Round 4 - Bernhard Langer defends title
June 13, 2016
Bernhard Langer won the Constellation Senior Players Championship for the third straight year, holing a 12-foot par putt on the final hole Sunday for a one-stroke victory at windy Philadelphia Cricket Club.
The 58-year-old German star won his seventh senior major title - his fifth in the last 11 majors - to tie Hale Irwin for second place on the career list, a victory behind Jack Nicklaus.
''It was a tough, tough day,'' Langer said. ''The wind was so gusty and so strong at times, I was wondering if they were going to call the tournament today. The ball was oscillating a lot and there were a few putts, if you hit them at the wrong time, the ball would have just continued to go.''
Three strokes ahead at 2 under entering the round on the difficult Wissahickon Course, Langer closed with a 3-over 73 to finish at 1-over 281 - the highest winning score in the history of the event first played in 1983. Mark O'Meara had the previous record at 7 under in 2010 at TPC Potomac in Maryland.
In contention this year at the Masters, Langer held off Miguel Angel Jimenez and Joe Durant, saving bogey with a 6-footer on the par-4 17th and getting his par putt to drop on the par-4 18th after it caught the edge and circled the cup.
''I didn't make anything until I made about a 6-footer on 17 and a 12-footer on 18, that was about it,'' Langer said. ''Made nothing all day and had many opportunities. Now, you know, whether that was me or the wind or the greens, who knows, but it was difficult and I don't think there were many good scores.''
Langer parred 10 of the first 11 holes on the A.W. Tillinghast-designed layout, making a bogey on the par-3 third. He also bogeyed the par-4 12th and was fortunate to escape with the bogey on 17.
''My patience was good, it really was good all day,'' Langer said. ''I was fortunate that I was never really caught. I think I was always in the lead all day, even though it dwindled to one or two at a time, but I was always in the lead. So even though I made some bogeys here and there, I still kept my nose in front. ... I just couldn't make the putts.''
Langer became the oldest winner in the history of the tournament and earned a spot next year spot in The Players Championship. He won in 2014 at Fox Chapel in Pittsburgh and last year at Belmont in Massachusetts.
''It feels great to have achieved the hat trick in this tournament the last three years,'' Langer said. ''It's amazing, I still have to pinch myself to realize what happened.
Langer has three victories this year, also winning the Chubb Classic in Florida in February and the major Regions Tradition last month in Alabama.
''When you keep winning, confidence breeds success and success breeds confidence,'' Langer said. ''When you're constantly up there, it's like when Tiger (Woods) was up there almost every time he teed it up, he's used to that. You get used to the pressure, you get used to being in the hunt and you get used to winning.''
The two-time Masters champion is third on the tour victory list with 28, one behind Lee Trevino. Irwin is the leader with 45.
''Well, he's Bernhard Langer, you know?'' Jimenez said. ''He's a top class player for many, many years. He's an outstanding player. Still very fit, still strong, still passion with golf.''
Jimenez and Durant each shot 68 for the low rounds of the day.
It's tough from the very beginning all day long,'' Jimenez said. ''Par is good in this condition, it's very good. ... The golf course is a magnificent golf course. Beautiful. People say it's always nice and we play with a lot of wind here, but the condition of the course is perfect and it's a great track.''
Durant birdied the 15th and 18th holes.
''What a beautiful golf course,'' Durant said. ''We're having a ball playing here, it's just very hard. The wind hasn't been down at all the entire week and it's just been tough, and when it dries out it makes it that much tougher.''
Brandt Jobe was fourth at 3 over after a 71.
''It was swirling so hard,'' Jobe said. ''I mean, from 105 yards we played a 150-yard shot, so how do you gauge that? But the golf course is playable. We had to have gusts over 40 today. It was brutal, but I think today was the toughest day because it was hard to putt.''
Round 3 - Bernhard Langer alone under par
June 12, 2016
Bernhard Langer was all alone under par at windy Philadelphia Cricket Club.
