Kirk Triplett wins playoff for 3rd Pebble Beach senior title
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Kirk Triplett won the Pure Insurance Championship for the third time Sunday at Pebble Beach, beating Billy Andrade with an 8-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff.
The 57-year-old Triplett also won the PGA Tour Champions event in 2012 and 2013. He has eight senior victories, also winning a playoff in March in the Hoag Classic down the coast in Newport Beach.
"I started hitting the ball pretty good about the middle of last summer and that's given me new life," said Triplett, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour. "I've had a lot of chances to win and I feel very competitive and I'm pretty thankful for that."
Playing four groups ahead of Andrade, Triplett birdied the 18th in regulation for a 5-under 67 and 9-uner 206 total. Andrade, playing in the final group, also closed with a birdie, holing a 7-footer after hitting his second shot through the green.
The 55-year-old Andrade missed a birdie try before Triplett holed the winning putt in the event that pairs tour players with juniors from The First Tee programs around the country.
Triplett helped Sam Sommerhauser of the First Tee of Greater Sacramento win the junior boys' title at 23 under.
"From the individual perspective, I was really more focused on my junior today because we were in good shape," Triplett said. "We got off to a good start and I was just kind of all day playing more to help him. The leaders were at 10 and I was at 6 or 7. I just never really felt in touch with that aspect of the tournament, I was really trying to help Sam. Boy, the guys came back a little bit and I made some birdies. It changes fast out here, especially here."
Andrade won four PGA Tour titles and teamed with Joe Durant for his one senior title four years ago.
"You give yourself opportunities and you can't win all of them, but this one's going to hurt a little bit," Andrade said. "I had opportunities on the back nine, I made a couple mistakes and made a couple bogeys. If I didn't do it, then I would have been in a different situation."
Triplett jumped from ninth to fourth in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.
"I don't really think about all of that stuff too much," Triplett said. "I just try and play the tournaments that are in front of me. I'm 57 years old. Anything you get after 54, 55, I think is kind of gravy out here."
Triplet improved to 3-0 in playoffs and matched Jeff Sluman's tournament record with his third victory. Andrade is 1-3 in playoffs.
"This is all gravy. We're out here playing old-man golf and we've got great sponsors and great places like Pebble Beach," Andrade said. "There's really not more you can say about how great this place is and how great these tournaments are. In this situation, you don't want to lose, you want to win. Disappointing."
Paul Broadhurst was a stroke out the playoff, shooting a 68. Tom Gillis (69) was 7 under, and Tom Lehman (69), Tom Byrum (69), Billy Mayfair (69) and Marco Dawson (71) were 6 under. Second-round leader Steve Flesch had a 75 to tie for ninth at 5 under.
Ashley Menne of the First Tee of Phoenix won the girls' title.
