Round 3 - Esteban Toledo wins in a playoff
February 8, 2016
Esteban Toledo continued his playoff success Sunday, beating Billy Andrade on the third extra hole to win the Allianz Championship on a cold, windy day at Broken Sound Club.
Toledo made a 4-foot par putt at the 17th hole after Andrade's 6-foot par try lipped out. Toledo has won three of his four PGA Tour Champions titles in playoffs, and each has come on the third hole.
''Being in a playoff isn't easy,'' said Toledo, who shot 68 to finish at 11-under 205 on The Old Course. ''There's a lot of stress and a lot of nerves. Sometimes I surprise myself how well I play in tough conditions.''
Andrade (67) was looking for his fourth victory on the 50-and-older circuit in the last 10 months, but he bogeyed the 16th hole and missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole in regulation.
''I just hit a very poor putt,'' Andrade said. ''I probably hit the worst putt I've hit in quite a while. I got a little quick. I was thinking about winning instead of thinking about making the putt.''
It looked like Andrade was going to lose on the first playoff hole when his second shot landed in the palmetto bushes, but he saved par. They each parred the 18th hole again before Andrade missed the 17th green with a pitching wedge from the fairway. Andrade's birdie chip almost went in but rolled past the hole.
Toledo, a former professional boxer, threw a punch to celebrate after his par putt disappeared.
''I throw a left hook,'' Toledo said. ''Chi Chi (Rodriguez) has his thing; I have my thing. I'm a boxer, not a golfer.''
It was the fourth playoff in the last seven years at the Allianz Championship.
Tom Byrum shot the best round of the tournament, an 8-under 64, to jump from 32nd into a third-place tie with Jeff Sluman (70).
Tom Lehman could have made it a three-way playoff, but he failed to birdie the par-5 18th, which played the easiest on the course (4.47). A bogey dropped Lehman (72) into fifth place.
''Everything that could go wrong went wrong on the last hole,'' Lehman said. ''But it was a very tough day to play. Very pleased with the way I played.''
Second-round leader Corey Pavin extended his advantage to two shots on the front nine but made six bogeys and faded to 10th after a 75. Pavin has just one victory in 112 starts on the PGA Tour Champions, and that came at the 2012 Allianz Championship.
Round 2 - Corey Pavin edges ahead
February 7, 2016
Corey Pavin birdied his last hole Saturday to shoot a 4-under 68 and take a one-shot lead over close friend Tom Lehman into the final round of the Allianz Championship.
Pavin made a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 68 that has him at 10-under 134 after two trips around The Old Course at Broken Sound Club. Pavin also made a pair of key par saves at the 15th and 16th holes to keep his round together.
Lehman also birdied the par-5 closing hole for a 68.
The men have a close enough relationship that Pavin asked Lehman and his wife, Melissa, to be godparents of his daughter, Alexis. They also served as assistant captains for each other in the Ryder Cup.
''Playing golf with a friend like Tom is always a lot of fun,'' said Pavin, who playfully kept tossing water on Lehman's shoes during a TV interview. ''But we are both going to try and beat each other's brains out.''
Joe Durant shot a bogey-free 66 and is tied for third with Jeff Sluman at 8-under 136.
Doug Garwood, who started on the back nine, made a run at a 59 but finished bogey-double, bogey for a 65. He was 10 under through 14 holes.
Pavin has won just once in 111 starts on the PGA Tour Champions, but that victory came here at the 2012 Allianz. Pavin hit a memorable shot left-handed out of a hole to save par at the 14th.
''It always helps to play at a course where you have won in the past,'' said Pavin, who won 15 PGA Tour titles. ''That was a special win.''
Lehman, too, has the confidence of knowing he won the 2011 Allianz Championship, but realizes it will be challenge against Pavin.
''He's such a wonderful guy,'' Lehman said. ''It's fun to play with him because he's such a competitor, such a grinder. That kind of hides the fact he's such a talented, fearless golfer.''
The weather was warm and sunny Saturday, but the conditions for the final round are expected to be colder and windy - similar to Friday's round.
