KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — Free-swinging John Jacobs knew what was at stake, and he was determined to live on the edge, anyway.
Jacobs drove into a water hazard on the final hole Sunday but escaped with a one-stroke victory in the rain-shortened Royal Caribbean Classic.
Jacobs salvaged a par and closed with a 6-under-par for an 11-under 133 total. He won for the fourth time on the Senior PGA Tour.
Needing only a par to secure the win, Jacobs used a driver on the difficult 18th hole, a par-5 with water to the left and mangroves to the right. Jacobs drove into the hazard on the left and scrambled to make par to win the $217,500 first-place check.
"I know one thing," Jacobs said. "If you're in a position to win, you had better give it your best shot. If you don't, you're not going to win."
For Jacobs, his best shot turned out to be a 3-wood from 265 yards after taking a drop on the 18th. That shot, his third, landed just short of the green, and he chipped close enough to save par for the win.
Sharing second in the $1.45 million event were Isao Aoki (64), Bruce Fleisher (68) and Tom Watson (66). Aoki, runner-up last year, had the day's best round.
The tournament, the first full-field event of the year, was reduced to 36 holes after rain washed out Friday's round.
First-round leader Jay Overton (70) and Tom Kite (68) finished two shots back at 135.
HEINEKEN CLASSIC: At Melbourne, Australia, Ernie Els brushed off a mid-round challenge from Greg Norman to complete a start-to-finish victory in the Heineken Classic.
In cool, blustery conditions, Els led from the first round to the last on the Royal Melbourne composite course to close with a 3-under 69 and a 17-under-par total of 271.
That gave him a five-shot victory over David Howell, who shot a 68 Sunday, and Peter Fowler (67) and Peter O'Malley (70).
Norman birdied five of six holes through 10 to pull within two shots of Els, but a run of pars and back-to-back bogeys on 15 and 16 moved him out of contention.
DIMENSION DATA PRO-AM: At Sun City, South Africa, Retief Goosen had seven birdies en route to a 6-under-par 66 to win the Dimension Data Pro-Am by three strokes over Scott Drummond.
Goosen, coming off a victory in the Johnnie Walker Challenge in Perth, Australia, used good iron play to break out of a third-round tie with Drummond., Goosen had just one bogey Sunday, at No. 5, on the 7,042-yard Gary Player Country Club course.
Jaco van Zyl closed with a 69 to finish third at 273, and Tjaart van der Walt had a 67 and wound up fourth at 274.