FootJoy player Bruce Vaughan holed a 20-foot putt to win the Senior British Open in a playoff, his first tournament victory on either the Champions Tour or PGA TOUR.
In a dramatic turnaround at Royal Troon on Sunday, Vaughan stormed back from three down with nine to play to force a playoff. Trailing by one on the 18th green in regulation, Vaughan made par then watched as the leader came up 15 feet short on a putt from off the green. He made the putt for bogey which left both players tied at 6-under 278 and headed back to the 18th tee for the playoff.
Vaughan pitched to the center of the green and then holed his putt. Cook, however, missed his putt from 12 feet and the former firefighter from Hutchinson, Kansas, collected his biggest-ever paycheck of $312,258. Vaughan, who has had six operations on his left knee, celebrated his first tournament triumph and one that gets him into the field for next year’s British Open at Turnberry.
“Money is great but until you win, you’re just another player. It’s all about winning. You only get a few of these,” said Vaughan, whose mother Maxine died in a car crash seven weeks ago after returning from watching him play a tournament in Iowa.