The 58-year-old German star also was in position to win the Constellation Senior Players Championship for the third straight year, shooting a 1-under 69 on Saturday to reach 2-under 208 and take a three-stroke lead over Jay Don Blake into the final round.
''Sometimes par is a wonderful score,'' Langer said. ''It's a real major, it's like playing the U.S. Open or whatever where par is a good score. So don't blame guys when they play for the middle of the green here and there because there's some long holes out there, some tough holes where most of the guys would be extremely happy to be in the middle of the green. That's what you have to do at times.''
After playing the first 11 holes in 2 over with two birdies and four bogeys, Langer birdied the par-4 12th to get back to even par for the tournament. He added birdies on the par-5 15th and par-3 16th and closed with two pars on the A.W. Tillinghast-designed Wissahickon Course.
''It was nice to finish strong because the last couple days I had my issues with the back nine, but today was just kind of the opposite,'' Langer said. ''Had an up-and-down start in the middle of the round, lots of bogeys and a bunch of birdies and just couldn't get it going. Mis-hit a few shots and just then had long putts from 30 yards, 25 yards and three-putted a couple times.''
Difficult in any conditions, the Wissahickon Course has been a beast in the wind.
''That sun and the wind, the greens are getting pretty crusty, pretty fast,'' Langer said. ''If you get yourself in the wrong place, if you're out of position, you're paying the price. You can't even get within 15, 20 feet many times. So, it's very strategic play. And with the kind of wind we had again, fairly strong and off a different direction today, it was a different golf course all together. It's just hard to position the ball where you would like to be underneath the hole when the wind is blowing like this.''
Langer won in 2014 at Fox Chapel in Pittsburgh and last year at Belmont in Massachusetts. He won the Regions Tradition last month in Alabama for his sixth senior major and 27th tour victory.
Blake made a 16-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th for a 71.
''Trying to just manage it around, trying to get the driver in play and then kind of go from there,'' Blake said. ''Once you even get on the green, it's hard to even get aggressive. The greens are fast, the wind's blowing all over and you're kind of lagging to make putts. I hit some awful first ones and had to make some good putts coming back. But I feel good about my game. Just need to stay patient and try to execute some good shots.''
Jeff Sluman (70), Woody Austin (71), Wes Short Jr. (72), Bart Bryant (72) and Brandt Jobe (74) were tied for third at 2 over.
Bryant birdied the 18th after dropping four strokes in a late four-hole stretch with a double bogey and two bogeys. He eagled the par-4 11th, holing out with a 6-iron from 187 yards.
''I just pulled it a little bit, hit it a little thin and I just didn't hit a great shot, but it somehow went in the hole,'' Bryant said. ''I'd like to say I just pured it right where I was aiming, but I didn't, I pulled it a little bit. So it rolled out and it just happened to go in.''
Vijay Singh was tied for 31st at 8 over. He followed rounds of 69 and 74 with a 75.
John Daly had a 70 to move into a tie for 59th at 12 over. He opened with two 76s.
Round 2 - Brandt Jobe edges ahead
June 11, 2016
Two-time defending champion Bernhard Langer pulled within a stroke of leader Brandt Jobe on Friday in the Constellation Senior Players Championship.
Langer shot a 2-under 68 at windy Philadelphia Cricket Club in the third of the PGA Tour Champions' five major championships. Jobe topped the leaderboard at 2 under after his second straight 69.
''Played very nicely today really,'' Langer said. ''Kept the ball in play, hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens. Really that was maybe the worst score I could have shot. I just had a few chances coming in and didn't convert. Overall, I'm pretty pleased. I'm right in the mix of things and we are only halfway.''
Langer had three front-nine birdies to make the turn in 32, dropped a stroke on the par-4 10th and parred the final eight holes.
''Really only one blemish today, the bogey I made,'' Langer said. ''It was a good shot. I just took the wrong club, misjudged the wind, came up a couple feet short and rolled in the bunker and didn't get up-and-down. I was very happy with the way I struck the ball today and the way I managed the golf course.''
