Doug Tewell

Doug Tewell made a three-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday for a one-stroke victory over Larry Nelson and Walter Hall in the Senior PGA Tour's SBC Championship. Tewell, who also birdied No. 17, closed with a five-under-par 67 for a 14-under 202 total on the Dominion Country Club. He earned $165,000 for his second victory of the year. "I said this morning, 'Someone's going to have to birdie the 18th hole.'

Allen Doyle, who turned pro in 1995 after a successful amateur career, won the Senior Players Championship at Dearborn, Mich., on Sunday on the first hole of a playoff with Doug Tewell. Doyle forced sudden death with a 35-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole in the final senior major of the year. "You can't fathom where I've come from," Doyle said. "It still blows my mind that this is my office, here at a golf course.

* WHEN, WHERE: Today through Sunday; Riviera Country Club, 1250 Capri Drive, Pacific Palisades. * PRIZE MONEY: $1.4 million, $252,000 to winner. * DEFENDING CHAMPION: Craig Stadler. His six-under-par 278 was one shot ahead of Couples, Mark Brooks, Scott Simpson and Mark Wiebe. * TV: USA Network: today-Friday, 4-6 p.m. (delayed, although DirecTV and some satellite feeds may be live at 1); Channel 2: Saturday, noon-3 p.m., Sunday, 1-3 p.m.

Doug Tewell believes in holding a lead, not sitting on one. He demonstrated the difference Sunday, shooting a tournament-record 10-under-par 62 in the final round of The Tradition to win by nine strokes over Mike McCullough and become the senior event's second wire-to-wire winner in 13 years. McCullough and Larry Nelson, who made up the final threesome with Tewell at Scottsdale, Ariz., had disastrous starts early in the round. As it turned out, Tewell didn't need any help.

Doug Tewell has embraced the Senior PGA Tour, and he's starting to see the rewards. Tewell, a three-time winner on the senior tour after winning four times on the regular tour, shot a six-under-par 66 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead in the first round of The Tradition at Scottsdale, Ariz. Mike McCullough and Tom Wargo were second, and Bob Gilder, Jim Holtgrieve and Terry Dill opened with 68s.

Doug Tewell increased his lead to three strokes in the second round of The Tradition, and one of the Senior PGA Tour's best made a move to get in contention at Scottsdale, Ariz. Tewell shot a five-under-par 67 Friday, picking up two shots on Mike McCullough and Tom Wargo, and staying ahead of Larry Nelson, who tied the tournament record with a 64. "We're not going to win it today or tomorrow," said Tewell, whose 11-under 133 total was one off the record in the first senior major of the season.

Doug Tewell believes in holding a lead, not sitting on one. He demonstrated the difference Sunday, shooting a tournament-record 10-under-par 62 in the final round of The Tradition to win by nine strokes over Mike McCullough and become the senior event's second wire-to-wire winner in 13 years. McCullough and Larry Nelson, who made up the final threesome with Tewell at Scottsdale, Ariz., had disastrous starts early in the round. As it turned out, Tewell didn't need any help.

Allen Doyle, who turned pro in 1995 after a successful amateur career, won the Senior Players Championship at Dearborn, Mich., on Sunday on the first hole of a playoff with Doug Tewell. Doyle forced sudden death with a 35-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole in the final senior major of the year. "You can't fathom where I've come from," Doyle said. "It still blows my mind that this is my office, here at a golf course.

Something was different the third time Doug Tewell had occasion to blast out of a bunker during the third round of the Tradition, and it changed the feel of the tournament at Scottsdale, Ariz. Tewell, who holed out from the sand twice earlier Saturday, shanked his shot out of a trap on the final hole, bogeyed and wound up with a two-under-par 70 that cut his lead over Mike McCullough and Larry Nelson to two shots.

Doug Tewell declined to follow through on a threat to manipulate the format and, instead, was among the leading point-getters Friday in the International golf tournament at Castle Rock, Colo. Tewell birdied two of his last three holes and completed two trips over the Castle Pines Golf Club course with a total of 19 points under the modified Stableford system used for this tournament.

