Justin Leonard wins the Chubb Classic for his first PGA Tour Champions victory
NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Justin Leonard won the Chubb Classic for his first PGA Tour Champions victory, overcoming a slow start Sunday with a back-nine charge on Tiburon's Black Course.
Leonard birdied five of the last seven holes for a 4-under 68 and a four-stroke victory over Billy Andrade. The 52-year-old Texan won in his 45th start on the 50-and-over tour, his first victory since the last of his 12 PGA Tour titles in the 2008 St. Jude Championship.
'It's been a long time since I've won, and I tell myself all the time that I have won,' Leonard said, fighting back tears on the 18th green. 'But it's easy to kind of forget a little bit, and say, `Well, you know, is it going to be?
'I just put a lot of work in. ... I mean, last year was so bad it was good. It was good for me. Made some changes with my golf swing. ... It's just so fun to finally be here because I always felt like I would be. But it's nice to finally get it done.'
After a bogey on 10 dropped him to 1 over for the day, Leonard scrambled for a key par on the 11th, then birdied the next three. He scrambled again for par on the par-3 16th, then got a 30-footer to catch the right edge for birdie on the par-4 17th and got up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the par-5 18th for one last birdie.
'I just kept telling myself that I was still in it,' Leonard said. 'I felt like my best golf was ahead of me. I played OK the first 10 holes. Eleven, the end of it was good, but it just wasn't my best golf. I kept telling myself to just own the last seven holes. Once I got a little bit of momentum I felt like I could ride it.'
Leonard finished at 15-under 201. He shot 65 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead and set himself up for the breakthrough victory in his return to competitive golf after a long run as a television analyst.
Leonard has starred at all levels, winning the 1992 U.S. Amateur and 1994 NCAA title for Texas to cap his amateur career, then taking the 1997 British Open at Royal Troon and making the winning putt in the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline.
'I didn't think about anything in particular today, but just knowing I've been there,' Leonard said. 'Even though it might have been 10, 20, 30 years ago, I've been able to do it before.'
Andrade also shot 68. Darren Clarke was third at 10 under, also shooting 68.
Fred Couples had a 66 to tie for fourth at 9 under with Richard Green (68), Heath Slocum (70) and Paul Stankowski (71).
Ernie Els, a stroke behind Leonard entering the day, shot a 75 to finish 11th at 7 under.
Bernhard Langer closed with a 70 to tie for 12th at 6 under. He has won the event a record five times.
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