Ben Crenshaw says he felt like an "old dog with an old bone" on the home stretch of the Colonial National Invitation golf tournament in Fort Worth, Texas.
He had the trophy in his teeth and wasn't about to let go.With Curtis Strange, Nick Price and Corey Pavin nipping at his heels on Sunday, "Gentle Ben" shot a near-flawless 4-under-par 66 on the rain-soaked, windswept Colonial Country Club course and won his first title in two years.
His 72-hole total of 272 was 8-under, three strokes better than Pavin and Price, who closed with 68s, and John Mahaffey at 66.
Strange, playing well but putting atrociously, matched par 70 and tied Mike Hulbert at 4-under. Hulbert shot 63, overshadowed by Gene Sauers' record-tying 62.
But the day belonged to Crenshaw, a native Texan, a University of Texas ex and honorary Colonial member. "It's been so long, I don't know how to act," he grinned. "I'm just elated. To win on this course for a second time makes me very, very happy. I can't tell you how happy I am."
The victory was his 15th and earned him $180,000 and a trophy to match the one he got in 1977 when he scrambled to a wild one-shot triumph.
Price, Pavin and Strange held or shared the lead in the final round, but Crenshaw torpedoed the field with birdies at the seventh, eighth and ninth holes for a dazzling 5-under-par 30. With nine holes to play, he led Price and Pavin by four shots.
***
At High Point, N.C., Cindy Rarick held off charges by Hollis Stacy and Beth Daniel to capture the $400,000 Pat Bradley International.
Rarick struggled with her last three holes - bogey, par, bogey - and finished with 25 points under the modified Stableford scoring system, which rewards bold play and penalizes mistakes with points instead of strokes. It was the fourth career victory for Rarick, and she took home $62,500.
Daniel finished second with 24 points, 10 in the final round. Stacy, who faltered on the back nine after a hot front side, also had 10 points in the last round and closed with 23.
***
At Houston, Lee Trevino shot a 3-under-par 69 for a tournament-record 13-under-par 203 total and a six-stroke victory in the Doug Sanders Kingwood Celebrity Classic. The victory was Trevino's fourth in eight tournaments this year, his first on the PGA Senior Tour.
Trevino was the wire-to-wire leader and set the 36-hole tourney record with 134 over the 6,564-yard, par-72 Deerwood Country Club.