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Published: Monday September 7, 2009 MYT 11:01:00 AM
Updated: Monday September 7, 2009 MYT 11:11:00 AM

Sluman wins again at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, California: Jeff Sluman overcame a six-stroke deficit Sunday at Pebble Beach to successfully defend his Walmart First Tee Open title, acing the fifth hole and finishing with a 4-under 68 for a two-stroke victory.

Sluman, who started the day tied for fifth after a second-round 73, had the hole-in-one on the 187-yard fifth to finish at 10-under 206.

Gene Jones shot a 70 to finish second. Tom Lehman (73) and Mark O'Meara (75) followed at 7 under, and second-round leader Loren Roberts (78) tied for fifth with David Eger (69) and Olin Browne (71) at 6 under.

Sluman won for the first time this season after winning twice last year in his first full season on the Champions Tour.

He won six times on the PGA Tour.

After catching Roberts, Sluman had held off runs by Jones and Mark O'Meara after they closed within a shot of the lead.

Sluman opened with a 65 at Del Monte and shot a 73 on Saturday at Pebble Beach.

He shot a front-nine 31, highlighted by the ace on No. 5 that pulled him into a tie with O'Meara, two shots behind Roberts.

Roberts and O'Meara, playing behind Sluman, both followed with bogeys on No. 5 to make it even tighter.

Sluman kept the pressure on and took the lead with a birdie on No. 9 while Roberts bogeyed Nos. 7 and 8 to drop two shots back.

Roberts, coming off a one-stroke victory over O'Meara last week in the Boeing Classic in Washington, couldn't stop his freefall and ended the day with six bogeys after making just two in the first two rounds.

O'Meara, a 16-time winner on the PGA Tour who was two shots off the pace heading into the final round, is winless since joining the Champions Tour in 2007.

Sluman's bogey on No. 11 cut his lead to one stroke, but he came back to birdie No. 14, then parred three of the final four holes for the win.

As he prepared to putt out on No. 18, Sluman was interrupted by comedian Bill Murray who stood about 30 feet away and yelled "We love you Jeff!" as the crowd laughed.

Roberts, meanwhile, was left to think about what could have been after blowing what appeared to be a comfortable lead.

He had three bogeys in a four-hole span on the front nine, then bogeyed three consecutive holes on the back nine to fade away. - AP

Scores Sunday after the final round of the Champions Tour's $2.1 million Walmart First Tee Open: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Par 72 (36-36), 6,837 yards Del Monte Golf Course, Par 72 (36-36), 7,192 yards

Charles Schwab Cup points in parentheses

Jeff Sluman (630), $315,000 65-73-68_206

Gene Jones (370), $184,800 68-70-70_208

Tom Lehman (278), $138,600 71-65-73_209

Mark O'Meara (278), $138,600 67-67-75_209

David Eger (174), $86,800 68-73-69_210

Olin Browne (174), $86,800 66-73-71_210

Loren Roberts (174), $86,800 66-66-78_210

Fred Funk (116), $57,750 69-71-71_211

Tom Watson (116), $57,750 70-69-72_211

Tom Jenkins (116), $57,750 72-66-73_211

Mark McNulty (116), $57,750 68-70-73_211

Gary Hallberg, $44,100 69-72-71_212

John Cook, $44,100 68-71-73_212

Scott Simpson, $38,850 68-74-71_213

Tom Kite, $38,850 67-72-74_213

Keith Fergus, $33,600 70-75-69_214

Joe Ozaki, $33,600 73-70-71_214

Andy North, $33,600 69-71-74_214

Lonnie Nielsen, $28,665 72-70-73_215

Nick Price, $28,665 68-72-75_215

John Jacobs, $21,257 73-73-70_216

Jerry Pate, $21,257 71-74-71_216

Fulton Allem, $21,257 75-69-72_216

Mike Goodes, $21,257 71-71-74_216

Andy Bean, $21,257 72-70-74_216

Tim Simpson, $21,257 71-69-76_216

Allen Doyle, $21,257 71-69-76_216

Mark Wiebe, $21,257 70-70-76_216

Bob Gilder, $21,257 69-68-79_216

Russ Cochran, $14,201 72-75-70_217

Bobby Wadkins, $14,201 72-72-73_217

Jim Thorpe, $14,201 72-72-73_217

Gil Morgan, $14,201 72-71-74_217

R.W. Eaks, $14,201 71-71-75_217

Chip Beck, $14,201 70-72-75_217

Michael Allen, $14,201 69-73-75_217

Bruce Lietzke, $14,201 73-68-76_217

Hale Irwin, $10,920 76-70-72_218

Ronnie Black, $10,920 74-71-73_218

Tom Purtzer, $10,920 75-69-74_218

Mike Reid, $10,920 69-72-77_218

Bruce Vaughan, $9,240 74-76-69_219

Ben Crenshaw, $9,240 78-67-74_219

Bruce Fleisher, $9,240 71-73-75_219

Keith Clearwater, $9,240 70-71-78_219

Dan Forsman, $6,930 79-67-74_220

Donnie Hammond, $6,930 73-72-75_220

Joey Sindelar, $6,930 75-68-77_220

Sandy Lyle, $6,930 71-71-78_220

Craig Stadler, $6,930 74-68-78_220

Greg Norman, $6,930 69-72-79_220

Phil Blackmar, $6,930 72-67-81_220

Denis Watson, $4,620 73-75-73_221

Don Pooley, $4,620 73-74-74_221

Jim Chancey, $4,620 71-76-74_221

Tom Wargo, $4,620 73-73-75_221

Blaine McCallister, $4,620 74-72-75_221

Walter Hall, $4,620 76-69-76_221

Hal Sutton, $4,620 73-72-76_221

Lanny Wadkins, $3,465 77-69-76_222

John Harris, $3,465 71-74-77_222

Brad Bryant, $3,465 70-73-79_222

Steve Thomas, $3,465 72-71-79_222

Larry Nelson, $2,730 72-78-73_223

Morris Hatalsky, $2,730 75-72-76_223

Fuzzy Zoeller, $2,730 74-71-78_223

James Mason, $2,310 72-78-74_224

Dave Eichelberger, $2,100 76-73-77_226

Mick Soli, $1,911 81-72-74_227

Isao Aoki, $1,911 77-73-77_227

Tom McKnight, $1,659 74-77-77_228

Gary Player, $1,659 76-72-80_228

Peter Jacobsen, $1,386 77-76-79_232

Graham Marsh, $1,386 76-75-81_232

Bruce Summerhays, $1,386 75-75-82_232

Mike Hulbert, $1,218 80-74-79_233

Mike McCullough, $1,134 74-87-78_239

Wayne Levi 74-81_DQ

Note: Final round played on Pebble Beach Golf Links. - AP


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