Sport

DiMarco captures his first title

Chris DiMarco ran away from the field to capture his first career PGA Tour title with a six-stroke victory at the inaugural Pennsylvania…

Mon Sept 18 2000 - 01:00

Chris DiMarco ran away from the field to capture his first career PGA Tour title with a six-stroke victory at the inaugural Pennsylvania Classic yesterday.

DiMarco, who had been knocking on the door this season with a pair of second-place finishes, made his breakthrough in his 159th PGA Tour event, a win the vaulted him into 16th place on the money list.

"It's the greatest feeling," said DiMarco. "It is what you hit those extra balls on the range for, what you hit those extra putts for."

A runner-up at the Tucson Open and St Jude Classic, DiMarco earned $576,000 for his first win. The 32-year-old shot his fourth straight round in the 60s, closing with a two-under-par 69 for a 72-hole total of 14-under 270.

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Scott Hoch had the best round of the day at the Waynesborough Country Club with a six-under 65 that moved him into a share of second with Chris Perry, rookie Brad Elder, Jonathan Kaye and Mark Calcavecchia.

American Jeff Van Wagenen led from start to finish to win the Tui Seniors Championship at the new Fleesensee Golf and Country Club in Germany.

Van Wagenen, 56, from Pasadena in California claimed the £19,992 first prize when he closed with a level par 73 to finish on an eleven-under-par 208, one shot ahead of England's Tommy Horton and Noel Ratcliffe of Australia.

Throughout the round both Horton and Ratcliffe, who closed with a 67 and a 69 respectively, put pressure on the American, but he refused to crumble - even after the 16th where he misjudged his yardage to the green and recorded a bogey that cut his lead to one.

"It's fantastic," he said. "Going out with a four shot lead, I knew I had to play conservatively but, for a while at least, I thought it was going to be touch and go particularly when I made that mistake on the 16th.

"Fortunately, however, I managed to hang on."

The result lifted Ratcliffe to the top of the European Seniors' Tour Order of Merit, above Christy O'Connor Jnr who did not take part in the German event.

Eddie Polland finished best of the Irish after his third successive 71 left him five shots back on 213 with Liam Higgins on 215 after a 72 and Raymond Kane on 217 after a 74.