Evergreen Montgomerie earns second PGA Tour Champions win

CARY ( North Carolina): Colin Montgomerie earned his second PGA Tour Champions victory in five weeks, a three-stroke win at the SAS Championship.

Montgomerie shot a bogey-free, eight-under 64 in his final round at Prestonwood Country Club on Sunday.

He earned US$315,000 (RM1mil) for his sixth career victory on the 50-andover Tour, and improved two spots to No. 7 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings in the Tour’s regular-season finale.

The 54-year-old Scot finished at 16-under 200. He won the Tour’s first-ever event in Japan – the Japan Airlines Championship – last month. The Hall of Famer won 31 times on the European Tour and topped the Tour’s money list a record eight times – seven in a row from 1993-99 and the last in 2005.

Vijah Singh and Doug Garwood each shot 66 and tied for second at 13-under 203. Corey Pavin was one stroke behind them after his 67.

Montgomerie began the final round sharing the lead with Phillip Price and Jerry Kelly. He had three birdies on the front nine before pulling away with five birdies on the back nine – including on the 14th, 15th and 17th holes – before closing with a par on the parfour 18th.

Montgomerie has said he hopes to be on form entering the Schwab Cup playoffs – which begin next week in Richmond, Virginia, for the top 72 players – after he started the season slowly because of injuries.

He was sidelined for two months in the spring by torn ligaments in his left ankle.