Jacobsen continues ageless trend with win at GHO
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2003 Greater Hartford Open | Wrap | 28 Jul 2003
Peter Jacobsen, now just eight months away from officially becoming a senior tour player, today won his seventh USPGA Tour event some eight year after recording his last win when he won the Greater Hartford Open for the second time.
It was yet another example of a player being buoyed by playing on a course where he has recorded success previously, as it was here in 1984 that Jacobsen won the first ever staging of this event at this venue.
Jacobsen continues a trend that has developed this year with so many of the “over-40’s” winning on both the USPGA and the LPGA Tours. With Kenny Perry, Jay Haas, Fred Couples, Vijay Singh and others doing so this year well into their forties, Craig Stadler winning last week at fifty and Juli Inkster winning in France this week at forty three, the apparent trend that seemed to be developing, where younger players were dominating, has been reversed.
Although Jacobsen had recorded two top tens earlier in the season at Hilton Head and Houston, his recent form which had seen a best placed finish of 60th in his last five starts, hardly indicated what was to come. Jacobsen jumped out of the blocks early and from there on it was a case of ’catch me if you can’ as he led the field a merry dance throughout. With his nearest rival going into round four, Chris Riley, shooting himself in the foot with a double bogey at the first, Jacobsen maintained the pressure. Although there are accidents waiting to happen on the last few holes at The TPC at Riverlands, he was able to keep his chasers at bay and win by two from Riley who recovered from his early mistake, despite another out of bounds on the thirteenth.
Struggling rookie Todd Fischer’s last round of 65 and the subsequent third placing has him well on track to retain his card for 2004. Fischer who arrived on the USPGA Tour via his seventh place on the 2002 Nationwide Tour (then Buy.Com Tour) will double his season’s earning of $US274,000 with his effort today and get within a few thousand dollars of safety for next season. Apart from a 12th placing just two weeks ago in Milwaukee, it has been a slow start to his PGA Tour career for the thirty four year old but this will make all the difference in the world to him.
Kenny Perry was again in fine form sharing fourth with Craig Barlow and Steve Pate.
The leading Australasian was Rod Pampling, who challenged the leaders early in his final round but fell victim to the dangerous finishing holes, dropping three shots in the last four holes. Still, it was another good week for Pampling who picks up $US80,000 for his week’s work. Mathew Goggin was 26th, Paul Gow 33rd, Aaron Baddeley and Gavin Coles 68th and Steve Allan 73rd.
The USPGA Tour now heads to Michigan for the Buick Open and sees Tiger Woods back in action.
