Jobe notches 1st Champions Tour victory

Brandt Jobe won his first PGA Tour Champions event on Sunday in Des Moines, Iowa, capturing the Principal Charity Classic by one shot.

Jobe shot a 3-under-par 69 in the final round to finish at 14-under 202 at the Wakonda Club to end a winless streak that went back to 1998. His first victory came in his 32nd start on the Champions Tour.

“It’s hard. You’re out here to win, and I haven’t done as good of a job as I would have liked,” said Jobe, who had his 19th consecutive round of par or better. “This is nice. It’s a little bit of a relief.”

Scott McCarron and Kevin Sutherland finished tied for second at 13-under. McCarron shot a 66 for the best round of the day while Sutherland had an eagle on the final hole to finish with a 68.

Tour money leader Bernhard Langer (67), who was seeking his third consecutive victory, finished fourth at 12-under, and Scott Verplank (68), Tom Lehman (69) and Steve Flesch (69) tied for fifth, a stroke behind Langer.

Jobe, who began the final round tied with Glen Day, birdied the fifth, eighth and 13th holes before getting a bogey on the 14. He responded with a birdie on the 15th. He saved par after a wayward tee shot on the 17th, then parred the 18th to win.

McCarron, a teammate of Jobe’s when they were at UCLA, made a charge by recording six straight birdies, enabling him to tie for the lead with five holes remaining.

But he missed birdie putts on 17 and 18, leaving him a stroke behind.

“I hung in there,” McCarron said. “When you have one of your best friends win a golf tournament, it means a lot to him, so really proud of him.”

Langer ruined his chances at another title on Saturday, when he had five bogeys in the second round. But he rebounded with a 67 Sunday.

“I just didn’t quite have it in me,” Langer said.

Day, who was tied for the lead when the day began, shot a final-round 76 and wound up tied for 13th.