Texas Longhorn Leonard closes Chubb Classic in style to claim first PGA TOUR Champions title
By Doug Milne
NAPLES, Fla. - When Justin Leonard stood on the first tee of the Chubb Classic Sunday morning, clinging to a 1-shot lead at 11-under par, he did so knowing he’d been in the lead position once before entering a Champions Tour final round.
Having been unable to convert the 36-hole lead at the 2023 PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach into victory, the Texas Longhorn took solace in the fact that sometimes, more is learned from losing than winning.
In this instance, seeking his first win on PGA TOUR Champions, it worked pretty darn well.
In what was his second Chubb Classic start and first since finishing T6 in last year’s rain-shortened event, Leonard found himself 1-over through 10 holes before reeling off three consecutive birdies on Nos. 12-14. He missed a 6-footer for birdie at the par-5 15th, which would’ve extended his lead to three strokes.
With his birdie on the daunting par-4 17th to reach 14-under, Leonard stood on the 18th tee up by three strokes at 14-under….only he didn’t know it.
“I just kept telling myself to stay focused on what I was doing and keep doing what I am doing and not get ahead of myself,” Leonard said. “I wasn’t really watching a leaderboard. After making the putt at 17, I didn’t know where I was. I told my caddie after that I didn’t know if I wanted to know where we stood, but that I’d ask him at some point. He said ‘you’re ok knowing’. He told me we were up by three, so that certainly made 18 more enjoyable.”
Leonard finished in style with a birdied at the last to by four strokes over Billy Andrade at 15-under 201.
“It’s hard to describe how special this is,” Leonard said. “It’s hard to win. So, to be able to come here, be paired with Ernie today and come out on top is amazing. There are so many guys that are just as hungry and dedicated. But, fortunately, today was my day and hopefully will be more often.”
Leonard’s 45 starts on PGA TOUR Champions before this week is highlighted by a runner-up finish at the 2023 PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach, where he succumbed to Thongchai Jaidee in sudden death. His most recent TOUR-sanctioned win prior to this week was the 2008 FedEx St. Jude Classic.
“Controlling my attitude and work ethic is all I can do,” Leonard said. “I just have to keep putting the work in and let the outcome be what it is. You just have to let the result surprise you.”
Leonard was making his third start of the season and comes off a T8 at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai and T19 at last week’s Trophy Hassan II in Morocco.
Making his 12th appearance in the Chubb Classic, Billy Andrade rallied from a bogey at the second hole with birdies at Nos. 3 and 4. He then reeled off four straight on Nos. 11-14 before signing for a 4-under 68 to finish solo-second by at 11-under 205.
Andrade’s lone top-10 finish in the event prior to this week was T8 in his first start of 2014. His sidekick on caddie duty this week was Mike “Fluff” Cowan, who picked up the job while his full-time boss, Jim Furyk, continues to recover from injury.
“He hadn't caddie for me since 1988, my rookie year on TOUR,” Andrade said. “Just to have him out for the first time since last year at Dick's after his surgery getting his hip replaced…it was so much fun to be with him and getting him around.”
Gaining ground on Leonard early was Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke, who carded five birdies through 13 holes. Blemish-free through 17, the 56-year-old ended his round with a bogey to drop to 4-under 68 for the day and 10-under 206 total, good for third place.
This week marked Clarke’s sixth start in the Chubb Classic and first foray into the top-10. His best showing before this week was T16 in his first start of 2019.
Clarke’s most recent of four PGA TOUR Champions titles was the 2022 Senior Open Championship.
After getting off to a rough start with a double-bogey-six at the first hole, 2010 and 2017 Chubb Classic champion Fred Couples rebounded with six birdies and an eagle to finish with the day with a 6-under 66, good for T4 at 9-under 207. The World Golf Hall of Fame member played the six-hole stretch of 8-13 in 5-under (birdie-par-par-birdie-eagle-birdie).
In eight Chubb Classic appearances now, Couples’ only finish outside the top 10 came in last year’s 36-hole rain shortened event, finishing T21.
After finishing first and third in the season’s first two events at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai and Trophy Hassan II, respectively, World Golf Hall of Fame member Els descended upon Tiburon Golf Club this week with the biggest momentum. He was also coming off a T3 from last year’s Chubb Classic.
Without a single birdie in the final round, three bogeys resulted in a 75 for the South African and 11th-place finish at 7-under 209.
Paul Stankowski, who shared the 18-hole lead with Mario Tiziani at 7-under 65, closed with a 1-under 71 to finish T4 at 9-under 207.
In his bid to join Lee Trevino (1990-91) and Bernhard Langer (2022-23) as players to successfully defend a Chubb Classic title, Stephen Ames was unable to break 70 all week, posting scores of 72-71-70 to finish T27 at 3-under 213.
Seeking a sixth Chubb Classic title, Bernhard Langer played the week in 72-68-70 to claim T12 honors at 6-under 210. With the exceptions of 2015 (WD) and 2018 (T36), Langer has never finished outside the top 10 in 16 starts in the event.
