Langer wins third Senior British Open.
Bernhard Langer won the Senior British Open on Sunday in rain and wind at Royal Porthcawl in Bridgend, Wales, for his record-extending 10th senior major title and fifth in the last 10.
The 59-year-old German star closed with an even-par 72 to finish at 4under 280 and beat American Corey Pavin by three strokes. Langer joined Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win three senior majors in a season, and won the event for the third time to match the tournament record.
Langer won the Regions Tradition and Senior PGA Championship — the first two of the PGA Champions Tour’s five majors — in consecutive weeks in May. Nicklaus won three of the then-four majors in 1991.
Langer also won in 2010 at Carnoustie and took the 2014 event at Royal Porthcawl by 13 strokes. Tom Watson and Gary Player are the only other threetime winners, with Player’s titles coming before the event was a major or part of the PGA Champions Tour.
The two-time Masters champion also won the season-opening event in Hawaii in January and has 33 PGA Tour Champions titles. He’s second on the career victory list, 12 behind Hale Irwin.
Pavin closed with a 71. Fred Couples had a 68 to tie for third at even par with fellow American Billy Andrade (68) and Australia’s Peter Lonard (71).
Madison’s Jerry Kelly finished in a tie for 45th after firing a final-round 77 to finish at 12 over. Mequon’s Skip Kendall finished tied for 53rd after his closing 74.
PGA Tour: Jhonattan Vegas successfully defended his RBC Canadian Open title Sunday at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ontario, beating Charley Hoffman with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff.
Vegas’ approach from the left bunker on the par-5 18th hit the grass just above the sand lip and still had enough power to clear the water and go through the green.
“When I heard the clip, because obviously I didn’t see it, I knew that it was probably going to go in the water, because I didn’t know exactly how hard it hit it,” Vegas said. “But then when I saw the ball in the air, it was still going really hard and forward.”
The 32-year-old Venezuelan chipped to a foot — after racing a chip past the hole in regulation from the same area en route to a par — and won when Hoffman’s birdie try from the back bunker slid past the hole.
Vegas has three PGA Tour titles, also winning the 2011 Bob Hope Classic. He’s the sixth player to win consecutive Canadian Opens, following J. Douglas Edwards (1919’20), Leo Diegel (1924-’25), Sam Snead (1940-’41), Jim Ferrier (1950-’51) and Jim Furyk (2006-’07).
Ian Poulter was a stroke back after a 64, the best round of the day.
LPGA Tour: Mi Hyang Lee took advantage of Hall of Famer Karrie Webb’s late double bogey to win the Ladies Scottish Open on Sunday in Irvine, Scotland, for her second title.
A stroke ahead of Lee with two holes left at chilly Dundonald Links, Webb dropped a shot back with the double bogey on the par-5 17th after driving into a bunker and having to play out backward.
Lee, playing in the group ahead of Webb, increased the margin to two with a birdie on the par-5 18th. Needing an eagle to force a playoff, Webb closed with a birdie to tie for second with Mi Jung Hur.
Carlota Ciganda (70) and Cristie Kerr (72) tied for fourth at 4 under.