The German star won in 2014 at Fox Chapel in Pittsburgh and last year at Belmont in Massachusetts. He won the Regions Tradition last month in Alabama for his sixth senior major and 27th career victory on the 50-and-over tour.
Only six players were under par after two rounds on the A.W. Tillinghast-designed Wissahickon Course.
''I feel like I'm back on the PGA Tour playing a major or something because it's just you can't let up for one shot,'' Jobe said. ''One shot and all of a sudden you're like, 'Wow, this is a mess.' It's just a hard golf course, that's all it is. It's very fair. If you hit good shots, you've got opportunities to make putts, but the greens are fast, it's windy. It's got all the elements. It's perfect.''
The 50-year-old Jobe is winless on the tour. He offset two early bogeys with bogeys on Nos. 6 and 8 and got to 2 under with a birdie on the par-5 15th.
''We started, we kind of thought, 'Oh, geez, it's only going to be 15 mph today, it's going to be kind of nice,''' Jobe said. ''Then all of a sudden it's 20 mph, then it's 25. It's just very hard to judge, and I guess coming from the northwest where it's been coming, it doesn't seem like that's what's the norm out here. It's hard to judge, very much so.''
Scott Dunlap had a 69 to match Langer at 1 under.
''It's U.S. Open-caliber golf and scoring,'' Dunlap said. ''If we had four days of perfect 80-degree weather and 5 mph winds, it still ain't 12 to 14 under, maybe 5 or 6. I just had another solid day. Didn't bogey the last this time, so kept it to 1 under and happy to do it.''
First-round leader Jay Don Blake (72) was even par with Wes Short Jr. (69) and Bart Bryant (71).
''The wind seemed to be gusty,'' Blake said. ''I mean, calm like right now, you don't hardly feel any wind. The next thing you know, it feels like it's blowing 25. You can hit a shot with not much wind and all of a sudden it comes up and blows it left, right or short. It was pretty testy.''
Tom Byrum had a 67, the best score of the week, to join Woody Austin (70) at 1 over.
Vijay Singh followed his opening 69 with a 74 to drop to 3 over.
John Daly had his second straight 76. He's playing his fifth event since turning 50 in late April.
Round 1 - Jay Don Blake tops leaderboard
June 10, 2016
Jay Don Blake birdied three of the last five holes Thursday at windy Philadelphia Cricket Club for a 2-under 70 and the first-round lead in the Constellation Senior Players Championship.
The 57-year-old Blake had five birdies and three bogeys on the A.W. Tillinghast-designed Wissahickon Course. He won the last of his three senior titles in 2012, and won at Torrey Pines in 1991 for his lone PGA Tour victory.
''Tough golf course out there and I'm just happy to get done with a couple under par,'' Blake said. ''Hit it pretty decent all day. ... Hit it well, played well and just kind of executed some good shots out there today.''
Blake birdied the first two holes, then bogeyed the par-4 sixth, par-3 eighth and par-4 11th. He rebounded with birdies on par-3 14th, par-5 15th and par-4 17th in third of the PGA Tour Champions' five majors.
''It was chilly early, still had some wind,'' Blake said. ''Luckily, the first couple holes were downwind so that was kind of a little help off to start. The first two holes, made birdie, so got off to a good start. Then we started about three, four holes right in a row just dead into the wind and it was cold, ball was going nowhere. It was just kind of survival.''
Vijay Singh bogeyed the par-4 18th to fall a stroke back along with Jeff Sluman, Brandt Jobe and Bart Bryant.
''It's a tough day,'' said the 53-year-old Singh, winless in seven career starts on the 50-and-over tour. ''Regardless of what club you've got in the hand, wedge or 9-iron or 3-wood, it's still long, gusty crosswinds. I played pretty good. I kept the ball in play most of the day, and unfortunately, had two three-putts, but that was pretty easy to do out here.''