''You're going to have hit the ball on the center of the clubface and you've got to be patient,'' Sluman said. ''You know there's going to be some goofy shots.''
Garwood went to college at Fresno State with Kevin Sutherland, the only player to shoot 59 on the Champions tour.
''When I was 10-under, I was thinking, 'Wow, if I birdie out, I shoot 58,'' Garwood said. ''That was probably my downfall.''
Garwood is tied for fifth with Lee Janzen (68), Billy Andrade (70), John Huston (69) and Scott Parel (67) at 7-under 137.
Defending champion Paul Goydos (68) is among eight players tied for 10th at 6-under 138.
Round 1 - Corey Pavin and Todd Hamilton top leaderboard
February 7, 2016
In conditions that more resembled a British Open than South Florida, former major champions Corey Pavin and Todd Hamilton shot 6-under 66s Friday to tie for the first-round lead in the Allianz Championship.
Pavin won the 1995 U.S. Open among his 15 PGA Tour titles. He made four birdies in a five-hole stretch on The Old Course despite 20-mph winds and temperatures in the 50s at the start of the PGA Tour Champions event.
''It played tough today,'' Pavin said. ''The only thing that made the course a little easier was the greens were receptive. If they were firm, it would have been really difficult.''
Hamilton, the 2004 British Open champion, reeled off four consecutive birdies on his back nine.
Pavin has won just once in 111 starts on the PGA Tour Champions circuit - he took the 2012 Allianz Championship, thanks to a left-handed chip with an 8-iron that saved par.
''Never before and never after,'' Pavin said of that recovery shot. ''It's been hard for me to win out here, I'll tell you what. I've played some good golf and not won. On this tour all these guys have won a lot of tournaments. It's not like you're playing against guys who have never won. They know how to win.''
This was Hamilton's fourth start in the 50-and-older competition.
''The wind conditions were similar (to the British Open), but the ground conditions weren't because they've had some rain here lately,'' Hamilton said. ''I knew I was climbing the leader board a little bit. I knew whoever shot 6-under would be pleased.''
Another major champion, 1996 British Open winner Tom Lehman, birdied his last hole to share third place with Billy Andrade after 67s. Lehman made three birdies in a row on the front nine.
''In these conditions, you have to hit it solid,'' said Lehman, who won here in 2011. ''If you don't hit it solid, you're really going to get eaten up by the conditions.''
John Huston, Guy Boros, Kirk Triplett and Esteban Toledo are tied for fifth place at 68.
Defending champion Paul Goydos was tied for 13th with a 70.
Scores
1 9 Esteban Toledo -11 F -5 68 70 67 205
2 3 Billy Andrade -11 F -4 67 70 68 205
T3 29 Tom Byrum -10 F -8 74 68 64 206
T3 - Jeff Sluman -10 F -2 69 67 70 206
5 3 Tom Lehman -9 F E 67 68 72 207
T6 18 Brad Bryant -8 F -4 69 71 68 208
T6 4 Colin Montgomerie -8 F -2 70 68 70 208
