McNulty claims his first major by 5 strokes

When Mark McNulty ran into some trouble on the final hole of The Tradition, he recalled words of advice from Gary Player.

"Gary Player always said, 'Mark, as long as you win by one, you've won,'æ" McNulty said.

McNulty double bogeyed the 18th hole at Crosswater Golf Club in Sunriver, Ore., but still claimed his first major by 5 strokes.

McNulty shot a 4-under 68 Sunday, finishing the Champions Tour event with a 16-under 272 total. David Edwards, tied for the lead with McNulty after the third round, had a 73 to finish at 11 under. D.A. Weibring was 10 under after a 72.

The day started out rainy in central Oregon, but later in the final round there was mostly brilliant sunshine.

McNulty, who had 6 birdies on the final day to go along with his double bogey, has had lower back problems and had not finished in the top 10 this season.

He birdied four of the first seven holes, setting him on the course for victory.

"It was my tournament to lose, but I still had to earn it," he said.

He splashed on to the Champions Tour in 2004 and was named rookie of the year. With Sunday's victory, he has six total victories on the tour for players 50 and older.

Before joining the Champions Tour, McNulty played primarily on the European PGA Tour. His best finish in a major was when he tied for second with Payne Stewart in the 1990 British Open, 5 strokes behind of Nick Faldo.

McNulty was steady all day and didn't even show much emotion, except on the troublesome 18th, when he missed a nearly 4-foot putt.

"Fortunately, I have a lock," he joked with the gallery.

"Today I was at ease," he said about his cool demeanor. "It was quite unbelievable how fortunate and lucky I was. I didn't feel any jitterbugs as all."