ORLANDO, Fla. -- Larry and Drew Nelson closed with eight
straight birdies for a 13-under 59, rallying from a two-stroke
deficit on the back nine for a tournament record-tying 25 under
total to win the Father-Son Challenge on Sunday.
Bob and David Charles made nine straight birdies, starting at
the second, to take a two-stroke lead early on the back nine at
ChampionsGate Resort before fading, finishing second at 22 under.
"There wasn't any desperation, but it did get our attention,"
said Drew Nelson, 28. "They birdied nine out of (the first) 10,
which kind of blew me away."
Three-time major winner Larry Nelson, paired in the past with
sons Josh or Drew, won the event for the first time in 10 tries.
His previous best finish was third in 2003.
"You make eight birdies in a row, you are going to catch some
people," Larry Nelson said. "Ten tries, yes, it never gets any
easier. Today, it was nice to follow up a good round with a better
round."
Bob Charles said he and his son couldn't sustain their early
run.
"We certainly had some momentum going with nine in a row," the
68-year-old Charles said.
Vijay Singh and 14-year-old son Qass closed with a 62 and
finished tied for ninth.
Arnold Palmer and grandson Sam Saunders finished in a tie for
12th at 14 under. Also tied for 12th was the pairing of Lee Janzen
and Aaron Stewart, son of the late PGA Tour star Payne Stewart.
"It's good to be out here," the 14-year-old Stewart said.
"You can only get better with experience, with all the cameras and
stuff. I've been on the sidelines, but not in the middle of it."
Craig Stadler, who won the event in 2002, teamed with son Chris
and was last in the 16-team field. The disappointing finish was
offset by word that Stadler was named player of the year on the
Champions Tour.
The 51-year-old Stadler led the 50-and-over circuit with five
victories and $2,306,066 in earnings.
"I started playing well early and played pretty good all
year," Stadler said. "It took a drastic turn this week. I
couldn't imagine being player of the year on the 10-and-under team
the way I hit the ball."