GOLF ROUNDUP : A Sandy Putt on 13th Hole Proves Lucky for Purtzer

Tom Purtzer putted out of the sand and into the 13th hole, keying a final-round 64 Sunday that gave him a three-shot victory in the Colonial at Ft. Worth.

Purtzer’s tee shot on the par-three 13th came to rest in an awkward position near the back lip of a bunker to the right rear of the green. He couldn’t get at it with a sand wedge, so Purtzer went to the putter, ran the ball through the sand and up the far side. It found a little ramp over the lip, went onto the green and plunged into the heart of the hole for a birdie.

“I couldn’t do that again if I threw 1,000 balls in there. I was just trying to get it out and it was the only shot I had,” the 39-year-old veteran said after recording the fourth victory of his career.

Purtzer’s round enabled him to come from four strokes off the pace and move past 14 players.

The putt from the sand gave him a two-stroke lead and Purtzer, playing about one hour and five holes in front of the other contenders, nursed it home from there.

He gained his first victory in three years with a 267 total, 13 under par.

Third-round leader Bob Lohr, Dave Edwards and Scott Hoch tied for second at 270. Hoch had a 66, Edwards 68 and Lohr 69 on the par-70 Colonial Country Club course.

Jim Ferree, who led every round, shot a steady 72 to win the Senior event at Malvern, Pa.

He finished at eight-under-par 208 for the 54-hole tournament, two strokes better than Jim Colbert and Lee Trevino. It was only Ferree’s third victory in 35 years of professional golf.

Ferree, who turns 60 on June 10, also became the third-oldest player to win a senior event. Mike Fetchick was 63 when he won in 1985 and Roberto DeVicenzo was 61 in a 1984 victory.

Betsy King shot a six-under-par 66 to defeat Deb Richard by six shots in the LPGA event at Corning, N.Y.

King had six birdies in the final round to finish at 15-under-par 273 on the par-72, 6,070-yard Corning Country Club course. She won $60,000.

Richard, who led by three shots going in to the final round, had four birdies, three bogeys and two double bogeys for a 75, finishing at 279.