BEACHWOOD, Ohio — Having waited two decades to finally win his first big tournament, Michael Allen has his eyes on another prize.
“This gives me the exact scenario I want,” he said with a laugh after shooting a 3-under 67 Sunday to win the Senior PGA Championship by two shots over Larry Mize. “I’m going to be the first guy ever to win a senior tour event before he wins his first PGA Tour event.”
Then he smiled, lifted his champagne flute and took a long sip.
The 50-year-old journeyman ended his lengthy victory drought with two late birdies to capture the first Champions Tour major of the year — in his debut on the over-50 tour. He almost didn’t accept the special exemption to come to suburban Cleveland because he still has his regular tour card and considered playing in the richer Byron Nelson.
Smart move.
After hitting close on the 18th hole, he mugged for a camera, laughed and said, “About friggin’ time!”
Allen had earlier rounds of 74, 66 and 67 to finish at 6-under 274.
Seng takes Corning Classic
CORNING, N.Y. — Yani Tseng breathed a big sigh of relief. All those runner-up finishes became a distant memory with one missed putt.
The 20-year-old won the LPGA Corning Classic on Sunday by one shot over South Korea’s Soo-Yun Kang (69) and Paula Creamer (65). Tseng, the youngest player in LPGA history to surpass US$2 million in earnings, finished at 21-under 267 for her second career victory and moved into third on this year’s money list.
“I’ve been waiting for a year to win a tournament,” said Tseng, a runner-up five times as a rookie and once more this year. “I wrote my (winning) speech in January. Every time I get so close and I don’t win. This week I just let it go.”