Harrison Frazar birdied the first playoff hole to defeat Richard Green of Australia and win the Dominion Energy Charity Classic on Sunday in Richmond, Va.
Frazar earned his first PGA Tour Champions title 12 years after his lone victory on the PGA Tour.
“Emotions are (at an) all-time high right now,” Frazar said on the Golf Channel broadcast. “I’m filled up with appreciation, with humbleness. I’m so happy. I’m so proud of what I’ve done, what (caddie Marc Lebas) has done, what my family’s done and everything we’ve been through, especially lately.”
Meanwhile, the Charles Schwab Cup title was also decided with two playoff events to spare. Runaway leader Steve Stricker clinched the title despite not playing in Richmond.
Stricker leads Steven Alker of New Zealand by 1,909,065 points with only 1,756,000 points available over the last two events, according to the tour.
Frazar, 52, and Green both reached the green in three shots when replaying the par-5 18th hole at the Country Club of Virginia. But Green was on the far side of the green and missed his birdie chance, and Frazar followed that with his winning putt.
Green and Frazar each posted final rounds of 69 to get to 11-under 205 for the tournament, the first of three legs of the Schwab Cup playoffs.
Green was the only player in the 60s all three rounds. He had five birdies Sunday to offset two bogeys and was the first to get in the clubhouse at 11 under.
Frazar made one birdie and the rest pars through 15 holes of his third round. He birdied the par-5 16th hole but barely missed a birdie putt at No. 17 to tie Green. Then Frazar two-putted for birdie at the 18th in order to force the playoff.
Frazar walked away from competitive golf for several years before attempting a comeback on the PGA Tour Champions after turning 50.
“You wonder if you really can do it. You wonder if you still got it,” Frazar said. “To be able to see that putt go in the hole, gosh, what a feeling.”
Second-round leader Brett Quigley placed third at 10 under after a final-round 71. At the end of a pedestrian round, Quigley birdied Nos. 16 and 17 but could not get a birdie putt to fall at No. 18 to join the playoff.
Scott McCarron (67), Canada’s Mike Weir (68) and South Korea’s Y.E. Yang (71) tied for fourth at 9 under.
The top 54 players in the Schwab Cup playoff race following Sunday qualified for the second leg, the TimberTech Championship in Boca Raton, Fla.
–Field Level Media
