Montgomerie on a roll entering playoffs

Golf fans feeling a void after the conclusion of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs might be surprised to learn the older set has its own version, the PGA Tour Champions playoffs.

Colin Montgomerie won the tour’s regular-season finale Sunday by three shots at the SAS Championship, his second victory in five weeks. He shot a bogey-free, 8-under 64 in his final round at Prestonwood Country Club.

He earned $315,000 for his sixth career victory on the 50-and-over tour, and improved two spots to No. 7 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.

The victory “gives me a huge amount of confidence going into the playoffs, and I look forward to the next few weeks with added incentive now,” said Montgomerie, who never won a major tournament on the PGA Tour despite numerous close calls.

PGA Tour

Two Americans finished 1-2 at the CIMB Classic. Pat Perez claimed a four-shot victory over compatriot Keegan Bradley at TPC Kuala Lumpur. The victory earned him an automatic entry for the Masters in April. Perez’s feat comes after a long recovery from a shoulder injury a year ago that threatened to derail his career.

European Tour

Tyrrell Hatton sunk a 15foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the Italian Open for his second European Tour victory in two weeks. It looked like Hatton was heading for a three-man playoff before he rolled in his final putt and unleashed a series of fist pumps.

LPGA Tour

South Korean Jin Young Ko turned to her caddie to overcome a sluggish start and win her first LPGA tournament at the KEB Hana Bank Championship. Ko bogeyed two of the first three holes at the Ocean Course before carding six birdies for a 68. “After I made the two bogeys I had a really long chat with my caddie,” Ko said. “He kept reminding me that being nervous was quite natural, that I needed to accept those nerves.”