Tom Lehman won the Regions Tradition for his third victory in seven Champions Tour events this year, beating Peter Senior with a par on the second hole of a playoff Sunday.
Senior, from Australia, missed a 5-foot par putt on No. 18. Lehman two-putted from about 20 feet.
“I didn’t putt well all week,” Lehman said. “I made a few good putts when I had to. I wasn’t sure I was ever going to make a putt to win. I just haven’t made anything of any length. It’s unfortunate to win when somebody misses. I wish I could have made a birdie.
“That would have been more fitting.”
Both parred the first sudden-death playoff hole, also No. 18 at Shoal Creek.
Lehman and Senior finished at 13-under 275. Lehman had a 3-under 69, and Senior shot a 68.
Senior also missed a potential winning putt on the first playoff hole by a couple of inches to the right, then had an even closer one from the other side.
“It looked like it was going to go to the left,” he said of the first. “The last 3 feet it just went straight. I really thought with 3 feet to go I definitely holed it. It stayed pretty straight the second playoff hole, coming the other way.”
Lehman won his second Champions Tour major and fifth overall title on the 50-and-over circuit. He won the Senior PGA Championship last year, beating Fred Couples and David Frost in a playoff after he parred and they both double bogeyed.
Loren Roberts (65) was third at 11 under after a closing birdie, and Michael Allen (69) was 10 under. Third-round leader Mark Calcavecchia shot a 75 to fall into a tie for fifth at 9 under.
Lehman had to salvage par after his tee shot sailed into the woods on the 17th hole to keep at least a share of the lead.
Senior tied Lehman with a birdie on No. 17, maybe with a little help from a timely gust of wind.
“I had 238 yards to carry the water, which is right on my limit,” he said. “But a breeze started coming up just as I was about to hit. I really needed to make four. I wanted to win the tournament. Pretty good 3-wood just made it over by about 3 yards.”
A 35-footer caught the hole’s left edge and went a few more feet.
Calcavecchia held the lead for much of the past three days and didn’t relinquish it until double bogeying No. 12 for the second straight round.
“That pretty much started the slide both days,” he said. “It’s beyond disappointing. It just wasn’t my day.”
Lehman had taken the lead after the first round, again without any bogeys, and then spent much of the next few days, in his word, “lurking.”
“I made four bogeys for the week and only 17 birdies,” he said. “That’s not enough birdies, you wouldn’t think. I think I played really smart.
“I just kind of kept the ball in play, moving it forward. Hit a lot of greens. A lot of stress-free pars.”