After a second-round 73 on Saturday, Steve Flesch started the final round of the PGA Tour Champions Mitsubishi Electric Classic fours shots back of David Toms.
Flesch quickly carved into that lead with five straight birdies on Nos. 2-6. He bogeyed Nos. 8 and 9 but carded four more birdies on the back nine, including the clincher on the 17th hole. After stuffing his second shot on the 455-yard par-4 to about 12 feet, Flesch made the birdie putt to get to 11 under to take the solo lead. He would hold on from there to win the title.
Flesch now has two victories on the PGA Tour Champions, both of them have come in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia. He also won the event in 2018.
Steve Flesch plays a shot on the eighth hole during the final round of the 2022 Mitsubishi Electric Classic at TPC Sugarloaf in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Toms, who bogeyed the 14th hole to fall back to 10 under, parred his final four holes to finish tied for second with Padraig Harrington and Fred Couples, who birdied the 18th to get to 10 under.
Harrington started the final round six shots back of Toms and was 2 under through nine but caught fire on the back nine. Harrington made five straight birdies on Nos. 10-14 and tacked on one more birdie at 17 to shoot an 8-under 64. That got him to 10 under and tied for the lead but he could climb no higher on the leaderboard. Harrington, who joined the tour after turning 50 last August, is still seeking his first win on the senior circuit.
Ken Duke led Toms by a shot Saturday before a four-shot swing on the 15th hole. Toms made birdie, while Duke’s birdie putt went past the hole and kept going, eventually rolling 30 yards off the green. Duke ended up with a triple bogey on the hole. He shot 73-73 over the weekend to finish 5 under, tied for 10th.
Golf is a cruel sport.
Ken Duke, while in the lead, watched his birdie putt roll 30 yards off the green on No. 15.
He made triple. pic.twitter.com/flgDa5w1X0
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 7, 2022
Jay Haas, 68, who became the oldest player to make the cut in a PGA Tour event two weeks ago at the Zurich Classic, a team event in which he paired with his son Bill, finished tied for 14th. Haas made a hole-in-one on the 11th hole during Saturday’s second round.
Champions tour stalwart Bernhard Langer shot 76-71-70 to finish the week 1 over, tied for 39th. Langer also posted a T-39 at the Rapiscan Systems Classic five weeks ago but he has posted top-5 finishes in all five of his other starts this season.
The first major of the PGA Tour Champions season starts Thursday at the Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama.
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