OWINGS MILLS, Md. — For 70 holes, Bernhard Langer did everything necessary to win his fourth consecutive Constellation Senior Players Championship.
Unfortunately, his performance at Caves Valley will be remembered only for what happened after that.
Langer’s uncharacteristic collapse on Nos. 17 and 18 paved the way for Scott Mc-Carron to win his first major tournament on the PGA Tour Champions in sensational comeback fashion Sunday.
McCarron shot a bogey-free, 6-under 66 to make up a six-shot deficit and beat Langer and Brandt Jobe by a stroke.
“I’ve been working so hard for this,” said McCarron, 51. “That was one of my goals this year, to win three events and one of them being a major. So I’ve got one more event to go.”
McCarron’s victory at the Allianz Championship in February wasn’t nearly as exciting as this one, which came to fruition because Langer came apart just when it seemed he was well on his way to making history.
Seeking his third major victory of the year, Langer, 59, had a one-shot lead before dropping his tee shot in the water on No. 17. After taking the one-shot penalty, he missed a 4-footer and had to settle for a double bogey.
Playing in the twosome ahead of Langer and Jobe, Mc-Carron didn’t need to see the leaderboard to realize what happened.
“It wasn’t until I heard the fans up there in the cheap seats when Langer hit it in the water did I know that I might have a chance,” he said.
On 18, Langer lipped out a 6-foot birdie putt that would have forced a playoff.
“I thought I hit a really good putt,” he said. “But the big issue was 17, hitting a horrible shot there and then missing for bogey. That was the killer.”
He finished with a 73 that included only two birdies.
Langer was trying to become the first player in the history of the senior tour to win the same major four years in a row. The run began in 2014 at the Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, continued in 2015 at the Belmont Country Club in Massachusetts and stayed alive last year at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.
“This is going to hurt for a little while because it was within my grasp to win the championship,” Langer said. “All I had to do was come home in even par more or less. Twenty under would have done it. But it’s easier said than done.”
Glen Day (Little Rock) tied for 41st at 3 under and won $12,600. John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) was two shots behind that and pocketed $7,840 for his tie for 50th.
PGA TOUR
DeChambeau rallies
SILVIS, Ill. — Bryson De-Chambeau overcame a fourstroke deficit to win the John Deere Classic by a stroke Sunday for his first PGA Tour title — and a spot next week in the British Open.
DeChambeau, 23, birdied four of the final six holes at TPC Deere Run for a 6-under 65 and an 18-under 266 total. In 2015, the former SMU star became the fifth player to win the NCAA individual title and U.S. Amateur in the same year.
Third-round leader Patrick Rodgers shot a 70 to finish second.
DeChambeau made a 14-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to pull even with Rodgers. Rodgers then had a par putt on No. 17 lip out, and sent his tee shot on 18 into the rough.
Wesley Bryan (64) and Rick Lamb (66) tied for third at 16 under, and past tournament champions Steve Stricker (64) and Zach Johnson (67) topped the group at 15 under.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Cabrera Bello wins playoff
IRVINE, Scotland — Rafa Cabrera Bello birdied the first hole of a playoff with Callum Shinkwin to win the Scottish Open on Sunday, securing his first title in 5 1/2 years.
Shinkwin left short a 4-foot par putt for victory on his 72nd hole to shoot a 4-under 68 in his final round and drop into a playoff with Cabrera Bello, who shot a course-record 8-under 64. Both were on 13 under par overall.
Returning to the 18th at Dundonald Links, Cabrera Bello sent his second shot from 275 yards to within 8 feet. His eagle putt was short but he tapped in for birdie, leaving Shinkwin a 7-foot birdie putt to force a second hole, but it also came up short.
WEB.COM TOUR
Garnett nips Cook in Utah
Brice Garnett shot a 6-under 65 Sunday to win the Web. Com Tour’s Utah Championship in Farmington.
Garnett finished the tournament with a 21-under 263 for a one-stroke victory over three others, including Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Arkansas Razorbacks).
Andrew Landry (Razorbacks) tied for 10th at 18 under, one stroke ahead of Matt Atkins (Henderson State). Taylor Moore (Razorbacks) was a shot behind that at 16 under, while Zack Fischer (Little Rock) tied for 66th at 10 under.
CELEBRITIES
It’s Mulder again
STATELINE, Nev. — Mark Mulder won his record third consecutive title Sunday in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament, and Stephen Curry rallied to finish fourth.
Mulder had an 11-point victory over fellow former pitcher Derek Lowe and former tennis player Mardy Fish in the modified Stableford event at at Edgewood Tahoe. Players got 6 points for eagle, 3 for birdie, 1 for par, 0 for bogey and minus-2 for double bogey or higher.
Curry had 28 points in the final round — the best round score of the week in the 54-hole tournament — to finish with 60. The NBA star eagled the par-5 18th for a 68.
Mulder had rounds of 72, 69 and 69 on the par-72 course. He earned $125,000.
Former NHL player Dan Quinn (2001-2002) and former pitcher Rick Rhoden (2008-2009) were the only others to win back-to-back titles.
Curry is set to play in the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae in the Bay Area on Aug. 3-6.
Sports on 07/17/2017