David Toms survived a 1-over-par 73 by birdieing the final hole to win the Chubb Classic on Sunday in Naples, Fla.
Toms shot ahead thanks to Saturday’s sterling 9-under 63 that secured a 3-shot lead entering the final round. That gave him enough cushion to finish at 13-under 203 for the week at Tiburon Golf Club’s Black Course — one ahead of Boo Weekley, Justin Leonard and Australian Michael Wright.
It marked Toms’ fifth win on the PGA Tour Champions, but his first in nearly three years.
“I started on the range this morning by far the best range session I had all week, pro-ams, whatever. Great,” Toms said. “But it was straight downwind. Get to the first tee and it was straight into the wind. Get over on No. 2, hit a good drive down there. My back goes out on the second shot. It was below my feet. So it impacted the rest of the day just flinching on it.
“You could see that with the driver. 7-iron down I was OK, wedge OK, but anything with a long club it was a tough day.”
Toms mixed two double bogeys and one bogey with three birdies on the front nine for a 2-over 37. He followed a birdie at No. 12 with a bogey at the next hole and Leonard and Weekley soon caught him at 12 under par.
At the par-4 17th, Toms hit a wayward drive and had to punch out of a native area to return to the fairway. His third shot landed on the green but a long way from the hole, yet he managed to sink the lengthy par putt.
“So to grind it out and, like you said, 17, that’s just a bonus. It was meant to be if I made par there for sure,” Toms said.
That allowed him to reach the par-5 18th tee with a fair chance at the victory. He landed his second shot in the greenside bunker, but nearly holed out from there. That left a tap-in for birdie.
Leonard, playing in the final group with him, also hit a bunker but could not get up and down for birdie to leave Toms with the title. Leonard shot a 70, Wright a 71 and Weekley a 67.
George McNeill (68) and Germany’s Alex Cejka (71) tied for fifth at 9 under.
