As the wind subsides, Irwin goes low for his record-tieing 29th win
By John Antonini
With Tim Rosaforte
Golf World
Senior Tour: After the normal Hawaiian breezes blew him into unfamiliar territory at even par after the first day of the EMC2 Kaanapali Classic, Hale Irwin recovered on the weekend. As the trade winds subsided, Irwin shot rounds of 62-65 to win his Senior PGA Tour record-tieing 29th tournament.
The Kaanapali GC North Course is becoming Irwin's personal playground. In 1997 he won there for his record-tieing ninth win of that season. This year's victory matched Lee Trevino atop the tour's all-time victory list.
Still, this wasn't one of Irwin's easier battles. He was three over after 13 holes Friday, then drained a 45-foot putt on the next hole to start a run in which he made 21 birdies over the last 41 holes. He won going away at 15-under-par 198, four strokes ahead of Joe Inman.
Being Kapalua's longtime representative, Irwin knows the conditions on Maui. Kaanapali is just down the road from Kapalua, which hosts the PGA Tour's Mercedes Championships.
"Our trips to Maui are always special," Irwin said after he hugged the winner's trophy and his wife, Sally, grabbed the $165,000 winner's check. "It always feels a little more special here because we have been coming here so many years and have made so many friends."
While Irwin was firing a front-nine 32 to get to 12 under with nine holes to play, Jim Thorpe was making a run at a third victory in a row. Playing two groups in front of Irwin, Thorpe made the turn in 30 to get to 11 under.
Thorpe reached 13 under with birdies on the 14th and 15th, but a bogey on the 400-yard par-4 16th and a double bogey on the finishing hole took Thorpe out of contention. Irwin birdied Nos. 12 through 15 to slam the door.
The win was Irwin's fourth of 2000 and pushed him above the $2-million mark for the fourth straight year. Can Irwin, third on the money list behind Larry Nelson and Bruce Fleisher, win another money title or player-of-the-year crown?
"At this point, I think we have a clear-cut favorite for each of those titles," Irwin said. "It's Nelson's to lose." But as the Hawaiian field found out when the wind stopped, never count him out.
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