Craig Stadler turns back time at BC Open
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2003 BC Open | Wrap | 21 Jul 2003
In a week where there were several examples of the veterans fighting back the clock, 50-year-old Craig Stadler has achieved a remarkable double by taking out the BC Open just a week after his first win on the Champions Tour. In doing so he becomes just the second player after Sam Snead to win on both Tours after the age of fifty, although to be fair, Sam Snead won the Seniors PGA Championship when the Seniors Tour didn’t exist as we know it today. He last won that event in 1972.
Stadler who, until his victory at last week’s Ford Players Championship, had not won since the 1996 Nissan Open, showed that he had benefited by last week’s experience of being in contention once again by producing a last round 63 to hold out the “whipper snappers”, Steve Lowery and Alex Cejka by a shot.
Perhaps surprisingly, Lowery was unable to reproduce the heroics of earlier in the week, in his last round. He started round four with a five shot lead over Cejka and a massive eight shot lead over Stadler, but after starting with a bogey today, he was struggled to build momentum and finished with an even par 72, that was always going to fall short of getting the job done.
Rod Pampling reversed some rather ordinary recent form with his fourth placing and the resultant $US168,000 will ensure he has no worries about where he will play next year. That takes his season earnings to $US637,000 well above the likely $US550,000, give or take a few thousand, that appears needed to make the top 125. After a good start to the season, then missing seven of his last eight cuts, this was a significant week for him.
Steve Allan followed his second placing last week in Milwaukee, with another fine showing to share fifth and he too has helped his cause considerably over the last two weeks. His cheque for $US98,000 has him at $US414,000 for the season.
Queenslander Chris Downes did a fine job in his very first PGA Tour event to finish 18th. Downes only qualified on Monday for this event by shooting 65 and was not far away from securing a start in next week’s Greater Hartford Open as the top ten here would have automatically earned a start. Four dropped shots in three holes on the front nine did not help his cause but he bounced back with five consecutive birdies from the ninth. Downes continues to show that he has a bright future in the game.
James McLean was 27th, Gavin Coles 60th with Anthony Painter and Steve Alker 68th.
The US Tour now heads to Hartford Connecticut for the Greater Hartford Open.
