Colin Montgomerie wins Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship
Monday 26 September 2016 07:26, UK
Colin Montgomerie won the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship on Sunday, outlasting Scott McCarron with a birdie on the third hole of a play-off.
Montgomerie closed with a four-under 67 to match McCarron at 15-under 198 at scenic Bear Mountain Resort in Langford, Canada.
"I'm obviously delighted with my performance, but it was very sad," Montgomerie said, noting golf great Arnold Palmer's death Sunday at age 87.
"I had a message to me that Arnold Palmer had passed away during the round."
Montgomerie and McCarron matched pars on 18 on the first two extra holes and Montgomerie won with a 15-footer on the third trip down the hole in the play-off.
"I kept on missing these putts unfortunately, but eventually got one in," Montgomerie added.
"So delighted that way, but again this day will be remembered, unfortunately, for very, very sad reasons."
Montgomerie's three previous victories on the 50-and-over tour came in major championships - the 2014 and 2015 Senior PGA Championship and 2014 US Senior Open.
The Scot won 31 times on the European Tour and topped the tour's money list a record eight times, seven in a row from 1993-99.
"This is unbelievable, this golf course," Montgomerie said. "To have the vision of putting a golf course on this land is quite phenomenal.
"I always treat golf courses as how many poor holes there are on a golf course, and this is a very good one. There aren't any poor holes, there's not one poor hole on this golf course at all."
McCarron missed a chance for his second victory of the year after winning the Principal Charity Classic in June in Iowa for his first senior title.
"Pretty disappointing, obviously," McCarron said. "In regulation, missing the fairway and getting the break I did was pretty unfortunate, but I didn't hit a very good shot.
"But I hung in there tough, I didn't have my 'A' game today, but I was trying as hard as I could."
Miguel Angel Jimenez shot a course-record 61 to tie for third at 13 under, finishing as Montgomerie and McCarron made the turn. Jeff Sluman (67), Scott Dunlap (68) and Doug Garwood (70) also were 13 under.
