Toledo Secures Second Champions Tour Title


Esteban Toledo earned his second victory this year on the Champions Tour by carding a birdie on the third sudden-death playoff hole to beat Kenny Perry in the Montreal Championship. The $1.6 million Champions Tour event began Friday at the tough Vallee du Richelieu Rouville course in Sainte-Julie, Quebec.

The 50-year-old Toledo, who in May won the Insperity Championship on the over-50 circuit, closed with his second straight 3-under 69 to finish tied with Perry at 5-under 211 through 54 holes. Perry, the leader in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup, posted a 70.

After playing the par-4 18th twice - with both getting pars - the two moved on to the 10th. On the par-3, Toledo chipped in from off the green for birdie. Perry couldn't sink his long birdie try to match the native of Mexicali, Mexico.

"I played really, really well this week, especially the last nine holes. I think I shot 3‑under par," Esteban told reporters. "Those conditions were tough coming down the stretch. I have been there once and I knew the feeling that you just got to go out there and play your own game. I really thought that Kenny was going to take over on the last four holes, but I guess the wind was kind of tough. Those conditions were difficult. You know, I didn't know I had to make the putt on 18. I didn't know anything. I didn't look at the leaderboard at all. I made the putt. It was great the whole week. It was pretty awesome."

Perry told the media that his back was hurting and, if he wasn't in contention and already entered in the tournament, he would have withdrawn. "My back was killing me and then my foot was killing me. And so I just took a lot of Advil and held my breath on all those shots and just fought through it," the Kentuckian said.

"Nobody was making a run today, so it kept me interested. It kept me like, Shoot, nobody is going anywhere. Then I looked up and I had 2 shot lead. I was 6 under and the next was 4. That's crazy. That's strange how golf is, when you feel like you are not playing your best but yet you got a two-stroke lead. To me that was mind-boggling."

The 5-under total was the highest 54-hole total on the Champions Tour since the 2008 Turtle Bay Championship - won by Jerry Pate - in Hawaii.

Alone in third at 212 was Duffy Waldorf, who closed with a 70, while another stroke back were South Africa's David Frost (70), American Michael Allen (71), Sweden's Anders Forsbrand (72) and 36-hole leader Bernhard Langer.

Langer, who opened with rounds of 71 and 67 to enter Sunday with a three-stroke edge over the field, shot a disappointing 3-over 75 that included two double-bogeys. The 56-year-old German birdied the last.

Alone in eighth was Loren Roberts (70), while eight players - including first-round leader Dick Mast and Canada's Rod Spittle - tied for ninth at 215.

Defending champion Mark Calcavecchia recorded rounds of 74, 72 and 73 to end up tied for 31st at 3-over 219.

After opening with promising rounds of 73 and 72, Ken Green closed with an 80 to finish T-58 at 9-over 225. The 55-year-old Green was playing in his first individual tour event of the year. The five-time winner on the PGA Tour wears a prosthetic device on his lower right leg.

Rocco Mediate, who finished last week's Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary at 22-under 191 to tie the all-time low scoring mark for a 54-hole Champions Tour event, shot a 74 Sunday to tie for 20th at 1-over 217.

For all the scores, visit http://www.pgatour.com/champions/leaderboard.html.