Ken Duke birdies last hole to win his first PGA Tour Champions title
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Ken Duke holed a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole Sunday to win the Shaw Charity Classic for his first title on the PGA Tour Champions.
Duke closed with a 4-under 66 for a one-shot victory over Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand and Tim Petrovic, who started the final round in the lead.
Jaidee shot a 62. Petrovic had to play out of the rough on the closing hole and failed to make a birdie that might have forced a playoff. He shot 69.
Duke rolled in his birdie putt, took a step toward the hole with a big fist pump and began to celebrate. His lone PGA Tour victory was 10 years ago at the Travelers Championship. And it was meaningful to win for the first time in Canada, where he began his career.
Duke won twice on what now is PGA Tour Canada.
“I've always dreamed about this. This is where I started my professional career up here in Canada and I always thought that I’d win up here and here we are,” Duke said, alluding to the seven years he spent up north.
Darren Clarke shot 63 and tied for fourth.
Petrovic struggled on the front nine with a pair of bogeys but battled back and was tied for the lead with Duke and Jaidee going to the 18th. But he laid it up in the rough.
“It was in the worst spot possible with that tight pin and had to play to the left just to give myself a putt at it,” Petrovic said. “Almost made it, that would have been nice.”
Duke finished at 14-under 196 and won $360,000.
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