Something was different the third time Doug Tewell had occasion to blast out of a bunker during the third round of the Tradition, and it changed the feel of the tournament at Scottsdale, Ariz. Tewell, who holed out from the sand twice earlier Saturday, shanked his shot out of a trap on the final hole, bogeyed and wound up with a two-under-par 70 that cut his lead over Mike McCullough and Larry Nelson to two shots.

Doug Tewell increased his lead to three strokes in the second round of The Tradition, and one of the Senior PGA Tour's best made a move to get in contention at Scottsdale, Ariz. Tewell shot a five-under-par 67 Friday, picking up two shots on Mike McCullough and Tom Wargo, and staying ahead of Larry Nelson, who tied the tournament record with a 64. "We're not going to win it today or tomorrow," said Tewell, whose 11-under 133 total was one off the record in the first senior major of the season.

Doug Tewell has embraced the Senior PGA Tour, and he's starting to see the rewards. Tewell, a three-time winner on the senior tour after winning four times on the regular tour, shot a six-under-par 66 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead in the first round of The Tradition at Scottsdale, Ariz. Mike McCullough and Tom Wargo were second, and Bob Gilder, Jim Holtgrieve and Terry Dill opened with 68s.

Doug Tewell got a cake for his 46th birthday. The icing didn't read "Happy Birthday." The icing said "Four years and counting." Tewell's wife, Pam, isn't into gentle hints. Tewell was four years from gaining eligibility into the Senior PGA Tour. "Yeah, you could say the senior tour was a goal of mine," Tewell says. "I spent some serious time getting ready." Tewell comes to the Toshiba Senior Classic at Newport Beach Country Club off his 2000 senior tour rookie of the year season.

Doug Tewell made a three-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday for a one-stroke victory over Larry Nelson and Walter Hall in the Senior PGA Tour's SBC Championship. Tewell, who also birdied No. 17, closed with a five-under-par 67 for a 14-under 202 total on the Dominion Country Club. He earned $165,000 for his second victory of the year. "I said this morning, 'Someone's going to have to birdie the 18th hole.'

Doug Tewell didn't have the same feeling as he approached the 18th green at Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on Monday as he did while winning the 1986 L.A. Open. He didn't have any goose bumps. He didn't receive quite the ovation. And his wife, Pam, wasn't in town. It hardly felt like a victory, especially a major. Not until Tewell hoisted the PGA Seniors Championship trophy above his head did he really understand the gravity of his first senior tour win.

Doug Tewell found the new Tournament Players Club course at Southwind to his liking Thursday, shooting a course-record, eight-under-par 63 to take the first-round lead in the $1-million Federal Express St. Jude golf tournament at Memphis, Tenn. Tewell, who had eight birdies and no bogeys, shot a six-under-par 30 on the front nine.

Doug Tewell got a cake for his 46th birthday. The icing didn't read "Happy Birthday." The icing said "Four years and counting." Tewell's wife, Pam, isn't into gentle hints. Tewell was four years from gaining eligibility into the Senior PGA Tour. "Yeah, you could say the senior tour was a goal of mine," Tewell says. "I spent some serious time getting ready." Tewell comes to the Toshiba Senior Classic at Newport Beach Country Club off his 2000 senior tour rookie of the year season.

* WHEN, WHERE: Today through Sunday; Riviera Country Club, 1250 Capri Drive, Pacific Palisades. * PRIZE MONEY: $1.4 million, $252,000 to winner. * DEFENDING CHAMPION: Craig Stadler. His six-under-par 278 was one shot ahead of Couples, Mark Brooks, Scott Simpson and Mark Wiebe. * TV: USA Network: today-Friday, 4-6 p.m. (delayed, although DirecTV and some satellite feeds may be live at 1); Channel 2: Saturday, noon-3 p.m., Sunday, 1-3 p.m.

Doug Tewell declined to follow through on a threat to manipulate the format and, instead, was among the leading point-getters Friday in the International golf tournament at Castle Rock, Colo. Tewell birdied two of his last three holes and completed two trips over the Castle Pines Golf Club course with a total of 19 points under the modified Stableford system used for this tournament.