BLAINE, Minn. — Hale Irwin is a dominant force on the PGA Senior Tour.
With Sunday's three-stroke victory in the 3M Championship, Irwin won his 35th senior tournament to go with 32 second-place finishes and 14 thirds in his eight seasons.
The $262,500 winner's check also put Irwin over $2 million in official senior earnings for the sixth consecutive season. He has $16 million in senior winnings, and $22 million when his PGA Tour earnings are counted in.
Tiger Woods is the only other pro golfer to surpass $20 million in tournament winnings.
"I'm the pussycat," Irwin joked, when asked about comparisons to Tiger.
"It's an honor to be put in that same category," Irwin said. "Tiger is clearly the best player in the world and will be throughout his time. In my time, I'm playing as well as I've ever played and I'm still trying to get better."
Irwin pushed his season lead in the Charles Schwab Cup to more than 800 points over second-place Doug Tewell. The winner gets a $1 million annuity.
Irwin has posted 13 consecutive subpar rounds this season and shows little sign of slowing down. He's won six different tour events three or more times — the U.S. Open and Hilton Head events on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA, the Turtle Bay Classic, the SBC Senior Open and now the 3M Championship on the Senior Tour.
"I'm very proud of what I've accomplished," Irwin said. "But I also look at it as an opportunity to get better. When I was on the PGA Tour, I enjoyed playing against Jack Nicklaus. His greatness sort of sucked me up into being a better player. I always want to play with the best if I can learn from the best."
Irwin displayed a Woodslike focus Sunday with a bogey-free round that turned a share of the lead on the seventh hole into a five-stroke lead by No. 13.
"That's just like Hale, you knew he wasn't going to make many bogeys," said James Mason, who shared the lead until bogeying the seventh hole. Mason finished tied for third at 8-under 208.
Hubert Green outlasted Irwin last week to win a playoff that went seven holes. Irwin refused to allow another close finish this week. Green birdied three of the last four holes to finish at 9-under 207, but couldn't get closer than three as Irwin parred his last seven holes.
"Hale is known not to be kind out here and give any strokes away," Green said. "He doesn't have a reverse gear in his machine."
Irwin said he wants to finish strong on the Senior Tour so he'll pass up this week's PGA Championship for much-needed rest.
"I wasn't invited to play in the PGA tournament until two weeks ago, and I already had planned a well-deserved retreat with my family in Colorado," Irwin said. "I need to take full advantage of that time off."