Lee Janzen sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Sunday to defeat Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain and capture the SAS Championship in Cary, N.C.
Janzen shot a 5-under 67 in the final round to reach 12 under for the event at Prestonwood Country Club. He recovered from an opening bogey to make six birdies — four on the back nine, including the par-4 18th.
It is Janzen’s second win on the Champions Tour and his first since 2015.
Jimenez, who shared the 36-hole lead with Germany’s Alex Cejka entering Sunday, was alone atop the leaderboard before bogeying No. 14. He came back with a birdie on No. 17 to tie Cejka at 12 under, but missed a would-be title-clinching birdie attempt at the last.
Cejka (70) and Jim Furyk (67) tied for third, one back at 11 under. Furyk turned in a bogey-free card with five birdies, including the last two holes, and shot in the 60s for all three rounds.
England’s Paul Broadhurst (68), Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee (69), Scott Parel (70) and Germany’s Bernhard Langer (70) tied for fifth at 10 under.
Langer remained in the lead on the Schwab Cup Money list, with Furyk in second place. Three tournaments remain on the tour schedule, concluding with the Charles Schwab Cup Championship from Nov. 11-14.
“We’ve played all this time and now this is kind of when it counts,” Furyk said. “You have to go out there and play well in these three events and if you want to win that Schwab Cup, you’re going to definitely have to win at least one of the three events. My game’s in good shape right now, I put myself in good position, so I’m excited to go to the playoffs.”
–Field Level Media
