Jimenez sees it out this time to win his first Senior major

Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Regions Tradition for his first senior major title, closing with a two-under 70 for a three-stroke victory in Birmingham, Alabama.

The Spaniard held or shared the lead after every round, taking a three-shot edge into the final round at Greystone Golf & Country Club and finishing at 19 under 269 for his fifth PGA Tour Champions victory.

Steve Stricker, Joe Durant and Gene Sauers tied for second, with three-time senior major winner Colin Montgomerie finishing 11 shots behind Jimenez in joint 27th.

It was the third time Jimenez had entered the final round of a senior major with at least a share of the lead. He tied for third at the 2016 Senior Open and was runner-up in the 2016 US Senior Open. Bernhard Langer finished five strokes off the lead in his bid to become the first to win the Tradition in three straight years. He closed with a 66 and 67 over the final two rounds after a slow start.

On the PGA Tour, Aaron Wise cruised to his first victory by shattering the AT&T Byron Nelson record at 23-under in Dallas, Texas.

The 21-year-old rookie shot a six-under 65 to beat Marc Leishman by three strokes as both became the first to finish the Nelson at 20 under or better in the first year at Trinity Forest.

Rory Sabbatini set the previous record on the par-70 TPC Four Seasons in suburban Irving with 19under 261 in 2009.

Wise, the 2016 NCAA individual champion at Oregon, reached 20 under with his third birdie in the first seven holes.

Branden Grace matched his career-best 62 at last year’s British Open – which was the lowest round ever in a major – and finished at 19 under with J.J. Spaun and Keith Mitchell, who had matching 63s. Hometown star Jordan Spieth shot 67 to finish 11 under.

On the LPGA Tour, Catriona Matthew finished joint tenth as Ariya Jutanugarn birdied the second hole of a play-off to win the Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg, Virginia, for the second time in three years. Jutanugarnclosedwith a five under 66 to match Nasa Hataoka (67) and In Gee Chun (68) at 14 under 199 in a rainshortened event before rolling in a 15-footer at the second extra hole to secure her eighth career victory.