The 34-time PGA Tour winner has made 15 starts this year on the regular tour.
''I think the last three or four events when I came over here, I kind of put too much pressure on myself that I have to win,'' Singh said. ''I just came this week just to have a good time and enjoy it and play good golf.''
Colin Montgomerie topped the group at 70.
''You get out of position off the tee and then you're struggling,'' Montgomerie said. ''But I think it's terrific, I really do. I think this is marvelous. This is a real major. This has a major feel to it. You could put these greens on any course worldwide and everyone would be thrilled with them.''
Two-time defending champion Bernhard Langer bogeyed three of his last four holes for a 71.
''It was really windy. That was tough,'' Langer said. ''Gusty winds, so it's difficult to control. And the greens are lightning fast. On 18, I was in the right bunker and it was downwind, down grain, downhill, hard to stop the ball, it just keeps rolling and rolling and ended up making bogey. You've got to be aware of trying to keep the ball below the hole, which is tough to do when it's windy like this.''
The German star won in 2014 at Fox Chapel in Pittsburgh and last year at Belmont in Massachusetts.
''It's a great venue,'' Langer said. ''It's any bit as good as the ones we played the last couple years. They always pick great golf courses and this is no exception.''
Sluman bogeyed 16 and 18 after reaching 3 under with a birdie on 15. Jobe also bogeyed the 18th.
''Overall, pretty happy with the day,'' Sluman said. ''Played solid golf in very trying conditions and this golf course is very challenging. It's a great test of golf.''
Billy Andrade, Scott Dunlap and Doug Garwood matched Montgomerie at 70.
Tom Watson, at age 66, was in the group at 71.
''It's a Tillinghast golf course. I've played a lot of Tillinghast golf courses and they are difficult,'' Watson said. ''You really have to hit a lot of quality shots. The greens are very quick and, with this northwest wind, it played very tough today. ... This golf course is all you want.''
John Daly had a 76. Playing his fifth event on the tour since turning 50 in late April, he had a double bogey on the par-5 fifth, five bogeys and one birdie.
Scores
1 - Bernhard Langer +1 F +3 71 68 69 73 281
T2 11 Miguel Angel Jimenez +2 F -2 72 71 71 68 282
T2 11 Joe Durant +2 F -2 74 70 70 68 282
4 1 Brandt Jobe +3 F +1 69 69 74 71 283
5 2 Wes Short, Jr. +4 F +2 71 69 72 72 284
6 7 Olin Browne +5 F +1 72 72 70 71 285
T7 1 Kirk Triplett +6 F +3 74 74 65 73 286
T7 4 Bart Bryant +6 F +4 69 71 72 74 286
T9 1 Mark Brooks +7 F +4 71 73 69 74 287
T9 7 Jay Don Blake +7 F +6 68 72 71 76 287
T9 6 Jeff Sluman +7 F +5 69 73 70 75 287
12 4 Fran Quinn +8 F +5 72 75 66 75 288
T13 18 Greg Kraft +9 F +1 74 70 74 71 289
T13 18 Kenny Perry +9 F +1 74 77 67 71 289
T13 13 Scott McCarron +9 F +2 71 71 75 72 289
