Jodie Mudd held off Mark Calcavecchia's last-gasp challenge for a one-stroke victory Sunday in the 30-plus hole windup of the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra, Fla.
Calcavecchia, second in his last three starts and four times this young season, watched his last chance for a playoff disappear when his 20-25 foot birdie putt on the final hole stayed to the right.Mudd, the leader over all 32 holes played this sunny day, claimed the most important of his three career victories with closing rounds of 69 and 70 and a 278 total at the 6,892-yard par-72 TPC course at Sawgrass.
The victory in the tournament billed as the annual championship of golf's touring pros, was worth $270,000 from the total purse of $1.5 million.
For Calcavecchia, it was another exercise in what might have been.
The British Open title-holder, Calcavecchia lost in a sudden-death playoff to Greg Norman two weeks ago at Miami.
A week ago, at Coral Springs, Fla., he closed within one stroke of the leader before some late putting problems cost him a chance at the Honda Classic title.
Calcavecchia was a single stroke back when the final-round play began, and a single stroke back when it ended. He had a closing 69 and a 279 total.
Defending champion Tom Kite was tied for fifth at 285 with Hale Irwin, Ken Green and Billy Ray Brown.
Green had a closing 75. Kite and Irwin matched 73s and Brown had a 71.
All of the leaders were on the front nine Saturday when a heavy rain forced an overnight delay in the third round.
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At Tucson, Ariz., Colleen Walker held on despite a double-bogey and two bogeys on the back side to shoot a par-72 for a five-stroke victory in the $300,000 LPGA Tucson Open on Sunday.
Walker, claiming her third career victory in nine years, had a 12-under 276 four-round total to earn the $45,000 first-place money.
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And at San Antonio, Jim Dent fired a 6-under-par 66 for a three-stroke victory Sunday in the windswept Vantage at The Dominion senior PGA tournament.
Dent's three-round total of 11-under-par 205 earned him $45,000 from a $300,000 purse and pushed him over the $1 million mark in PGA senior winnings. Dent became the 36th senior player to reach the seven-figure mark.