NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Fred Couples won his second straight Champions Tour title, shooting a 6-under-par 65 for a four-stroke victory Sunday in the Toshiba Classic.
Couples, making his third start on the 50-and-over tour, had an 18-under 195 total. He won the ACE Group Classic on Feb. 14 in Florida and finished second behind Tom Watson in the season- opening event in Hawaii. Last week, Couples tied for 14th in the PGA Tour’s Phoenix Open.
“In a good way I am full of confidence in my game,” said Couples, who opened with rounds of 66 and 64. “I talked to Jay Haas a long time ago and when you are 50 you are the youngest guy out here and if you are a good player like I think I am, I thought I would have some opportunities to win.”
Ronnie Black (65) finished second. Tom Lehman (69) and Chien Soon Lu (69) tied for third at 12-under, and Watson (62) and Loren Roberts (68) followed at 11-under.
Footnotes.
Karrie Webb won her seventh Australian Ladies Masters title, closing with a course- record 11-under 61 for a six-stroke victory in Gold Coast.
• South Korean teenager Noh Seung-yul birdied the final hole to win the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur by one shot over countryman K.J. Choi.
• Steve Pate, at 48 years, 9 months, 11 days, became the oldest champion in Nationwide Tour history, winning the Bogota Open in Colombia.
The Associated Press
