The final round of the Rogers Charity Classic saw pure delight for Australia’s Richard Green as the 54-year-old took home his first win on the PGA Champions Tour following a five-under-par final round which took the Aussie to 18-under for the week, one ahead of Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez.
Further down the leaderboard were Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington and there will be no doubt about who will be happier after their week’s work.
A final round four-under-par for Clarke saw the Tyrone native finish his week in T18 at nine-under and three early birdies before a bogey on the par-4 seventh hole set the tone for the day. The 57-year-old closed out his round with two well executed birdies as he is bound to be happy with his performance.
The same may not be said about Padraig Harrington, as the 53-year-old struggled throughout the week and a final round that included five bogeys and one birdie saw him end his day at 4-over-par, ending his weekend in T68 at three-over.
Back to the top of the leaderboard though and Green held off Ricardo Gonzalez, the Argentine player who birdied the final two holes at Canyon Meadows for a 65 of his own.
A flurry of birdies between the second and seventh holes got Green right amongst it but it was his efforts on the par-5 18th hole that solidified the win, as Green made birdie to be one stroke ahead of the rest.
Green earned his first PGA TOUR Champions title in his 71st start after notching five runner-up finishes during the 2024 season, including playoff losses at the Sanford International and Dominion Energy Charity Classic.
The 54-year-old’s 18-under 192 total is one-shot shy of the all-time tournament record, set by Rocco Mediate in 2013, as Green’s win sees him become the first-time winner of the 2025 season on PGA Champions Tour.
Third round leader and Charles Schwab Cup no.1, Miguel Angel Jimenez started well with two birdies on the front nine but a disastrous double on the par-3 12th hole ultimately cost the Spaniard the win as he finished his round two-under-par and the tournament in a solo third 16-under-par.
South Korea’s Charlie Wi secured fourth place on 14-under-par, just ahead of Mark Hensby, Steven Alker, Matt Gogel and Champions Tour debutant Tommy Gainey who all sat at 13-under, in a share for fifth place.
The PGA Champions Tour now takes itself to Warwick Hills Golf and Country club for The Alley Challenge on the 22nd of August.
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