Estes had a shot at a higher finish
THE WOODLANDS — Bob Estes had gotten to 5 under for his round and only one stroke off the lead as he approached his second shot on the treacherous par-4 18th hole.
Looking to finish strong, Estes was hoping to get a good look at a birdie putt. He wanted to play a good, smart shot into the green, but the wind kept changing velocity.
“I wanted to hit a 5iron, but the wind kept picking up, so I hit 4-iron, trying to work a 4-iron in left to right to the flag,” Estes said. “But as soon as I was about to pull the trigger, I could tell that the wind had laid, so I didn’t hit it as hard and I didn’t get off my back foot and I pulled it to the left, so then it goes long and left.”
From there Estes had a tough up-and-down. He chose to putt it, ending up three putting the hole to drop a shot. At 4 under for his round and 6 under for the tournament, Estes shared fifth place.
Shotgun start wasn’t in sight
Despite delays to the tournament as a result of rain and thunderstorms, no serious consideration was given to a shotgun start Saturday and Sunday in order to stay on course for a 54-hole event.
On the only two days of competitive play on The Woodlands Country Club Tournament Course, groups played in threesomes and went off on No. 1 and 10 tee boxes.
“It’s a hard thing to do,” said Brian Claar, PGA Tour Champions vice president of rules and competitions. “You throw a guy on a very hard hole right off the bat. At this level, we’re not ready to do that. There was talk about it, but it takes away from professional golf.”
Hall of Famers get Marr Award
World Golf Hall of Fame members Carol Mann, Mickey Wright and Babe Zaharias were recipients of the Dave Marr Award at this week’s Insperity Invitational.
Mann, who spent time as a golf instructor at The Woodlands, won 38 LPGA events. She also was a television broadcaster and helped design golf courses.
Wright won eight majors and retired in 1969 at age 34 with 82 victories. An all-around athlete, Zaharias won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Olympics and was a founding member of the LPGA Tour. She won 10 LPGA majors.
Odds and ends
Mike Weir’s win came in his 14th start as a rookie on PGA Tour Champions after finishing runner-up twice (2020 Dominion Energy Charity Classic and 2021 Cologuard Classic). … Weir is the sixth rookie to win during the 2020-21 season, joining Brett Quigley, Ernie Els, Shane Bertsch, Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson. … The fifth-place finish for Bernhard Langer propelled him into the No. 1 spot in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. … This is Tim Petrovic’s eighth time being a runner-up on tour. … David Toms has finished in the top 20 in each of his four appearances at the Insperity Invitational. … Scott Hoch and Loren Roberts withdrew during the final round.