Ridgedale, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Joe Durant made a big hole-in-one during Sunday's final round and that helped propel he and Billy Andrade to a 3-shot victory at the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf.
The duo finished the week at 19-under-par 159 after closing with a 9-under 45. It was the first Champions Tour victory for Durant and Andrade, who both won four times in their PGA Tour careers.
"I'm just thankful to win with my partner. I really am. I wanted to win out here and to do it with one of my best friends, you can't ask for more than that," Durant said. "It seemed like when one of us got in trouble, the other one kind of rose to the occasion and made the clutch shot or the clutch putt or whatever. We had a ball."
Second-round leaders Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam birdied the last to finish alone in second and three shots back at 16-under 162. They combined to shoot a 3-under 51 on the Top of the Rock par-3 course.
Mark Calcavecchia and Steve Lowery (47) and Loren Roberts and Mark Wiebe (48) finished one shot further back at minus-15.
The first nine holes at Top of the Rock used alternate shot, while the second nine was best-ball.
Starting the day three shots behind the leaders, Durant and Andrade started off well with birdies on one and three, getting them to minus-12. Lyle and Woosnam continued to lead with a birdie at the first, putting them at 14- under.
While Lyle and Woosnam went on to make birdie on six, Durant and Andrade combined to make three more at six, nine and 10, and just like that they were tied for the lead at minus-15.
Then things really turned. Lyle and Woosnam 3-putted for bogey at the ninth, giving Durant and Andrade the lead. Durant later helped them tighten their grip on the advantage.
At No. 12, Durant's tee ball landed just to the right of the pin, took two bounces and turned left before dropping in the cup for a hole-in-one, giving his team a 3-shot lead. It was the first ace of the week.
"The hole-in-one was unbelievable and when the ball was in the air I said 'be as good as you look,' and obviously it was," Andrade said of his partner's shot.
From there, Durant and Andrade made sure nobody was going to overtake them. Durant went on to hole a birdie from about 30 feet out at No. 15 and Andrade followed that up with a gain of his own on No. 16. The duo parred the final two holes for the victory.
"I think that the downhill 15th hole, the island hole, Joe hit it just short of going up the hill and I hit it in the water, and he has a 30-foot putt and we're just hoping that he can get it down in two and he makes it," Andrade said. "To me that was the one, then I knew."
Birdies on 10, 13 and 18 to go along with a bogey on 12 were not enough for Lyle and Woosnam as they ended three shots back and alone in second.
NOTES: Andrade last won on the PGA Tour at the 2000 Invensys Classic at Las Vegas ... Durant won the Funai Classic in 2006 for his last victory ... Mike Reid made the second hole-in-one of the week at No. 17 on Sunday ... Durant and Andrade each earned $460,000 with this victory ... The Champions Tour heads to Texas for the Insperity Invitational next week, where Bernhard Langer earned his second of five wins during the 2014 season.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.