Miñoza ends senior tour campaign with a 71

The Philippines’ Frankie Miñoza used a three-birdie, one-bogey stint at the back side to finish with a one-under-par 71 at the close of the Allianz Championship tournament in the US Seniors Champions Tour at the Old Course of Broken Sound in Boca Raton, Florida Sunday.

It was a complete rebound from his 10-over-par 82 debacle on the second round, which practically dashed his hopes of coming up with a respectable finish in his debut as a senior tour player. The 51-year-old campaigner wound up with a 224, which put him tied for 71st. On the final day, he made five birdies as against four bogeys. He drove longer at 298 yards on the average, reached the greens in regulation 14-out-of-18, although he only made 10-of-18 fairways from the tees. Overall, he was tied second for the longest drive norm with 292 yards. Miñoza, runner-up in the Champions Tour’s Qualifying School in November last year, was 21 strokes behind champion American Tom Lehman, who needed a five-foot birdie on the 18th to break a tie with countryman Jeff Sluman and Canadian Rod Spittle in winning the title. Lehman churned out a 69, built around five birdies and two bogeys for the third time on the Champions Tour. But it was the birdie on the last hole that made the difference. He came through with a 203 aggregate in 54 holes. "It was a good day. It was a fun day," said Lehman. "It was pretty nip-and-tuck all the way. No one could really get any separation. I played a pretty steady round of golf and was fortunate to get the victory." - KY, RCJ, Adrian Flores, GMA News