Corey Pavin birdied from 12 feet out Sunday on the first playoff hole to defeat Peter Senior and win the Allianz Championship at Broken Sound Golf Club. While the playoff gave the tournament a dramatic finish, there was an earlier, pivotal moment that Pavin described as “once-in-a-lifetime.”
Tied for the lead with Mark Calcavecchia at the 14th hole, Pavin turned around and hit left-handed because of a tree root to the left of the ball. Following the chip, Pavin sunk a crucial putt for par.
Calcavecchia appeared headed for victory when he birdied the par-5 11th hole to take a three-shot lead over Pavin. But Calcavecchia bogeyed six of his last seven holes to finish tied for seventh after a 73.
Pavin shot eight-under 64 on Friday to have a slight advantage over the field, but Senior held a one-shot lead going into the final round. Both shot 71 in the final round to finish tied at 11-under 205.
With a winless streak dating back to 2006 on the PGA TOUR, Pavin earned his first Champions Tour win in his 35th start.
Pavin heads into Naples this week as a newcomer to the ACE Group Classic.
2011 ACE Group Classic champion Bernhard Langer (71) and Michael Allen (69) tied for third place, a shot ahead of Jay Haas (69) and John Cook (69). Defending Allianz champion Tom Lehman (71) finished tied for 31st.
For more on Pavin’s win and the complete Allianz Championship scoreboard, click here.