Toms wins Champions Cologuard Classic
TUCSON, Ariz. – David Toms posted a 6-under 30 on his front nine Saturday and led by two shots after 36 holes at the 2023 Cologuard Classic.
On Sunday, he led by four through 11 holes and was still up by two when he got to the par-4 18th, rated the most difficult hole on the PGA Tour Champions last season.
And for the third day in a row, the 18th proved trouble for Toms, who drove his tee shot into a lake down the right side of the fairway for the third time.
He said he didn’t see it go in Sunday and only discovered it was wet once he got up there, and that probably helped him avoid thinking about a bad shot for very long.
“It was more about ‘Let’s take our drop, let’s get our yardage,’ ” Toms said. “My caddie Scott (Gneiser) said, ‘Hey man, we’re alright. Let’s hit a good shot here.’ ”
Toms only had five bogeys over the 54 holes, and three came on the 18th. After a drop, his approach missed right but he got up-and-down for bogey and that was enough, as Toms closed with a 68 to finish at 15 under and beat Robert Karlsson by a shot. Toms (68-65-68) posted 19 birdies over three days. Besides the first-place check, he also won a gold Conquistador helmet, which is the trophy for the tournament.
He sounded excited to be able to bring that home.
“It’s just kinda one of those things. I’ve always paid attention to it, saw the funny pictures of the guys putting it on their heads. I can tell you that my caddie’s got no chance to fit it on his head,” Toms quipped.
Gene Sauers had the best round Sunday with a 64 and tied Mark Hensby for third at 12 under. Doug Barron finished solo fifth at 11 under. Lee Janzen and Marco Dawson tied for sixth at 10 under.
PGA Tour Champions Cologuard Classic Catalina Course, Tucson, Ariz.
Purse: $2.2 million
Yardage: 6,981; Par: 72
Final Round
David Toms, $330,000 ............................................. 68-65-68—201 (-15) Robert Karlsson, $193,600 ....................................... 71-64-67—202 (-14) Mark Hensby, $145,200 ........................................... 69-70-65—204 (-12) Gene Sauers, $145,200 ............................................. 71-69-64—204 (-12) Doug Barron, $105,600 ............................................. 71-69-65—205 (-11) Marco Dawson, $83,600 .......................................... 68-70-68—206 (-10) Lee Janzen, $83,600 ................................................ 70-69-67—206 (-10) Retief Goosen, $60,500 ............................................. 73-64-70—207 (-9) Brett Quigley, $60,500 .............................................. 65-73-69—207 (-9) Steve Stricker, $60,500 ............................................. 70-66-71—207 (-9) Mike Weir, $60,500 .................................................... 68-71-68—207 (-9) Ken Duke, $43,450 .................................................... 68-72-68—208 (-8) Thongchai Jaidee, $43,450 ........................................ 70-71-67—208 (-8) Scott Parel, $43,450 ................................................. 70-69-69—208 (-8) Kirk Triplett, $43,450 ................................................. 66-72-70—208 (-8) Alex Cejka, $35,200 .................................................... 67-70-72—209 (-7) Chris DiMarco, $35,200 .............................................. 74-63-72—209 (-7) Miguel Angel Jimenez, $35,200 ................................ 70-70-69—209 (-7) Stuart Appleby, $26,023 ............................................. 72-67-71—210 (-6) Paul Broadhurst, $26,023 ........................................... 71-71-68—210 (-6) Paul Goydos, $26,023 ................................................. 71-69-70—210 (-6) Tim Herron, $26,023 ................................................... 70-71-69—210 (-6) Jerry Kelly, $26,023 ................................................... 68-72-70—210 (-6) Bernhard Langer, $26,023 ......................................... 72-68-70—210 (-6) Y.E. Yang, $26,023 ...................................................... 69-72-69—210 (-6) Ernie Els, $19,580 ........................................................ 69-73-69—211 (-5) Bob Estes, $19,580 ..................................................... 69-76-66—211 (-5) Brian Gay, $19,580 ....................................................... 71-69-71—211 (-5) David McKenzie, $19,580 ............................................. 73-71-67—211 (-5) Steve Flesch, $15,547 .................................................. 71-71-70—212 (-4) Richard Green, $15,547 ............................................... 69-71-72—212 (-4) John Huston, $15,547 .................................................. 66-75-71—212 (-4) Justin Leonard, $15,547 .............................................. 77-67-68—212 (-4) Rod Pampling, $15,547 ................................................ 74-71-67—212 (-4) Ken Tanigawa, $15,547 ................................................ 69-72-71—212 (-4)