Jay Haas won his second Champions Tour title in three weeks, shooting a second straight 5-under-par 66 on Sunday for a two-stroke victory over Tom Purtzer at the SBC Championship in San Antonio.
Haas finished at 14-under 199 and won for the third time in his career at Oak Hills Country Club, site of his Texas Open victories in 1982 and 1993, two of nine PGA Tour wins.
“I just feel like I’m going to shoot a good round when I come out here,” said Haas, who won the Greater Hickory Classic two weeks ago and was tied for fifth last week at the Administaff Small Business Classic.
Haas, who also has competed in 16 PGA Tour events this season, earned $232,500 for the win and raised his Champions Tour earnings to $744,653 in nine tournaments.
Purtzer, who began the final round tied for 20th, had eight birdies, including four straight starting at No. 3, and closed with a 63 to reach 12-under.
Former European Ryder Cup captain Mark James had a final-round 70 and was third at 11-under. Dana Quigley (72) and R.W. Eaks (66) tied for fourth another stroke back, and Tom Kite (67), Jerry Pate (68) and Gil Morgan (69) finished five strokes behind the winner.
Haas began the final round two strokes behind Quigley, the 2002 winner. But the Champions Tour’s leading money winner fell out of contention on the back nine, making bogey on the last three holes.
“My putter failed me, but I probably failed my putter,” said Quigley, who missed short putts on each of the last three holes. “I think I got a little flat after the bogey on 16.”
European Tour: Jose Maria Olazabal won his first title in nearly four years, shooting a 4-under 66 to capture the Mallorca Classic in Son Servera by five strokes.
Olazabal, who finished at 10-under 270, is the third straight Spaniard to win the event. Sergio Garcia won last year and Miguel Angel Jimenez in 2003.
Garcia also closed with a 66 and shared second place at 275 with Spain’s Jose Manuel Lara (68) and England’s Paul Broadhurst (70).
Olazabal, who has overseen renovations to the course the last two years, had four birdies on the front nine and then parred every hole. His previous victory came at the Buick Invitational early in 2002.
Olazabal moved into the top five on the European points list as automatic qualifiers for the next Ryder Cup team. He played six times from 1987-99 but has missed out the last two times.
