Global Golf Post - July 25, 2011

Healthy Cochran Conquers Senior Open

SURREY, ENGLAND | It was a matter of who would make the first mistake, and if they were waiting for Russ Cochran, they just kept waiting.

Cochran shot a final-round, 5-under 67 to win the Senior Open Championship on Sunday at historic Walton Heath Golf Club by two shots over Mark Calcavecchia.

Cochran captured his first senior major championship and his third career victory on the Champions Tour, largely in part to consecutive 67s on the weekend that gave him a 72-hole total of 276, 12-under par.

Cochran and Calcavecchia were tied for the lead after three rounds at 7 under, and Cochran ran out to a quick start in the final round.

The left-hander, from
Paducah, Ky., birdied the
first two holes and then
three in a row starting
at the sixth and added
another birdie at the par-

4 10th.

Calcavecchia was
even with Cochran at
But Calcavecchia’s
undoing came at the
par- 3 ninth when he
was looking at a birdie
putt from about 12 feet.

had a double-bogey. After Cochran’s birdie at the 10th, Calcavecchia was five shots behind and without enough holes to catch up.

Calcavecchia is still looking for his first victory on the Champions Tour. He had a one-shot lead going into the final round of The Tradition, another senior major, and shot 75 on Sunday.

It looked like Calcavecchia’s championship to win when he led the field after 36 holes with rounds of 68-69 ( 7 under). On Saturday, he got it to 10 under through 11 holes of the third round, but found the worrisome heather that borders the fairways and gave all the lead back with a triple-bogey seven at the par- 4 13th. He added another bogey at the 16th and closed with a birdie to tie Cochran.

Cochran got into the thick of the championship by opening Saturday’s round with three consecutive birdies. He turned in 4-under 32 and birdied the 10th and 11th to get to 8 under. But he also found disaster, this time a double-bogey at the par- 4 14th. He birdied the next hole and hung on to get into the final group.

The Senior Open Championship was just Cochran’s second tournament since April, having missed more than two months due to an injury to his right wrist. Prior to his return, at Pebble Beach earlier this month, he had five top-four finishes in seven previous events on the Champions Tour this season.

Tom Watson shot a 5-under 67 on Sunday to finish the championship tied for third at 9 under with Corey Pavin, who shot 69 on Sunday. Barry Lane was fifth at 8 under.