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CALGARY, Alberta — Jerry Kelly missed a chance to win in regulation and then made short work of a playoff Sunday with a 4-foot birdie putt to win the Shaw Charity Classic for his third PGA Tour Champions title of the season .
Kelly closed with a 3-under 67 to win the playoff over John Huston, who carded a 65 in one of his best chances to win in his 11 years on the 50-and-over circuit.
The final round was so tight that five players finished one shot behind.
Scores across the field from the Shaw Charity Classic
Kirk Triplett, who had the lead going into the final round, had a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th to join Kelly and Huston at 9-under 201. But he lost momentum and caught the edge of the cup. Shot Triplet 69.
US Senior Open champion Padraig Harrington (66), Joe Durant (62), Dean Wilson (66) and Alex Cejka (66) also missed the playoff by one shot. Cejka was coming off a win last week on the Legends Tour in Europe.
The nervy moment for Kelly came in regulation. He had a 15-foot birdie putt that ran about 4 feet from the hole — about the same distance from where Triplett had missed — and needed par to get into the playoff.
But on the 18th overtime, Kelly got the birdie he needed to join Steven Alker as the only three-time winners on the PGA Tour Champions this week. Alker, who still leads the Charles Schwab Cup standings, did not play this week.
“I love coming to Canada,” Kelly said. “Winning here is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Kelly played in the Canadian Open on the PGA Tour 13 times, but only twice finished in the top 10.
The PGA Tour Champions then heads to the Seattle area for the Boeing Classic.
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