By John Strege
The last man standing in this battle with a singular opponent, the brutal East Course at the Broadmoor, was David Toms, who made the U.S. Senior Open his maiden PGA Tour Champions victory on Sunday.

Toms, 51, birdied the 16th hole to take the lead, made a difficult par save at 17, and a two-putt par at 18 to win by one over Jerry Kelly, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Tim Petrovic.

Kelly, who led after each of the first three rounds, bogeyed the 11th and 12th holes and was unable to make another birdie to counter Toms’ 16th hole birdie.

Toms, who won the PGA Championship in 2001, had played 34 PGA Tour Champions events without winning before prevailing in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Sunday. He closed with an even-par 70 and finished at three-under par 277.

“First of all, it’s been a long time, obviously, the last time I held a trophy,” he said. “To do it in a USGA event is even more special. I didn’t really have the patience for U.S. Open searly in my career. I get better at it as my career went on. Never won one, but I got close. To finally have one, just means my patience is probably where it needs to be, finally.”

Six players either held or shared the lead on the back nine — Toms, Paul Goydos, Brandt Jobe, Petrovic, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Kelly. Goydos took the solo lead when he rammed home a 25-foot birdie putt at 15, but he bogeyed 17 and 18 to end in a tie for fifth, two back.

Toms, a deft putter even on the extremely tricky greens at the Broadmoor, hit only eight greens in regulation, yet rescued himself with his short game and won with his putter. He made an 18-foot birdie putt at 16 to secure the lead, then another 18-footer, this one a downhiller at 17 to save par.

The post David Toms rallies to win the U.S. Senior Open by one on a treacherous Broadmoor course appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Strege

Jerry Kelly was cruising, a wire-to-wire victory in the U.S. Senior Open has crept into the realm of possibility when he magnanimously reopened the outcome to a host of players.

Kelly squandered a three-stroke lead early on the back nine on the East Course at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo., and will go into Sunday’s final round with a one-stroke lead over David Toms.

On the 12th green, Kelly missed a two-foot par putt, then a three-foot bogey putt and made a double-bogey five. That and a bogey two holes earlier, dropped him into a tie with his University of Hartford teammate, Tim Petrovic.

“I definitely worked for it today,” Kelly said of his one-over par 71. “I still felt like I hit the ball just good enough to shoot a good score, but two three-putts, one of them from about two-and-a-half feet, that one sticks in your craw a little bit.

Kelly, who at one time was seven-under par, completed 54 holes in four-under 206. Petrovic bogeyed the 15th, 17th and 18th holes, also shot a 71 and trails by two, as does Kirk Triplett following a round of two-under 68.

“I didn’t really make any putts to speak of,” Petrovic said. “I took my medicine coming in. I put myself in a bad spot on 17 and 18. Sometimes, especially in majors, you have to take your medicine and live to fight another day.”

Toms, a former PGA Championship winner, made the strongest move up the leaderboard by virtue of his four-under par 66.

“I kept the ball in play and obviously my irons are pretty good,” Toms said. “I had a lot of opportunities today. I misjudged a couple of clubs and was able to get it up and down. Hit a couple of chips that I thought really had a chance. Obviously, it’s the U.S. Open. You can get in a lot of bad spots out there. I avoided those, and hopefully, I can do the same tomorrow.”

Toms, 51, has yet to win in 34 previous PGA Tour Champions starts.

On Thursday, Kelly said, “I’m a fairly jumpy putter, there’s no doubt about it. I’m a very good putter, but I can look kind of foolish at times, too.” The 12th hole was one of those moments.

“I knew what I did,” he said. “Sometimes I pick the putter up and that’s what I did on all of those.”

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