When Bobby Nichols calls golf a silly game, he's serious.
Two weeks after failing to make a birdie during 54 holes, Nichols made a 12-footer to beat Orville Moody in a playoff and win the $300,000 Southwestern Bell Classic.Nichols put together back-to-back rounds of 3-under par 69 - he even made an eagle one day - then shot a 1-under 71 Sunday to tie with Moody at 209. He won on the third extra hole, giving him his first individual title on the PGA Senior Tour.
"You never know about this silly game," Nichols said. "I felt I've played better golf as a senior than I did as a junior, but I couldn't beat anybody.
"I had four or five other chances to win before this, and something would happen," he said. "Most of the time it was bad shots."
Nichols, who won 12 times on the regular PGA Tour, including the 1964 PGA Championship, joined the Senior Tour in 1986. That year, he teamed with Curt Byrum to win the Showdown Classic, a junior-senior event.
His $226,000 in earnings last year was the most among Senior players who failed to win a tournament.
He lost by a stroke in the Arizona Classic in March, but that had been the highlight.
Until Sunday.
Despite 25 mph winds that gusted to 35 mph at Quail Creek Golf and Country Club, he started with birdies on the first two holes to go 8-under par and pass Al Geiberger, the leader after the first two rounds.
"I knew there were a lot of windy holes, a lot of tough holes left," he said. "Any time you can get off to a good start, it seems like you stay in contention throughout the round."
Nichols did that. He bogeyed the fifth hole to drop back to 7-under, then made 13 consecutive pars. One group ahead, Moody was staying right with him.
On No. 17, Moody made bogey to drop to minus-6. Meanwhile, on 16, Nichols sank a 12-footer to save his par and remain 7-under.
But Moody set up the playoff with an 8-foot birdie putt on 18. Nichols made par on 17 after just missing a birdie putt, then parred No. 18.