Haas seals second PGA crown

Haas: Second PGA crown

Final standings:
(US unless stated)
J Haas +7
B Langer (Ger) +8
S Hoch +9
S Simpson +9
J Sindelar +9

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A final round of 74 was good enough to earn Jay Haas his second Senior PGA Championship title in three years on Sunday.

The American finished one shot clear of overnight leader Bernhard Langer who never really recovered from a poor start and went on to shoot a closing 76.

Haas' winning total of 287 (+7) was the highest in the tournament's history and provided a slice of redemption on the Oak Hill course at which he tasted Ryder Cup defeat in 1995.

Scott Hoch, Joey Sindelar and Scott Simpson tied for third on +9, but Jeff Sluman - who had started the day level with Haas just one back of Langer - slumped to a 78, finishing four off the pace in ninth.

Langer's bid for a first senior major crown blew up over a disastrous front nine of 41 shots.

Disastrous start

Things started badly for the German with a double-bogey six at the first and got worse with bogeys at three, four, seven and eight.

That meant Haas hit the turn with a four-stroke lead over the field, but things got tighter on the back nine as Langer recovered his form.

Indeed, bogeys from Haas at 11, 13 and 17 revived the German's hopes as the advantage was whittled down to just one shot.

However, Haas retained his cool on 18 - scene of his Ryder Cup singles defeat to Philip Walton in 1995 that handed ultimately Europe victory.

There was no mistake this time around from the American as he produced a clean drive and wonderful approach to 15 feet that left him two putts for victory.

Awfully sweet

He duly obliged to seal a second PGA crown, stating afterwards: "The first time I won it I was pretty amazed at my emotion and what it meant to me. I thought that one was awfully sweet, but I think this one is definitely better.

"Just knowing how much fun it was and what it meant to me the last time and then to do it again on this great golf course and have my name on the trophy again, alongside some of the great champions of the game is something that I can take with me for a long time."

Asked if his 1995 Ryder Cup defeat was on his mind coming down 18, he added: "If I could have played those two shots in 1995 maybe I wouldn't have played them today, I don't know.

"If I had, we probably would have won the cup that year or we would have tied it or halved it or whatever.

"I was thinking about it. I was thinking that I was trying to get to 18 with a three or four-shot lead so I wouldn't have to think about it.

"I think this might make it even sweeter, though; the fact that I just had a one-shot lead. To hit that shot, that 6-iron, you know, I can't hit it any better, I hit it pretty much right where I was aiming the ball."

Ian Woosnam finished as the best-placed Briton in a tie for 16th on +14 - seven shots off the pace.