Snoqualmie, WA – Jay Don Blake birdied the second playoff hole Sunday to defeat Mark O'Meara and win the Boeing Classic.
Blake and O'Meara both shot 4-under 68s in the final round and finished regulation tied at 10-under 206. They had to wait to see if last week's winner of the Dick's Sporting Goods Open, Willie Wood, could eagle the last. Wood made birdie and the two were off to the par-5 18th at the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge.
On the first extra hole, both players found the fairway and O'Meara was first. He hit an ugly pull but Blake didn't find the green either. O'Meara's third landed well past the hole, but spun back to six feet. Blake nearly holed his chip for eagle and the win. It hit the hole and ran almost 12 feet past the hole.
Blake missed his birdie try, then O'Meara pushed his so it was back to 18.
For the third time in an hour at 18, O'Meara and Blake were back on the tee at 18. Blake once again hit two good shots to the back of the green. O'Meara's second, a 3-iron, missed left. He pitched to 15 feet, but Blake knocked his third very close.
O'Meara's birdie effort missed on the high side. Blake converted his short one for the title.
The victory was Blake's third on the Champions Tour. He captured last year's Songdo IBD Championship right around this time last year and the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
"I guess this time of year is when things happen for me," Blake said in a televised interview. "I worked hard at it. Now the hard work is finally paying off. What a joy."
O'Meara lost his chance at a third Champions Tour title.
"It wasn't very much fun. I don't like finishing second, to be honest with you." said O'Meara, who missed almost four months this season with a rib injury. "I've finished second a lot out here. Jay Don hit some good shots in the playoff. He deserved to win. He had a good pitch shot on the last hole there. There's not much to say besides very disappointed."
Wood had a 2-under 70 on Sunday and took third at minus-9.
Last year's winner Mark Calcavecchia (70) and Michael Allen (67) shared fourth at 8-under par.
It was a tough day for second-round leader Tom Jenkins in his bid for Champions Tour history. At 64, Jenkins could've become the oldest winner in tour history, but he struggled to a 6-over 78 and tied for 21st at 3-under par.
Blake started well enough with two birdies in his first four holes Sunday. He birdied the 10th from 15 feet to tie for the lead with O'Meara, but trouble lingered for O'Meara.
He had a buried lie in a greenside bunker at the 11th and thinned his shot into a bunker on the other side. O'Meara made double bogey and fell down the leaderboard.
Blake was in first, but missed a 3-footer for par at 13. O'Meara birdied 14 and 16 and Blake birdied the 15th to tie the two at 9-under par.
Blake landed his second on the left collar at the par-5 closing hole. He nearly made his putt, but converted the short one for birdie to get in at 10- under.
O'Meara, in the group behind Blake, also reached in two. He 2-putted from a long way to join Blake in first. Once Wood couldn't make eagle, it was a 2-man playoff and Blake emerged victorious.
David Frost (67) and Tom Byrum (68) shared sixth at 7-under par. Duffy Waldorf, who made his Champions Tour debut this week, fired a 67 on Sunday and tied for eighth with Jeff Sluman (69) and Tom Kite (70) at minus-6.
NOTES: Blake pocketed $300,000 for the victory...In three weeks, the Champions Tour travels to Hawaii for the inaugural Pacific Links Hawaii Championship at Kapolei Golf Course.
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