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Victory never comes easy at the Toshiba Classic. Just ask Bernhard Langer, whose triumph over Jay Haas came after a seven-hole playoff that treated Sunday-afternoon attendees to brilliant clutch shots on the rolling terrain of Newport Beach Country Club. “I’m pretty tired right now. I’m just glad there’s something called adrenaline, because that’s what kept me going,” said Langer, who finished with a 2-under-par 69 that brought him into extra holes at 14-under-par 199. The 50-year-old Langer, winner of the 1985 and 1993 Masters, birdied the seventh playoff hole to become the latest Toshiba Classic champion. Haas missed a 3-foot birdie try that would have sent both players to their 26th holes of the day. The seven-hole playoff was the second longest in Toshiba Classic history. The tournament went nine extra holes in 1997 (won by Bob Murphy over Jay Sigel) and in 2001 (won by Jose Maria Canizares over Gil Morgan). It seems lengthy playoffs and stellar golf play have become the norm for the Toshiba Classic. Defending champion Haas, 54, overcame a four-shot deficit, getting thisclose to becoming the first player to defend his title with a second consecutive closing-round 65. “You know, that would have just been icing on the cake,” Haas said about repeating as champion. “Just the fact that I had a chance to win and I didn’t, that was the most disappointing thing. Repeating that would have been great. It just would have been nice to get another win.” Langer, who at one point led by four strokes, bogeyed the tricky par-3 17th to drop a stroke behind. Langer forced the playoff by sinking a clutch 12-foot putt on the last hole of regulation. The playoff saw Langer and Haas birdie the 18th hole, par the 16th and par the 17th. Returning to hole 18, both men hit good drives but their approach shots found bunkers. Still, both players managed to get up-and-down (Langer from the left, Hass from an awkward, downhill lie to the right) to keep the playoff going. Back at the 16th, Langer drained a 28-foot birdie putt, which was followed by Haas’ 14-footer finding the bottom of the cup. The two parred 17 – with Langer getting up-and-down from the right bunker for the second consecutive time. Back at the 18th for the fourth time, Haas’ approach bounded across and over the green. His chip for eagle hit the pin and nearly went into the hole, but settled three feet away. Langer tapped in, after leaving his eagle putt four inches left of the cup. Haas then missed his putt left. The playoff victory gives Langer his second Champions Tour win in nine starts. The 2004 European Ryder Cup captain also earned a tournament-record $255,000 and a Toshiba laptop computer. Ben Crenshaw, shooting 66-69-67 for 11-under 202, finished third for the second consecutive year, tying Scott Simpson (69-68-65) and 1999 champion (in a five-hole playoff) Gary McCord (68-67-67). Curtis Strange (66) and first-round leader Tim Simpson (70) were 10 under. Scott Hoch coming off consecutive wins in Florida in the Allianz Championship and The ACE Group Classic, closed with a 67 to tie for 21st at 7 under. Scotland’s Sandy Lyle shot a 71 to tie for 51st at even par in his Champions Tour debut. The Champions Tour playoff record is 10 holes, set with David Graham’s victory over Dave Stockton in the 1998 Royal Caribbean Classic. The 2008 Toshiba Classic, recognized as the standard for charitable contributions on the Champions Tour, raised $1 million for charity. This year’s event marks the ninth consecutive year that the Toshiba Classic raised at least $1 million in charitable contributions. |
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