Allen Doyle shattered the U.S. Senior Open final-round record Sunday, closing with an 8-under 63 while others struggled to win his third major championship.
Doyle had a bogey-free round that included eight birdies, and he managed to avoid the trouble that knocked third-round co-leaders Craig Stadler and Loren Roberts, as well as D.A. Weibring and others out of contention. His final-round 63, which beat the course record by a stroke, was the lowest by a Senior Open winner.
Doyle beat the previous final-round score by four shots and finished at 10-under 274, and one shot ahead of Roberts and Weibring. The victory, worth $470,000, was his 10th on the Champions Tour.
Stadler led by three shots with 10 holes to play, but imploded and finished four shots behind Doyle. Roberts was in control until making a double-bogey at No. 11. Weibring was on top by a shot with two holes left, but bogeyed both.
Greg Norman and Tom Watson, among others, had prime opportunities to steal the championship, but failed to make putts on the undulating greens at NCR Country Club.
Doyle, who turned 57 on Tuesday, has a swing that looks as if he's using sawed-off clubs, and a form that he honed as a child while swinging in a room with low ceilings.
He was an afterthought as the final round began, teeing off 70 minutes before the last group. Then, he had birdies at Nos. 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 to turn in 30 _ matching the tournament record.
Doyle then birdied the 10th and 14th holes, and mustered some gutty pars down the stretch, well aware of the troubles confronting the leaders. His day's work done, he sat back to watched the adventures of the rest of the contenders.
Stadler birdied three holes early and held a three-shot lead as he played the par-4 9th. But he hit his drive into the face of a fairway bunker, hacked the ball out 40 yards, hit it onto the green and then three-putted for a double-bogey. He subsequently had four more bogeys and another double to fade to a 76. He played the final 10 holes in 7 over.
When Stadler faltered, his playing partner, Roberts, took over the lead. While Stadler was posting his 6 at No. 9, Roberts rolled in a 28-foot putt for birdie to tie Stadler. Roberts then birdied the next hole to take the lead.
On the par-4 11th, just 380 yards in length, Roberts hit his drive into the middle of the fairway _ and then fell apart. His approach landed in a bunker fronting the green. His first attempt to blast out advanced the ball 2 feet. Angry at himself, he barely looked at the next sand shot and whacked the ball 30 feet past the pin. Two putts later, he had a double-bogey and fell back. He closed with a 73 and tied for second with Weibring at 275.
Weibring took over the lead with a 3-foot birdie putt at No. 10, and then parred the next six holes to maintain his one-shot advantage.
At the 17th, he hit his drive into the left rough and his second shot nestled into the deep rough between a greenside bunker and the green. He chipped out but failed to make the putt, the bogey leaving him tied with Doyle.
By this time, Doyle had moved over to the practice range to hit balls.
On the 18th hole, needing a birdie to win or a par to force a playoff, Weibring hit his drive into the right rough and his second shot went through the green. He chipped to the pin _ situated near the front on the increasingly fast putting surface _ and the ball rolled 10 feet past. His next putt for par came up just short, his 1-under 70 a shot short of a playoff.
Norman shot a 69 and was at 276, but never hit a long putt until the last hole _ to save par. Playing in his second event for the 50-and-over crowd, he didn't have a birdie on the last nine holes.
Watson, who shared fifth place at 277 with Wayne Levi (68), also had difficulty mastering the dramatic dips and rises in the greens. Watson, coming off a win at the Senior British Open, shot a final-round 71, never really threatening the multitude of leaders.
There was no secret to Doyle's success. He seldom found trouble off the tee, then was tied for seventh in the field in greens in regulation and finished tied for sixth in putting.
Allen Doyle shattered the U.S. Senior Open final-round record Sunday, closing with an 8-under 63 while others struggled to win his third major championship.