T13 8 Jesper Parnevik +9 F +3 72 73 71 73 289
T13 - Kevin Sutherland +9 F +5 76 71 67 75 289
T13 5 David Frost +9 F +6 72 70 71 76 289
T13 5 Colin Montgomerie +9 F +6 70 73 70 76 289
T20 29 Chien Soon Lu +10 F -1 77 71 73 69 290
T20 25 Larry Mize +10 F E 79 73 68 70 290
T20 20 Tom Pernice Jr. +10 F +1 72 75 72 71 290
T20 11 Carlos Franco +10 F +2 74 68 76 72 290
T20 1 Loren Roberts +10 F +4 75 72 69 74 290
T25 34 Joe Daley +11 F -1 74 75 73 69 291
T25 34 Jerry Smith +11 F -1 75 72 75 69 291
T25 24 Brad Faxon +11 F E 76 75 70 70 291
T25 20 Jose Coceres +11 F +1 78 72 70 71 291
T25 15 Tom Watson +11 F +2 71 75 73 72 291
T25 6 John Huston +11 F +3 74 76 68 73 291
T25 6 Tom Lehman +11 F +3 73 75 70 73 291
T25 8 Billy Andrade +11 F +6 70 72 73 76 291
T25 8 Glen Day +11 F +6 76 71 68 76 291
T25 8 Steve Lowery +11 F +6 71 71 73 76 291
T25 22 Woody Austin +11 F +9 71 70 71 79 291
T36 9 Jim Carter +12 F +2 77 72 71 72 292
T36 4 Brian Henninger +12 F +3 73 74 72 73 292
T36 5 Doug Garwood +12 F +4 70 73 75 74 292
T36 5 Duffy Waldorf +12 F +4 73 73 72 74 292
T36 10 Jeff Maggert +12 F +5 71 73 73 75 292
T36 15 Tom Byrum +12 F +6 74 67 75 76 292
T36 10 Skip Kendall +12 F +5 72 73 72 75 292
T36 15 Mark O'Meara +12 F +6 76 71 69 76 292
T44 23 Mike Goodes +13 F -1 76 75 73 69 293
T44 5 Willie Wood +13 F +2 75 72 74 72 293
T44 5 P.H. Horgan III +13 F +2 78 71 72 72 293
T44 4 Esteban Toledo +13 F +4 73 74 72 74 293
T44 23 Lee Janzen +13 F +7 75 72 69 77 293
T49 - Fred Funk +14 F +3 73 72 76 73 294
T49 10 John Daly +14 F +2 76 76 70 72 294
T49 4 Brad Bryant +14 F +4 74 71 75 74 294
T49 23 Tommy Armour III +14 F +7 71 73 73 77 294
T49 32 Scott Dunlap +14 F +9 70 69 76 79 294
T54 13 Frank Esposito +15 F +1 76 75 73 71 295
T54 13 Barry Lane +15 F +1 74 74 76 71 295
T54 10 Jay Haas +15 F +2 76 75 72 72 295
T54 5 Paul Goydos +15 F +4 74 76 71 74 295
T54 5 John Inman +15 F +4 79 73 69 74 295
T54 23 Peter Fowler +15 F +7 77 69 72 77 295
T54 28 John Cook +15 F +8 72 72 73 78 295
T61 13 Todd Hamilton +16 F +1 78 74 73 71 296
T61 6 Rod Spittle +16 F +2 76 77 71 72 296
T61 3 Gary Hallberg +16 F +3 79 70 74 73 296
T61 2 Joey Sindelar +16 F +4 73 73 76 74 296
T61 2 Roger Chapman +16 F +4 76 75 71 74 296
T61 12 Jeff Hart +16 F +5 73 74 74 75 296
T67 7 Steve Pate +17 F +2 75 73 77 72 297
T67 3 Scott Parel +17 F +4 76 72 75 74 297
T69 2 Grant Waite +18 F +4 77 75 72 74 298
T69 20 Marco Dawson +18 F +7 74 75 72 77 298
T69 29 Michael Allen +18 F +9 72 74 73 79 298
T72 5 Bob Tway +19 F +3 76 74 76 73 299
T72 5 Sandy Lyle +19 F +3 77 73 76 73 299
T72 23 Bob Friend +19 F +8 76 75 70 78 299
75 1 Peter Senior +20 F +5 76 74 75 75 300
T76 3 Guy Boros +21 F +3 77 76 75 73 301
T76 9 Mark Calcavecchia +21 F +7 76 72 76 77 301
78 11 Rocco Mediate +22 F +8 77 74 73 78 302
WD - Vijay Singh - - - - - - - -
WD - Tom Kite - - - - - - - -
WD - Scott Hoch - - - - - - - -
