Vancouver’s Stephen Ames has won the Champions Tour’s Principal Charity Classic. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., finished second.
Vancouver’s Stephen Ames won the Principal Charity Classic on Sunday for his second PGA Tour Champions title, taking advantage of Tim Herron’s final-round collapse.
Seven strokes behind Herron entering the round, Ames shot a 5-under 67 for a one-stroke victory over fellow Canadian Mike Weir.
“Everybody else kind of faltered coming in, unfortunately for those, but fortunate for me,” Ames said. “I had a second Atlanta and I had three other top-10s on top of that, so things were starting to shape up. It’s just a matter of putting things together and obviously getting fortunate, which is what happened this week for me.”
A four-time winner on the PGA Tour, Ames won the 2017 Mitsubishi Electric Classic for his first senior title. The 57-year-old naturalized Canadian citizen from Trinidad finished at 12-under 204 at Wakonda Club.
WATCH | Ames fires a 5-under 67 to win 2nd career PGA Tour Champions event:
“It’s the kind of golf course that has to grow on you,” said Ames. “You definitely have to play it a few times to understand the nuances of it, the bounces, where to hit it when it’s running: I think this week the superintendent did a fantastic job getting the golf course in the best shape I’ve seen it for the years that I’ve played it.”
Weir, from Brights Grove, Ont., closed with a 69.
WATCH | Ontario’s Mike Weir finishes 2nd at Principal Charity Classic:
Herron bogeyed three of the final five holes in a 76 that left him tied for third at 10 under. He missed a chance for his first senior victory after winning four times on the PGA Tour.
“Hopefully, I guess you learn from it even at age 51,” Heron said. “It was a little rough. Worked on some swing changes and I think my old swing kind of came back a little bit. I was guiding it a little bit, but it was pretty windy today and just didn’t get any momentum going.”
Willie Wood (68) and Doug Barron (71) matched Herron at 10 under.