There were plenty of fan favorites at the Bruno's Memorial Classic and John Bland, whose name fits his lack of celebrity, outplayed them all.
Of course, the gallery was giddy for the likes of Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Raymond Floyd. At the end, after three playoff holes and four walks up and down the 18th fairway on Sunday, Bland was left alone at the top for his third Senior PGA Tour victory.Bland, a 50-year-old South African playing his first full season on the tour, didn't have clothes or golf clubs named after him like some other stars in the field. He did have consistency, a steady putter and, most importantly, composure.
"I was just trying to be patient, just waiting," said Bland, who shot a 1-under-par 71 and finished at 8-under for the tournament at Greystone Golf Club.
Bland had to overcome rainy weather and stiff challenges from John Paul Cain and Kermit Zarley in a three-hole playoff.
Bruce Summerhays, who led after the first and second rounds and was trying for his first senior victory, had a bad case of the putting blues, shooting a 77 and finishing five strokes back.
Bland went to seven under with a birdie on No. 13 and started chasing Zarley, who was at eight under after a birdie on the tricky 16th.
Cain, a 60-year-old Texan who pleased the gallery with his resiliency on the back nine, finally broke through at 18. He tied Zarley at eight under by making a 25-foot birdie putt to force the playoff.
Then Bland, playing in the final group of the day, strode to the 18th tee with designs on joining the party. He did, keeping the ball in the middle of the fairway and making a birdie.
"I hit a wonderful 9-iron," Bland said. "I think that third shot set up the hole."
Bland survived a bad tee shot on the first playoff hole, and the trio remained tied, marching back to the 18th tee to do it again.
On the second playoff hole, Zarley was eliminated with a double-bogey after driving into the woods, chipping into the mud near a creek and punching into the right bunker on his third shot. Cain and Bland both made par, but Cain thought he should have made the birdie putt for the victory.
"There was my shot right there, and I let it get away," Cain said.
Cain and Bland hit the fairway on the third playoff hole, but Cain's second shot sailed into the rough - a critical error on a wet day. He struck his third shot into the rocks off to the left of the pin, leaving the victory for Bland's taking.
"Once you get it in there, it's adios, fanny," Cain said. "You're gone."
With the pressure off, it didn't matter that Bland botched his par putt. After two well-played playoff holes, a bogey was enough on the third.
His strategy was simple: Wait for the other guy to make a mistake.
"I was trying to keep very focused and just trying to extend the round," Bland said.
Bland joined Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Jim Colbert and Bob Murphy as this year's multiple senior winners.