Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 17, 1995 TAG: 9507180145
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: DEARBORN, MICH. LENGTH: Medium
Snead, a Hot Springs, Va., resident, double-bogeyed the par-4 18th hole in 1992 to lose to Dave Stockton. But he parred it Sunday to force a playoff with course-designer Jack Nicklaus. He then birdied it on the first extra hole to win the Senior Players Championship.
``I think about that every time I play that hole, but I've birdied it a few times before today,'' said Snead, who also parred No.18 on Sunday morning in the completion of the third round. ``... I hope the demons are gone.''
Snead set up his winning four-foot putt with a 5-iron approach from 182 yards.
``I hit a real good tee shot and as good a second shot as I could have hit unless it went in the hole,'' he said. ``I kept saying to myself, `Be still, be still, be still.' If I wasn't going to make that sucker, at least I didn't want to move over it.''
Snead, who had a four-stroke lead with six holes to play, shot a 3-under-par 69 and Nicklaus had a 67 for 16-under 272 totals. That sent them back to No.18, where both players had four pars in regulation play.
After both split the fairway, Nicklaus' approach came up 30 feet short before Snead hit his splendid 5-iron to set up the winning putt.
Snead earned $225,000 for his first major title and third victory on the Senior PGA Tour. He won the Royal Caribbean Classic in February. Nicklaus, who won The Tradition in April in a three-hole playoff with Isao Aoki, made $132,000.
Snead had a one-stroke lead over Raymond Floyd and a two-stroke edge over Stockton when the final threesome came to the sixth hole, a watery par-4 with a peninsula green. Stockton put two balls in the pond and Floyd one en route to double-bogeys. Snead birdied it to take a four-stroke lead.
``I knew they were in trouble when they went in the water, so I thought something might happen when I got to the green,'' Snead said. ``I hit that putt so solid it scared me.''
Playing one group in front of Snead, Nicklaus birdied No.7 to go to 13-under and move three shots off the lead, but Snead got it back with a birdie on No.9. That gave him a 32 on the front nine and sent him to 17-under. He stayed four shots ahead of Nicklaus after 12 holes.
Nicklaus cut his deficit to three strokes again when he birdied the 506-yard, par-5 13th with two putts from 50 feet. The gap then closed to two when Snead bogeyed the 14th after hitting a wild tee shot into the gallery.
Nicklaus finally caught Snead on the 17th when he whistled a 234-yard 3-iron approach over the water within eight feet and he made the putt for eagle.
``After Jack made that eagle, I thought, `Here we go,''' Snead said.
Nicklaus' eagle brought him to 16-under, where they both finished.
``I knew I was two shots behind when I got to the tee on 17,'' Nicklaus said. ``I'd been playing well and I knew that if I was going to get back into the golf tournament, I was going to have to let it go there.
``I've never hit driver on that tee before because, even if I got close enough to try, I didn't think I could stop a ball on the green. But I figured I'd give it a go there and see what would happen. I was pretty proud of that shot. After I hit it that close, I knew I had to make the putt or I'd feel real bad.''
Snead began play Sunday with a one-stroke lead over Stockton as they and 22 others returned to the course to finish the third round, which was suspended because of an electrical storm. Snead parred all five remaining holes to stay 13-under and maintain his one-stroke advantage.
Jim Colbert, Jerry McGee and Ben Smith tied for third at 12-under 276. Colbert and McGee shot 68s and Smith 69. Aoki was another stroke back after a 70 and Stockton (74), Don Bies (65) and Bob Murphy (70) followed at 278.
Keywords:
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by CNB