Langer Wins Ginn for 3rd Senior Title

[March 31, 2008]  PALM COAST, Fla. (AP) -- Bernhard Langer won the Ginn Championship for his second Champions Tour victory in three starts, shooting a 1-under 71 in windy conditions Sunday for an eight-stroke victory over Lonnie Nielsen and Tim Simpson.

Langer had one of three under-par rounds, with the wind off the Atlantic Ocean a sustained 25 mph and the temperature in 50s. The German star finished at 12-under 204 and earned $375,000 for his third victory in 11 career starts on the 50-and-over tour.

"It felt more like a 65 ... it was that difficult," Langer said. "I stayed aggressive, and I was able to pull most of it off. I played very solid this week, and today."

Langer took the lead on the money list and Charles Schwab Cup points race. He supplanted Scott Hoch on both lists and joined Hoch as the only multiple winner.

Nielsen (77) and Simpson (75) struggled in the difficult conditions. Simpson holed a chip from off the back of the 18th green to his share of second.

Fred Funk (77) and Joe Ozaki (74) tied for fourth at 3 under, and Tom Watson (74), Nick Price (75) and David Eger (73) followed at 2 under.

Langer began the day with a two-shot lead over Nielsen, and birdied the second and sixth holes. Nielsen and Funk -- who started three behind Langer -- couldn't answer, and Langer enjoyed no less than a six-shot lead for the rest of the day.

Langer set up a birdie at the par-5 second hole with an awkward chip from near the edge of a bunker, chipped in for birdie at the par-5 sixth hole, nearly holed a blast from a greenside bunker for birdie at the par-4 13th and made a 22-footer for par on 18.

"When I saw what the weather was going to be, I would have bet, with his short game, that was going to win," Nielsen said. "He's a magician."

Funk agreed.

"It was phenomenal," Funk said. "But nothing surprised me about what he did. He's won too many tournaments around the world in conditions like that."

The only other players to break par were Fuzzy Zoeller, who had the low round of the day with a 69, and 64-year-old Bruce Summerhays (71). The final-round scoring average of 76.571 was the highest on the Champions Tour this season, and the highest since the second round of the 2007 Senior British Open.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.