SURREY (British Columbia), Sept 2: A week that began as a nightmare turned into a dream come true for Gene Sauers.
Sauers returned to the winner’s circle at a PGA Tour event for the first time in 13 years Sunday, holding off a host of players at the Air Canada Championship.
A 40-year-old playing without a PGA Tour card, Sauers earned his third career title by shooting a two-under-par 69 at the Northview Golf and Country Club. His 72-hole total of 15-under 269 was just good enough for his first PGA Tour win since 1989.
Sauers wasn’t even supposed to play here this week but was added as the seventh and final alternate. He made the trip from a Buy.com Tour stop in Odessa, Texas, to western Canada, arriving Wednesday morning without his luggage.
Leading final round scores (US unless stated):
269 — Gene Sauers 69, 65, 66, 69.
270 — Steve Lowery 67, 67, 68, 68.
271 — Vijay Singh (Fiji) 70, 69, 67, 65; Craig Barlow 67, 65, 71, 68; Robert Allenby (Australia) 71, 62, 68, 70.
272 — Tom Scherrer 68, 69, 70, 65.
273 — David Gossett 67, 66, 72, 68; Peter Lonard (Australia) 66, 67, 68, 72.
274 — Harrison Frazar 68, 68, 72, 66; John Senden (Australia) 68, 70, 70, 66; Darren Clarke (Britain) 72, 67, 66, 69.
275 — Frank Nobilo (New Zealand) 69, 71, 70, 65; Kevin Sutherland 67, 67, 69, 72.
276 — Greg Chalmers (Australia) 69, 71, 68, 68; Michael Clark II 71, 68, 72, 65; Fred Funk 68, 69, 70, 69; Per-Ulrik Johansson (Sweden) 68, 69, 69, 70.
277 — Stephen Ames (Canada) 68, 67, 72, 70; Ben Crane 67, 71, 70, 69; Matt Peterson 70, 67, 69, 71; Joel Edwards 68, 69, 69, 71; Mike Standly 71, 68, 67, 71.—AFP/Reuters