Kirk Triplett was clutch when rivals Bernhard Langer and Duffy Waldorf couldn’t be, with a steady-hand par-putt at the 18th hole Sunday to close out a six-under 66 and claim a one-stroke victory at the ACE Group Classic.
Triplett entered the final hole on the Talon Course at The Twin Eagles Club tied with Langer and Waldorf for the lead, and watched his competitors both record bogeys to earn his third career win on the Champions Tour.
Triplett was the lone member of the group tied at 16-under to find the green with his second shot on the 18th, as Waldorf had to punch out of a bunker after an errant drive and Langer pulled his second into the rough to the left of the green.
Waldorf hit his third on the green well short of the pin before Langer chipped to about 15 feet past the hole.
After Waldorf two-putted for bogey, Triplett failed to convert his first chance for the win when he rolled his birdie effort six feet past the hole.
Langer then had his par putt lip out off the right edge of the hole and tapped in for bogey, allowing Triplett to calmly convert his par putt to close out the win.
He add this win to wins in the 50-and-over tour's Pebble Beach event the last two years after winning three times on the PGA Tour. Two of his three wins have come after outdueling Langer.
The 51-year-old Triplett fashioned a three-day, 54-hole score of 16-under in the event to finish a shot ahead of Langer, Waldorf and Olin Browne. Browne and Waldorf had final round scores of 66 while Langer shot a 67 as all three finished at 15 under.
It's the second consecutive week Waldorf has finished in second place.
Jay Haas (64) finished at 12-under and in fifth place, with last week’s Allianz Championship winner Michael Allen (67) and Colin Montgomerie (69) finishing at 10-under.
Mark Calcavecchia (66), Mike Goodes (68) and Billy Andrade (68) all finished at eight-under, while Bob Tway (72), Rod Spittle (69), Tommy Armour III (69), Wes Short Jr. (67), Jim Rutledge (64) and Peter Senior (65) all finished at seven-under.
The Champions Tour will now take a break for a month, returning to action with the Toshiba Classic in Newport Beach, Calif., March 14-16. The following week, the Champions Tour arrives in Saucier, Miss., for the annual Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic presented by C Spire at Fallen Oak, March 21-23.