Golf Roundup : Player Overcomes Hole-in-One With 4 Birdies

Gary Player shot a 70 on Saturday that he felt should have been closer to a 60, but a five-under-par 67 did him just fine Sunday.

Player made four straight birdies on the back nine to overcome Dave Hill and win the $300,000 PGA Seniors Aetna Challenge at Naples, Fla.

“I was so frustrated on Saturday,� said Player, who was in second place coming into the final round. “It was like fighting the law of averages. I told my caddy after we made the turn in 36 (Sunday), ‘I’m going to come back in 30.’ Actually I came back in 31.�

Hill, who also had a 67, made a hole-in-one on the 16th hole to take a one-stroke lead, but Player replied minutes later with a tee shot that landed six inches from the cup on the par-3, 157-yard hole. Player made the putt to pull even and birdied No. 17 to take the lead.

Player won $45,000 with a total of nine-under-par 207 and remains atop the Senior PGA Tour money list with $132,500.

Harold Henning shot a 70 and finished third, three shots back of Player. Second-round leader Bob Charles had a 72 and ended up four shots out in fourth place.

Greg Norman shot a four-under-par 68 to score a seven-stroke victory over Bernhard Langer in the $175,000 ESP Open at Canberra, Australia.

Norman finished the four rounds at 19-under-par 269. He coasted after shooting a course-record 62 on Thursday’s opening round.

“The last three rounds in fact were pretty boring,� he said after accepting the winner’s check of $31,950. “I just played conservatively today and tried not to do anything stupid.�

Langer, from West Germany, recorded a round of 69 to go 12-under for the tournament, despite suffering from a back ailment that has interfered with his swing and putting.

Noel Ratcliffe of Australia had a 70 to register his best finish in his home country in 13 years, finishing third at 278.