Woody Austin, Michael Allen win Legends of Golf
RIDGEDALE, Mo. (AP) - Woody Austin and Michael Allen won the PGA Tour Champions' Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge on Sunday, giving Austin two straight victories and three in the last four events on the 50-and-over tour.
Allen made an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory over David Frost and Roger Chapman.
"Woody's given me confidence all week," Allen said. "He's been reading these greens so well, better than I do, and he told me it was just like a right-edge putt. He's been right all week and really for once I kind of hit one where I was supposed to and got it to the hole."
Austin and Allen closed with a 6-under 48 in breezy conditions, playing nine holes of modified alternate shot and nine of better ball on the par-3 Top of the Rock course. They finished at 23-under 156.
"The key is making a few putts here and there, and this week I had a partner who was able to make some that I couldn't make and we had the absolute perfect partnership this week," Austin said. "Three days where both of us were right there with each other with our caddies, everything jelled. We never had a moment where one was so far in trouble that it messed with the other one. It was absolutely a perfect simple week really. It really was simple."
Austin won the Tucson Conquistadores Classic last month in Arizona for his first senior title and took the Mitsubishi Electric Classic last week in a playoff in Georgia. Allen has eight senior titles.
"As far as hot streaks, like I've always said, it's all about putting," Austin said. "This game has turned into nothing but a putting contest. I've just putted well for a few days these last few weeks or this last month and I'm getting the results that I could have gotten all last year and the year before, it's just the ball's going in the hole more often, that's all."
Austin and Allen each earned $230,000
Frost and Chapman also shot a 48.
"Just fell short, but we had a great week," Chapman said. "I thoroughly enjoyed playing with David."
Billy Andrade and Joe Durant, the winners last year, were third at 21 under after a 49.
Larry Nelson and Bruce Fleisher completed a wire-to-wire victory in the Legends Division for players 65 and older, beating John Bland and Graham Marsh by two strokes. Nelson and Fleisher shot a 4-under 23 in a better-ball nine to finish at 19-under 116. Bland and Marsh also had a 23.
"We figured we would probably need to shoot 3 under to really kind of close it out and ended up shooting 4 under, which is kind of nice," Nelson said.
Fleisher was playing for the first time since the tournament last year.
"When you don't play for a year, let me tell you, you're not comfortable," Fleisher said. "I was wired this morning, to be honest with you."
Fleisher and Nelson each earned $60,000.