Willie Wood, bogey free all week and worry free the final round, chased down beleaguered Bill Glasson on the final seven holes Sunday to win the inaugural Pacific Links Hawaii Championship.
It has been nearly 15 years since Glasson’s last win. Wood had gone 16 years before capturing the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open last month as a Monday qualifier.
"I saw him (Glasson) as he walked to the scoring tent," said Wood, who turns 52 next month. "I said sorry. It’s just the nature of the game.
PACIFIC LINKS HAWAII CHAMPIONSHIP
Final Leaderboard
Willie Wood |
202 |
Bill Glasson |
203 |
Peter Senior |
204 |
David Frost |
205 |
Tom Lehman |
205 |
Dick Mast |
206 |
Larry Mize |
206 |
Six tied at 207
|
"We’re all trying to win out here and there’s only one winner each week, but we all really care for each other. And we’ve all been through so much in our careers we know what it feels like to mess up and to make the putt. I know how Bill feels."
Wood made "the putt" on the final hole at Kapolei Golf Course, draining a 20-footer for his sixth birdie of the day. His 66 left him at 14-under-par 202 for the tournament and $270,000 richer than when he arrived in Hawaii.
In his last three starts he has finished first, third and first, earning $684,000 and, maybe more crucial, the right to play every week.
Wood was five shots back coming into the final round. He still trailed by four when Glass on bounced back from a three-putt bogey at the 11th by sinking a 40-footer on the next hole.
Glasson, who closed with a 72, agonized over his driving the first two days. He didn’t miss a fairway the first 14 holes Sunday and finished the week ranked first in greens in regulation (83 percent).
But that three-putt struck a nerve. His par on the 10th was his last of the day. He had five bogeys and three birdies on the final holes, missing his only two fairways of the day and all four of his missed greens.
"That (three-putt) was kind of … I really had a hard time focusing after that," said Glasson, 52. "I had a hard time trying to make a score as opposed to trying to keep it out of trouble. The week has been really a grind for me just trying to manage a round. I’d make a bad one, then make a good one. The last seven holes were a roller coaster."
A group ahead, Wood was in his new "winning" element. There were 309 tournaments between his only PGA Tour victory (the 1996 Deposit Guaranty Classic) and his win last month. Glasson is now at 249 and counting.
"I was pretty calm, didn’t get very nervous out there, which was nice," said Wood, alluding to his recent win. "But I was also three and four shots behind Bill most of the day. I don’t know how he played the back nine other than the last hole. I just kind of snuck up there."
Wood buried a 35-foot birdie putt on the final hole to get into a playoff last month, then beat leading money winner Michael Allen in a playoff. His aloha birdie Sunday left him tied with Glasson, who was birdieing the 17th behind him.
Glasson crushed his drive on the final hole and had just 80 yards to the pin. He "blanked out a little bit" on his approach, not taking the breeze into account and hitting it higher than he wanted. The ball landed on the green and rolled back down the hill.
Needing to get up and down now to get into a playoff, he chipped to 10 feet and missed the par putt when he hit it too firm.
"I couldn’t get a feel for what the speed was … ," said Glasson, who had not finished better than third in his short senior career until Sunday. "I just rammed it through the break."
Glasson was brutally honest about his struggles and what he hopes to gain from his bittersweet experience. He spoke of his last win as "a lifetime ago" and he gave Wood his due.
"You’ve got to give Willie a lot of credit," Glasson said. "He shot 66 today. That’s a good score."
Wood has been there. His long wait is over, and he knows that helped at Kapolei.
"It’s not always easier, but you’re definitely more comfortable in the lead and in contention when you’ve just done well," he said. "I’m confident now and feel good.
"I guess it is easier. It’s just been so much fun playing well and getting into a rhythm of playing, playing, playing."
First-round leader Peter Senior birdied the last four holes to shoot 69 and finish third alone, two behind Wood. Tom Lehman (67) and David Frost (69) tied for fourth.
Larry Mize, the 1987 Masters champ, shared low-round honors with Kirk Triplett at 65 and tied for sixth with Dick Mast.