Langer ties Nicklaus’ mark of 8 major senior titles

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. >> Bernhard Langer pulled away from the other contenders — and pulled even with Jack Nicklaus.

Langer cruised to his second straight Regions Tradition victory, shooting an 8-under-64 on Sunday to match Nicklaus’ record of eight PGA Tour Champions major titles.

“Yeah, that’s pretty neat,” Langer said. “Not many people can say they match Jack Nicklaus in anything. To have won as many majors on this tour as he has is outstanding obviously and a thrill for me.

“I’m still way behind on the regular tour, though, in majors.”

The 59-year-old German star was way behind at times in this one, too.

He wiped out a sixstroke deficit over the weekend and entered the final round two strokes behind Fred Funk, but once again made sure there was no drama. He finished at 20-under 268 for a fivestroke victory over Scott McCarron (69) and Scott Parel (70), after winning last year by six.

It’s the first time Langer has won a major after coming from behind on the final day.

He wasn’t challenged after a birdie on the 12th, when Funk had a triple bogey. Suddenly, Langer led by three strokes over Parel and four over Funk.

“Obviously, it was huge for me and terrible for Fred because up until then, it was neck to neck,” Langer said. “Even Scott Parel was right in there as well. There were plenty of holes to be played, so nobody really had their nose in front by a great deal.

“When I made birdie and Fred made triple bogey, that was a big swing in my favor. At that point, I jumped ahead and then I never relented.”

Langer has eight straight rounds in the 60s since the tournament moved to Greystone. He took command on 12 and followed with two straight birdies and another with a tap-in on No. 17 after just missing an eagle.

It was his third par-3 birdie of the round.

Langer has 31 victories on the 50-and-over tour, also winning the seasonopening event in Hawaii in January. The Hall of Famer won the Masters twice for his lone regular majors, leaving him 16 behind Nicklaus.

Funk shot a 72 to tie for fourth with Marco Dawson (66). He lost a share of the lead with the messy 12th after his drive went out of bounds and Langer took his first solo lead. AT&T BYRON NELSON >> Billy Horschel had missed four straight cuts when he arrived at TPC Four Seasons, a course he was never particularly fond of.

After winning the last AT&T Byron Nelson scheduled at the Irving resort, Horschel now wishes he could have the chance to come back.

While his 18-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Sunday stopped just short, Horschel won with a par when Jason Day pulled his 4-foot par putt left and past the hole.

“When I hit it I knew it was on a perfect line and I thought I got it to the hole. ... I just wanted to finish it off there,” Horschel said. “I didn’t expect him to miss it. I was expecting to go back to the tee and play the hole again.”

Instead, the playoff wrapped up the Nelson’s 35th and final tournament in Irving. The event shifts next year to the new linksstyle Trinity Forest Golf Club south of downtown Dallas.

In his only two previous Nelsons, in 2011 and 2012, Horschel missed the cut at 13 over through 36 holes both times. With a closing 1-under 69 on Sunday, including a 60-foot birdie putt at the 14th hole, Horschel matched Day (68) at 12-under 268 for a playoff.

“It’s sad that it’s leaving because I was never a fan of this course, but came here and now I am,” Horschel said. “I won, and I don’t want to leave.”

Third-round leader James Hahn finished a stroke back after shooting 71. He just missed a miraculous eagle at the 18th hole that would have gotten him in the playoff with his playing partners — threesomes were used after early morning rain delayed the start Sunday. KINGSMILL CHAMPIONSHIP >> Lexi Thompson hopes she can finally put the ANA Inspiration rules mess behind her.

Thompson shot her third 6-under 65 on Sunday to finish off a nearly flawless wire-to-wire victory in the Kingsmill Championship with a tournamentrecord 20-under 264 total. She broke the record of 19 under at Kingsmill’s River Course set by Annika Sorenstam in 2008.

The victory came in Thompson’s third event since she lost the ANA Inspiration in a playoff after being penalized four strokes for a rules violation reported by a television viewer, and she said she hopes chatter about that situation can finally be put to rest.