournament I’ve won,” he said. “And to win two in a year, especially as old as I am, that’s something special. My family being here, that’s the most special.”

The victory moved Hoch from 16th to seventh in the Ryder Cup standings. The top 10 get automatic bids, and Curtis Strange has two captain’s picks.

Love, who was rock solid all week and led for most of the day, made a costly mistake on the 18th, sending his tee shot so far left it almost hit the corporate tents.

He recovered to reach the green with his third shot, but his 12-foot putt for par lost speed as it reached the hole and slid by on the left side.

“I did a lot of good things,” said Love, who didn’t even plan to play the Western Open until he missed the cut last weekend in the Greater Hartford Open. “I just didn’t play a perfect round like Scott did.”

Hoch’s 267 is the lowest in the 99-year history of the Western Open. The previous overall low was 20-under 268, set by Sam Snead in 1949 at Keller in St. Paul, Minn. Chi Chi Rodriguez also shot a 268 in 1964 on the par-71 Tam O’Shanter in Niles.

Maria Hjorth made one bad shot. That was all the opening Se Ri Pak needed at Sylvania, Ohio.

Hjorth shot a seven-under-par 64, but Pak birdied the last two holes to win the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic for the third time in four years.

“One week hopefully it’ll be my week,” Hjorth said after she finished in the top three for the sixth time in her last seven tournaments. “It just seems lately that there’s always someone playing a little bit better than me.”

Pak finished at 15-under 269, closing with a three-under 68 after rounds of 70, 62 and 69. She earned $150,000.

Larry Nelson successfully defended a title for the second time in three weeks, closing with a four-under 68 for a one-stroke victory in the Farmers Charity Classic at Ada, Mich.

Nelson, a four-time winner this year, finished with a 14-under-par 202 total on the Egypt Valley course. Jim Ahern was second, and Dana Quigley and Walter Hall finished two strokes back.

Nelson, who successfully defended his FleetBoston Classic title June 24, has 15 victories on the senior tour. He earned $210,000, raising his season total to nearly $1.5 million.

Former NHL player Dan Quinn eagled the last hole to defeat Rick Rhoden by three strokes and tie Rhoden’s tournament record of nine-under par at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Stateline, Nev.