Doyle comeback clinches US Senior Open title

Allen Doyle overcame a nine-shot deficit to fire an eight-under-par 63 and clinch the US Senior Open.

Teeing off over an hour before the lead group, Doyle (aged 57) went out knowing he needed to post a low score and did just that with a bogey-free round that moved him to 10-under 274.

The two-time major winner had six birdies on the front nine, including four in a row.

Doyle was strong off the tee, accurate with his irons and took advantage of just about every opportunity. He hit 11-of-14 fairways, 15-of-18 greens and needed just 25 putts in navigating the NCR Country Club layout.

Third-round co-leaders Loren Roberts and Craig Stadler, both gunning for their first US Senior Open title, faltered in the final round.

Roberts shot a two-over 73 to finish tied for second with DA Weibring. Stadler stumbled to a five-over 76 and finished tied for seventh at six-under 278.

With Doyle watching in the clubhouse, Weibring was on the course, taking advantage of the demise of Stadler and Roberts to grab the lead. He had a one-shot lead at the 17th tee but staggered home with a pair of bogeys.

Roberts needed a birdie on 18 to force a play-off but pushed his tee shot into the right rough. He found the green with his approach but was 40 feet from the pin and put his long birdie try well past the hole, making Doyle the second-oldest winner of the event.

Greg Norman signed for a 69 to finish fourth at eight-under 276, one shot better than Tom Watson and Wayne Levi.

Collated fourth round scores and totals in the USPGA Champions Tour US Senior Open, NCR Country Club, Kettering, Ohio, United States of America (USA unless stated, par 71):

274 Allen Doyle 71 67 73 63

275 Loren Roberts 66 67 69 73, D A Weibring 70 67 68 70

276 Greg Norman (Aus) 68 70 69 69

277 Wayne Levi 68 67 74 68, Tom Watson 68 65 73 71

278 Craig Stadler 64 69 69 76, Mark McNulty (Irl) 70 67 74 67

279 Rodger Davis (Aus) 69 72 67 71, Dana Quigley 73 71 66 69, Des Smyth (Irl) 70 66 70 73

281 Bruce Lietzke 71 73 70 67, Bob Gilder 69 72 71 69

282 Tom Jenkins 72 65 72 73, Ray Floyd 69 67 69 77, Perry Arthur 71 72 66 73, Walter Hall 72 70 71 69

283 Larry Nelson 74 70 71 68, Gil Morgan 70 70 72 71, Ron Streck 69 70 73 71, John Harris 69 75 70 69

284 Hajime Meshiai (Jpn) 70 69 73 72, Don Pooley 72 67 71 74, Jay Haas 72 70 75 67

285 Hale Irwin 71 69 74 71

286 Bruce Summerhays 68 69 73 76, R.W. Eaks 70 71 72 73, Peter Jacobsen 72 71 70 73

287 Dan Pohl 69 74 71 73, Lonnie Nielsen 71 72 74 70

288 David Eger 70 69 74 75, Greg Reynolds 71 72 71 74, Roy Vucinich 74 70 74 70, James Blair 71 70 77 70, George Zahringer 72 70 74 72, Doug Tewell 75 70 73 70

289 David Lundstrom 70 72 71 76, Morris Hatalsky 69 76 72 72, Tom Kite 74 71 73 71, Vicente Fernandez (Arg) 72 71 73 73, Vance Haefner 74 69 77 69, Dale Douglass 73 70 73 73

290 Tom Purtzer 65 76 72 77, Dick Mast 68 73 74 75, Jerry Pate 73 67 69 81, Randy Nichols 73 69 75 73, Bruce Fleisher 67 75 76 72

291 Frank Shikle 71 72 73 75, Jose Maria Canizares (Spa) 75 70 71 75

292 Mike San Filippo 72 68 77 75, Mick Soli 70 74 76 72, Jay Sigel 69 74 72 77, Rick Rhoden 71 74 78 69

293 Mark James (Eng) 72 73 77 71, Gary Hardin 71 74 72 76, Jim White 72 72 74 75, Terry Florence 73 72 73 75

294 Ben Crenshaw 71 74 70 79, Jim Colbert 70 74 77 73, Hubert Green 74 71 74 75

295 Pat Laverty 70 74 78 73

296 Alan Tapie 73 72 76 75, Rick Karbowski 70 73 78 75

298 Pat Tallent 73 70 74 81