Langer goes close again as Austin wins in Virginia
American Woody Austin closed with a three-under 69 for a one-stroke victory over Bernhard Langer in the Champions Tour Play-offs opener, the Dominion Energy Charity Classic in Virginia.
Austin, 54, finished on 11-under-par at The Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course to claim his fourth senior title and first since 2016.
Langer, the defending tournament champion and season points leader, closed with a 70 as the 61-year-old German came up just short in his bid to follow up a win the previous weekend in North Carolina.
Jay Haas, the second-round leader after a 65, closed with a 74 to tie for third with Fran Quinn (69) and Kent Jones (70) on nine-under. Haas, 64, missed a chance to become the tour’s oldest winner.
Colin Montgomerie tied for 28th on three-under after rounds of 71-72-70.
The top 72 players qualified for the Charles Schwab Cup Play-offs opener and the top 54 move on to the Invesco QQQ Championship next week in Thousand Oaks, California, and the top 36 after that will advance to the seasonending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix.
Elsewhere, Danielle Kang won the LPGA Shanghai for her second career title, closing with a three-under-par 69 for a two-stroke victory over seven players.
Kang, a major winner last year in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, finished on 13-under 275 at Qizhong Garden Golf Club.
Lydia Ko signed off with a 66 to tie for second with Ariya Jutanugarn (71), Marina Alex (67), Annie Park (67), Wenbo Liu (68), Brittany Altomare (71) and Sei Young Kim (72).
In South Africa, home player Garth Mulroy won the Sunshine Tour’s Vodacom Origins of Golf event at Parys, closing with a two-under 70 for a onestroke victory.