Nelson Makes It Interesting, but Irwin Wins by 3

L.A. Times Archives

July 20, 1998 12 AM PT

From Associated Press

After two days of total dominance, Hale Irwin needed some luck and a couple of bad shots from Larry Nelson to hang on for a three-stroke victory Sunday in the Ameritech Senior Open at Long Grove, Ill.

Nelson kept the pressure on the struggling Irwin all day, making eight birdies and trying a gutsy drive over 60-foot trees on the 18th. But he put two shots in the water on the back nine, and missed birdie putts on the 17th and 18th.

Irwin birdied only two holes on his way to a 73--his first plus-70 score in 11 rounds--and finished at 15-under-par 201. Nelson shot a 68 to finish at 12-under 204.

It was a long, tough day for Irwin. He finally smiled in relief when he sank a birdie putt on 18, tipping his cap to the crowd and patting Nelson on the back.

“The way I’ve been playing, there was going to be a time I’d tweak it a little, and this was the day,” he said.

It was Irwin’s fourth Senior PGA Tour victory this season, and 17th overall on the senior tour. His first senior victory was in 1995 at this tournament at Stonebridge Country Club.

Annika Sorenstam finished off her assault on the JAL Big Apple Classic record book with a four-under-par 67 for her third tournament win of the year.

With the victory at New Rochelle, N.Y., Sorenstam, 27, established marks for 72-hole total (265), strokes under par (19) and margin of victory (eight) after setting the 54-hole record on Saturday and going into the final round with a six-stroke lead. He first three rounds were 67, 66 and 65.

Joan Pitcock had three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine and closed with a 66 to finish second at 273. Michell Estill, who started the final round in second place, had a 71 and was alone at 275.

Se Ri Pak, who won the last two tournaments, cooled off and finished at four-over 288 after a final-round 76.

Estill was as close as four strokes early in the final round, but Sorenstam pulled away with birdies at Nos. 6, 7 and 8 to offset two early bogeys. Sorenstam then put it away with birdies at Nos. 12, 13 and 15.

Fred Funk used four birdies on the back nine to shoot a 68 and win the Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic at Madison, Miss., for his fifth PGA Tour victory but first since the 1996 B.C. Open.

Funk, who had finished in the top five in three of his last four tournaments, had a four-day total of 18-under 270.

Franklin Langham, who was trying to become the PGA Tour’s fourth first-time winner in six weeks, blew a four-stroke lead on the back nine and lost any chance for a victory with a triple bogey at No. 17 for the second day in a row.

Langham finished two strokes back in second place with Paul Goydos and Tim Loustalot, who had a final- round 66 for his first top-30 finish in 37 tournaments.

Funk, who began the final round tied with Mike Brisky, two shots ahead of the field, played the front nine in even par. As he stood in the No. 10 fairway at 14-under, Langham, playing in front of him, tapped in a birdie to go to 18-under.

But Langham, who had a front-nine 31, bogeyed the 11th, 13th and 14th before the disaster at 17.

Like Langham, Funk had a tap-in birdie at the 407-yard 10th. Funk had a par at No. 11 and then sank birdie putts the next two holes to take a one-stroke lead.

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Top of Their Game

Top finishers Sunday (complete scores, C13):

AMERITECH SENIOR OPEN--Par 72

Hale Irwin, $195,000: 62-66-73--201 -15

Larry Nelson, $114,400: 69-67-68--204 -12

David Graham, $85,800: 69-72-68--209 -7

Hugh Baiocchi, $85,800: 66-71-72--209 -7

JAL BIG APPLE CLASSIC--Par 71

Annika Sorenstam, $116,250: 67-66-65-67--265 -19

Joan Pitcock, $72,147: 70-67-70-66--273 -11

Michelle Estill, $52,648: 71-68-65-71--275 -9