Stadler Earns Players Title

Craig Stadler spent almost a decade struggling with his putter. In one weekend at the Senior Players Championship, he seems to have resolved his problems.

Stadler used a stellar putting performance to win his first Champions Tour tournament with a six-under 66 on Sunday, finishing three shots ahead of Jim Thorpe, Tom Kite and Tom Watson.

Stadler, who shot a 65 Saturday, needed only 51 putts to get around the Jack Nicklaus-designed TPC of Michigan in the final two rounds -- 10 fewer than his tour average.

“This is one of the rare weeks in the last 10 years that I’ve putted well all week,” said Stadler, who joined the Champions Tour last month after turning 50.

“You have no idea how good that feels.”

His putting for the week was third-best in the 79-man field competing for the tour’s third of five majors.

Playing in only his fourth Champions Tour event, Stadler finished with a 72-hole total of 17-under 271 and became the 17th winner in 18 senior circuit tournaments in 2003.

Kite and Thorpe both made furious charges to finish tied for second. Kite, who tied the course record with a 63, made a five-footer at No. 18 to cap a round that included eight birdies, one eagle and one bogey.

Kite finished just before a thunderstorm rolled in and forced a two-hour delay.

“That was a really fun day,” Kite said.

“Going into the round, I felt if I shot something like 64 I’d have a really good shot. As it turned out, I shot 63 and didn’t come close.”

Thorpe wasn’t so lucky. After three straight birdies on Nos. 15-17, Thorpe had to mark his ball on the final hole and head for shelter.

“Seems like there’s always something ... always something to break the momentum,” Thorpe said as he left the course.

He finished with a par.

Watson, tied with Mike McCullough for the lead after three rounds, made a 25-footer on No. 18 for a birdie and a three-under 69.

McCullough opened with a bogey and fell out of contention early in the round, shooting a 73 and finishing in a tie for fifth.

Stadler birdied the day’s first hole and nearly birdied No. 2, then dropped a shot at the par-five third for his only bogey of the day.

Stadler’s share of the $2.5 million purse was $375,000.

“This is important for me,” he said. “I wanted to prove to people that I could still play, so I wanted to win any tournament. It just makes it sweeter that I was able to win our tournament.”