HOOVER, Ala. -- Brad Bryant staged a final-day comeback,
made a key shot on the 17th hole and won at Ross Bridge -- much like
last year.
Winning his second straight Regions Charity Classic just took a
bit longer Sunday, with Bryant sinking a nearly 13-foot birdie putt
on the third hole of a playoff to beat R.W. Eaks and become the
first player to win the tournament twice.
The 52-year-old Bryant claimed the $240,000 winner's check with
his third Champions Tour victory. He finished at 12-under 204.
"Two of three wins on the same golf course is pretty good," he
said. "I might see if we can get our tour championship here."
Both Bryant and Eaks parred the hole twice in the playoff after
shooting matching 7-under 65s to rally from five-shot deficits.
Seeking his first Champions Tour win, Eaks had to settle for
another two-putt par from just above the green before Bryant's
winning putt from beside the hole.
Bryant had similar putts to end regulation and on the first
playoff hole, the 470-yard, par-4 18th.
"I told my caddie, 'He's going to make that,'" Eaks said. "It
was a perfect putt for him, just a little uphill, right to left. He
hit a perfect shot up there for him."
Last year, Bryant closed with a 64, overcoming a three-stroke
deficit on the final three holes to beat Mark McNulty. Both times,
Bryant made big birdies on the par-4 17th.
This time he hit a shot from the bunker within 8 feet of the
hole.
"That wedge shot and that putt on that hole was where I won the
golf tournament," Bryant said. "That's really where I won the
tournament last year with a birdie."
Bryant and Eaks started the day five strokes behind Bob Gilder,
who fell out of contention with a 73.
Eaks sounded anything but dejected even minutes after losing.
"I just made 140-and-something thousand dollars. How can I be
upset about that," said the smiling Eaks, who has finished second
four times and lost twice in a playoff. "My time will come sooner
or later."
He has struggled with hip problems since falling into a bunker
at Quad Cities while on the PGA Tour in 1998.
Denis Watson and Tom Kite _ who eagled the par-5 16th -- finished
one stroke back at 205, while first-round leader Scott Hoch was two
strokes behind. Altogether, nine players were within four shots of
the lead and at one point six were tied for first at 10 under.
Seve Ballesteros closed a rough Champions Tour debut with a 73,
eight shots better than his second round. That still left him tied
with Lee Trevino at the bottom of the 78-player field at 16-over
216.
"My game is not there," said the Spaniard, a five-time major
champion. "I'm very disappointed with my performance, but I did
the best I could."
Ballesteros did have three birdies on the final nine holes.
Eaks, who will turn 55 on Tuesday, missed a 15-foot birdie putt
for the win in regulation on 18 while Bryant watched, sending it to
the playoff.
"I really thought I was going to make that putt at the end of
regulation," Eaks said. "I just hit it a little bit too hard."
Bryant had all but given up on winning the event long before
that.
"I honestly didn't think we had a chance to win," he said.
"As the day went along, I finally looked at the scoreboard on the
16 green and saw I was tied for the lead, which really surprised
me."
With a shot at making it a three-way scramble, Watson's shot
bounced over the final hole and then he sent a long birdie putt
right of the hole. He also fell inches short on a 21-foot birdie
putt on 17.
Hoch stumbled down the stretch for the second straight day,
hitting four bogeys in five holes -- sandwiched around a birdie -- ending on the 15th to fall out of contention. He had a four-stroke,
two-hole turnaround to lose the lead on Saturday with Gilder's
eagle and birdie.