Bernhard Langer wins fourth Senior Open

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England (AP) — Bernhard Langer beat Paul Broadhurst by two shots to win the Senior British Open on Sunday for his record-extending 11th senior major title and 40th win on PGA TOUR Champions.

Starting three shots off the overnight lead held by Broadhurst, the 61-year-old German fired a 4-under 66 to finish at 6-under 274 for his fourth Senior Open title, a tournament record.

After heavy rain delayed the round by almost six hours, the two-time Masters champion opened with four birdies on the front nine and added two more on Nos. 13 and 14 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes to build a four-stroke lead. He completed the round with a couple of bogeys on the 15th and 17th.

Broadhurst shot 71 to come second.

Retief Goosen of South Africa closed with a 66 to tie for third with American Tim Petrovic (68) with a 3-under 277.

In his last appearance at the tournament, three-time champion Tom Watson (73) finished tied for 64th at 9 over. On Saturday, the 69-year-old American announced he wouldn't be playing at the event again. In his 18 appearances, he never missed the cut.

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PGA TOUR Champions communications notes

Bernhard Langer, 71-67-70-66 – 274 (-6)

• Langer birdied No. 9, his fourth of the front nine, to turn in 4-under 30 and take his first solo lead of the day. He birdied Nos. 13 and 14 to build a four-shot cushion, and despite bogeys on Nos. 15 and 17, he held on for a two-shot win over Paul Broadhurst.
• Langer is the second player in PGA TOUR Champions history with at least 40 wins. Hale Irwin is the Tour’s all-time leader with 45.
• Langer’s 40th win comes in his 245th start on PGA TOUR Champions. Irwin’s 40th win came in his 215th start.
• Langer’s 40th win is his fourth victory at a senior major. Similarly, Irwin’s 40th win was his fourth victory at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
• Langer becomes the third player to win the same major four times.
  • Bernhard Langer – The Senior Open Championship (2010, 2014, 2017, 2019)
  • Hale Irwin – KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship (1996, 1997, 1998, 2004)
  • Jack Nicklaus – Regions Tradition (1990, 1991, 1995, 1996)
• Of his Tour-record 11 major wins, this was only his third final-round comeback.
  • 2019 Senior Open Championship (trailed by three; won by two after a final-round 66)
  • 2017 Regions Tradition (trailed by two; won by five after a final-round 64)
  • 2017 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship (trailed by one; won by one after a final-round 68)
• In Langer’s three previous wins at The Senior Open, he was the 54-hole leader each time and led by three (2010), four (2017) and eight (2014).
• The win is his second of the season, which extends his streak to eight straight seasons (2012-2019) with multiple victories. Irwin’s streak of 11 years (1995-2005) is the longest in Tour history.
• Langer is the Tour’s all-time money leader (current total: $27,969,082) and has won the money title 10 of the last 11 years. The five-time winner of the Charles Schwab Cup has two wins and six top-10s this season.

Paul Broadhurst, 67-71-67-71 – 276 (-4)

• Leader by one at the start of the day, Broadhurst was even-par through seven holes and fell a stroke behind Langer. Broadhurst’s birdie on the par-3 5th was his only one of the day, and he parred the last seven holes to finish two shots behind Langer.
• He is one of four players that had three top-10s in majors this season, joining Scott McCarron, Steve Stricker and Retief Goosen.
  • 2nd/The Senior Open
  • 3rd/KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship
  • T6/Regions Tradition
• Broadhurst has two major wins, including the 2016 Senior Open Championship, and he has five top-10s in his last nine majors.

Other Notes

• Making his 18th and final start at The Senior Open Championship, Tom Watson shot a final-round 73 and finished T64. His record included five wins in 38 starts at The Open and three wins in 18 starts at The Senior Open, and he’s one of only three players to win both championships.
• A day after making zero birdies and four bogeys, Retief Goosen posted the day’s only bogey-free round, a 4-under 66, to improve from T17 to T3. Winner of the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, Goosen was one of four players to post three top-10s in majors this season.
• Coming off a T2 at the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, Tim Petrovic closed with a 2-under 68 and finished T3 at 3-under 277. It was his fourth top-three finish in a major since the start of 2018.
• Doug Barron was co-medalist at the Fairhaven qualifier on Monday, and he posted rounds of 69-69-73-67 – 278 to finish T5 at 2-under.
• In his tournament debut, 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie carded rounds of 70-69-72-70 and finished T16.
• Also making his debut was 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke, who finished T10 after rounds of 68-68-73-71.
• Defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez finished T10 after rounds of 71-68-74-67.
• Tom Lehman, winner of The Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1996, carded rounds of 70-70-74-71 and finished T36.