Colin Montgomerie Wins Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship In Playoff
Colin Montgomerie Accepts The Winner's Cheque After Taking The Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship In A Playoff - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf
The 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship was won in dramatic fashion by Scotland's Colin Montgomerie over Scott McCarron of the U.S. on the third playoff hole. Here is the wrap up of the tournament held this past week at the Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria, BC.
Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship
Bear Mountain Golf Resort (Mountain Course) | Victoria, B.C. | September 19-25, 2016
Final-Round Notes (September 25, 2016)
Course Setup: Par 71 / 6,758 yards (R3 scoring average: 69.308; Overall scoring average: 69.847)
Weather: Cloudy through the early afternoon, then partly sunny. Highs in the upper 60s with winds light and variable.
Summary: Colin Montgomerie claimed his fourth PGA TOUR Champions victory by making a 15-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole Sunday evening at Bear Mountain Golf Club. Scott McCarron held a one-stroke lead on the final hole of regulation, but a bogey on No. 18 sent him and Montgomerie to a playoff at 15-under-par. Two players made runs at 59 on Sunday; Miguel Angel Jimenez (T3, -13) had to settle for a course-record 61 after making par on his final four holes, while Bernhard Langer (T7, -12) opened with a 28 but finished with a 63.
Player To Par Scores
1. Colin Montgomerie* (-15) 67-64-67 – 198
2. Scott McCarron (-15) 62-66-70 – 198
T3. Miguel Angel Jimenez (-13) 69-70-61 – 200
T3. Jeff Sluman (-13) 65-68-67 – 200
T3. Scott Dunlap (-13) 67-65-68 – 200
T3. Doug Garwood (-13) 64-66-70 – 200
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T7. Bernhard Langer (-12) 70-68-63 – 201
T28. Vijay Singh (-6) 67-69-71 – 207
T28. Joe Durant (-6) 68-68-71 – 207
*Won with a birdie on the third playoff hole (No. 18 – par, par, birdie)
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Colin Montgomerie, 67-64-67 – 198 (-15)
Montgomerie started the day three strokes behind McCarron, but birdies on three of the first four holes cut the deficit to just one. He gained a share of the lead on No. 5 when McCarron made bogey, and he took his first solo lead when he birdied No. 10.
Montgomerie made his only bogey of the tournament on the 12th hole Sunday, ending a streak of 47 bogey-free holes.
This was the third time Montgomerie played in Sunday’s final group this season, and this was the first time he emerged victorious.
With the win, Montgomerie moves to fifth on the Charles Schwab Cup Money List ($1,216,318). His 2016 season now includes seven top 10s in 17 starts.
Montgomerie’s four career PGA TOUR Champions victories:
- 2014 Senior PGA Championship
- 2014 U.S. Senior Open Championship*
- 2015 Senior PGA Championship
- 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship*
*Won by playoff; 2-0 career playoff record
Scott McCarron, 62-66-70 – 198 (-15)
Tied with Montgomerie at 15-under-par, McCarron got up-and-down for birdie on the short par-4 17th and took a one-stroke lead to the 18th tee. After missing the fairway with his drive, he was forced to take an unplayable lie, which led to a bogey and ultimately sent the championship to a sudden-death playoff.
Overall, he played the par-5 18th hole six times this week, carding four pars, one birdie and one bogey.
This was McCarron’s first playoff appearance on PGA TOUR Champions. With the runner-up finish, McCarron moved from No. 11 to No. 8 on the money list ($1,100,935). He now has five top 10s this season, including one victory (Principal Charity Classic) and two runner-up finishes.
Other Notes
This was the fifth playoff on PGA TOUR Champions this season.
- Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship (Colin Montgomerie def. Scott McCarron, third playoff hole)
- Boeing Classic (Bernhard Langer def. Kevin Sutherland and Woody Austin, first playoff hole)
- 3M Championship (Joe Durant def. Miguel Angel Jimenez, first playoff hole)
- Mitsubishi Electric Classic (Woody Austin def. Wes Short, Jr., second playoff hole)
- Allianz Championship (Esteban Toledo def. Billy Andrade, third playoff hole)
Jimenez’s final-round 10-under-par 61 is lowest round this season. Five rounds of 62 have been carded this year. Only 11 players have shot 60 in PGA TOUR Champions history, and Kevin Sutherland shot the only 59 in TOUR history in 2014.
Langer’s opening-nine 28 was just the fourth 28 in PGA TOUR Champions history. It is one shot shy of the record nine-hole score of 27.
- 27 – Jay Sigel, 1998 Bell Atlantic Classic, front nine, second round (9-under)
- 27 – Seiji Ebihara, 2002 Senior PGA Championship, front nine, fourth round (8-under)
- 28 – Jeff Sluman, 2013 3M Championship, front nine, third round (8-under)
- 28 – Kevin Sutherland, 2014 Dick's Sporting Goods Open, front nine, second round (9-under)
- 28 – Kenny Perry, 2015 U.S. Senior Open, back nine, third round (6-under)
- 28 – Bernhard Langer, 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship, front nine, third round (7-under)
Langer birdied Nos. 10 and 12 and was 9-under-par on the day through 12 holes, pulling to within one stroke of the lead at 13-under-par. However, he bladed his approach shot over the green on the par-5 13th, leading to a double bogey.
Rod Spittle carded a bogey-free 66 Sunday, lifting him into a tie for 38th to lead the quartet of Canadians in the field. He was followed by Jim Rutledge (T41, 73-69-68 – 210), Stephen Ames (T54, 74-69-69 – 212) and Murray Poje (78th, 82-79-73 – 234).