Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 8, 1991 TAG: 9104100007
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. LENGTH: Medium
Nicklaus, who was 12 shots off the lead after Friday's second round, shot a 5-under-par 67 Sunday and successfully defended his title with a one-stroke victory at The Tradition over Jim Colbert, Phil Rodgers and Jim Dent.
"I didn't think I could make up that much ground," said Nicklaus, who had a 71 and 73 in the first two rounds. "I never had done that before in 30-something years of playing golf, so why think I could do it now?
"The most I had come back before was nine or 10 shots at the Desert Classic in 1963 when it was a 90-hole tournament and I beat Gary Player in a playoff. But here, I called Phil on Friday night and said I was too far back and to go ahead and win the tournament. I didn't think I could catch anyone."
Nicklaus, in his first competition on the Senior PGA Tour this year, came from five shots back in the final round to finish with an 11-under 277 total and take the $120,000 top prize in the $800,000 tournament.
Now it's on to Augusta National for the Masters, a major tournament on the regular tour he has won six times, the last in 1986.
Nicklaus won The Tradition last year by four shots on the 6,864-yard Cochise Course at Desert Mountain that he designed.
Rodgers and Colbert started the final round tied for the lead at 11 under and with a four-stroke bulge over Dent and Ben Smith.
Nicklaus took over the lead on the 17th when both Rodgers and Colbert bogeyed to fall to nine under.
Nicklaus chipped within two feet on 18, then tapped in a birdie putt to go 11 under.
Colbert and Rodgers, playing in the group behind Nicklaus, both birdied the final hole to finish at 278 after rounds of 73. They won $58,000 as did Dent, who shot a 69 and overcame four bogeys on the front nine with seven birdies in the final eight holes.
Dale Douglass had five of his eight birdies on the back nine and posted the day's best round - a 66 - to finish at 281.
Chi Chi Rodriguez, who had won two of the seniors' past four events, was at 282 along with George Archer and Charles Coody.
The victory was the third on the Seniors Tour for Nicklaus, who also won the Mazda Senior TPC last year.
Dent was seeking his seventh win in his third season.
"I didn't think I had a chance to win until that last hole," Dent said. "I just couldn't get it together on the front nine today. On the back nine, I shot 32, 32, 36 and 29 the last four days. I still would have had to make an eagle on 18 to win it, though."
Colbert, who joined the tour after turning 50 on March 9, was playing in only his third senior event. He hasn't won since the 1983 Texas Open on the PGA Tour.
"I had a lot of terrible putts today," Colbert said. "I glanced at the scoreboard a few times and saw Nicklaus was gaining on us. I didn't play well. I guess I had a power failure."
Rodgers is still winless in his third full season on the Seniors Tour. He set a course record with a 65 Thursday and shot 67 Friday to take a six-stroke lead over the 81-man field.
Keywords:
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by CNB