Stephen Ames celebrated his 60th birthday with a successful title defense in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, securing his eighth PGA Tour Champions victory. He closed with a 5-under 67 on Sunday to finish at 14-under 202 at TPC Sugarloaf. Ames had two eagles in the final round, winning by four strokes to claim a record third victory in the event.
Despite being a stroke behind Paul Broadhurst at the beginning of the day, Ames managed to clinch the win. Broadhurst, the 58-year-old Englishman, closed with a 72 to tie for second with Doug Barron. K.J. Choi and Steven Alker finished at 9 under, while Ames became the first multiple winner this year on the tour, also winning the Chubb Classic in February.
Ames, a naturalized Canadian citizen from Trinidad and Tobago, has been on a winning streak with six victories in his last 29 starts after winning twice in his first 175 outings on the 50-and-over tour. With four victories on the PGA Tour and now eight on the PGA Tour Champions, Ames certainly solidified his status as a golfing legend.
In the final round, Ames opened with a birdie on the par-4 first, eagled the par-5 sixth and par-4 13th, and birdied the par-4 14th. He did bogey the par-4 15th and 17th holes but finished strong with a birdie on the par-5 18th to secure his victory in the tournament.