T6 1 John Huston -8 F -1 68 69 71 208
T6 1 Doug Garwood -8 F -1 72 65 71 208
T10 8 Jeff Maggert -7 F -2 73 66 70 209
T10 - Kevin Sutherland -7 F -1 70 68 71 209
T10 - Bernhard Langer -7 F -1 69 69 71 209
T10 - Scott Dunlap -7 F -1 71 67 71 209
T10 9 Corey Pavin -7 F +3 66 68 75 209
T15 3 Stephen Ames -5 F E 71 68 72 211
T15 5 Todd Hamilton -5 F +1 66 72 73 211
T15 5 Jay Haas -5 F +1 70 68 73 211
T15 10 Lee Janzen -5 F +2 69 68 74 211
T19 20 Carlos Franco -4 F* -3 70 73 69 212
T19 20 Rod Spittle -4 F -3 73 70 69 212
T19 10 Kirk Triplett -4 F -1 68 73 71 212
T19 5 Mark Calcavecchia -4 F E 71 69 72 212
T19 14 Scott Parel -4 F +3 70 67 75 212
T24 15 Wes Short, Jr. -3 F -2 74 69 70 213
T24 8 P.H. Horgan III -3 F -1 74 68 71 213
T24 23 Ian Woosnam -3 F* -3 75 69 69 213
T24 8 Fred Funk -3 F -1 72 70 71 213
T24 6 Jeff Hart -3 F +2 71 68 74 213
T24 14 Paul Goydos -3 F +3 70 68 75 213
T30 9 Jose Coceres -2 F -1 72 71 71 214
T30 2 Tom Pernice Jr. -2 F E 72 70 72 214
T30 2 Bart Bryant -2 F E 72 70 72 214
T30 6 Glen Day -2 F +2 71 69 74 214
T30 6 Mark Brooks -2 F +2 71 69 74 214
T30 12 Olin Browne -2 F +3 70 69 75 214
T30 12 Guy Boros -2 F +3 68 71 75 214
T30 27 Joe Durant -2 F +6 70 66 78 214
T38 6 Joey Sindelar -1 F +1 75 67 73 215
T38 1 Craig Parry -1 F* E 76 67 72 215
T38 9 Michael Allen -1 F* -1 71 73 71 215
T38 9 Scott McCarron -1 F* -1 74 70 71 215
T38 9 Kenny Perry -1 F +2 72 69 74 215
T38 9 John Cook -1 F +2 73 68 74 215
T44 10 Jerry Haas E F* -1 72 73 71 216
T44 20 Duffy Waldorf E F +4 72 68 76 216
T46 7 Tommy Armour III +1 F +2 72 71 74 217
T46 1 Mark O'Meara +1 F* +1 72 72 73 217
T46 8 Loren Roberts +1 F* E 76 69 72 217
T46 28 Marco Dawson +1 F +6 71 68 78 217
50 18 Gene Sauers +2 F +4 72 70 76 218
T51 12 Willie Wood +3 F* +4 70 73 76 219
T51 3 Jesper Parnevik +3 F* +2 74 71 74 219
T51 11 Scott Verplank +3 F* E 73 74 72 219
T54 7 Wayne Levi +4 F* +4 74 70 76 220
T54 7 Tom Purtzer +4 F* +4 70 74 76 220
T54 - Mike Goodes +4 F* +3 75 70 75 220
T54 6 Jeff Brehaut +4 F* +2 73 73 74 220
T58 11 Woody Austin +5 F* +5 76 68 77 221
T58 4 Fuzzy Zoeller +5 F* +4 71 74 76 221
T58 8 Tom Kite +5 F* +1 79 69 73 221
T61 1 Brad Faxon +6 F* +3 72 75 75 222
T61 1 Steve Lowery +6 F* +3 79 68 75 222
T61 5 Sandy Lyle +6 F* +2 74 74 74 222
T61 8 Scott Hoch +6 F* +1 73 76 73 222
T65 3 Brandt Jobe +7 F* +4 75 72 76 223
T65 8 Larry Mize +7 F* +1 73 77 73 223
T67 28 Hale Irwin +8 F* +9 75 68 81 224
T67 13 David Frost +8 F* +7 71 74 79 224
T67 1 Jerry Smith +8 F* +4 75 73 76 224
T70 1 Gil Morgan +9 F* +4 76 73 76 225
T70 3 Skip Kendall +9 F* +3 76 74 75 225
T72 12 Rocco Mediate +10 F* +8 73 73 80 226
T72 3 Curtis Strange +10 F* +5 75 74 77 226
T72 4 Dana Quigley +10 F* +3 73 78 75 226
T72 6 Jay Don Blake +10 F* -1 76 79 71 226
76 - Mike Grob +11 F* +4 75 76 76 227
77 8 Bob Tway +12 F* +7 73 76 79 228
78 5 Bob Gilder +15 F* +9 77 73 81 231
79 2 Jim Thorpe +18 F* +5 80 77 77 234
T80 2 Bobby Wadkins +22 F* +11 79 76 83 238
T80 - Mike Springer +22 F* +10 79 77 82 238
