Champions Tour Wins Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge


The Champions Tour team of Kenny Perry, Jay Haas and Mark Calcavecchia shot 15-under par to win the Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge. The unofficial, made-for-TV event was held at Rio Secco Golf Club in Henderson, Nev.

Perry carded nine birdies to lead the over-50 squad. The trio went 8-under over the final nine holes to get past the PGA Tour team of Boo Weekley, Gary Woodland and Jonathan Byrd, which finished at 12-under on the par-72 course.

"My teammates made birdies," Perry said. "(I had) four on the front and five on the back, so I was pretty steady all day."

The LPGA Tour team of Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr and Natalie Gulbis finished second by going 14-under, with Kerr shooting 5-under over the final five holes to overtake the PGA Tour team.

"We were pretty far back," said Kerr. "In this tournament you've got to stay a little bit close with the last couple holes. I knew I had to just really turn it on as much as I could and try and make up shots. I had a great finish, and we still came up short. But we ended up finishing second instead of third (their 2010 finish). I birdied that (14th) hole before, but I never made eagle on that hole. So that was a good improvement."

Thanks to his birdie spree, Perry was crowned the individual winner at 8-under 64.

The Champions team earned $500,000, while the LPGA squad $270,000, and the PGA Tour team $230,000. It was the seventh win for the Champions Tour, while the PGA Tour has eight titles and the LPGA five.

The 2011 Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge raised over $4 million for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Over its 20 years of existence, the event has generated over $40 million for the organization founded by the late founder of the fast-food restaurant chain.

The event will be televised at a later date.