NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Jim Ahern shot a 3-under 69 Sunday to complete a wire-to-wire win at the Champions Tour's Music City Championship, only the third victory of his professional career.
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He set the tournament record with a 196 over 54 holes, two strokes better than Isao Aoki in 1998 and Hale Irwin in 2000.
Ahern last won an event in 1999, the AT&T Canada Senior Open Championship during his rookie year. His other win was the 1973 Yuma Open, a satellite PGA Tour event. He only played on the PGA Tour between 1973 and 1975 where his biggest paycheck was $2,400 for tying for 13th at the 1975 Phoenix Open.
The $210,000 he won Sunday for the first wire-to-wire win on the 50-and-over tour since Bruce Fleisher won the 2002 RJR Championship was the biggest paycheck of Ahern's career.
Leading by six strokes at 17 under after Saturday, Ahern started the final round by barely missing an eagle for the second day in a row on the first hole when his 5-foot putt lipped out. He tapped in for birdie.
Rodger Davis and Jose Maria Canizares - both tied for second at 11 under after the second round - also birdied the first hole but couldn't cut enough into Ahern's lead to mount a serious challenge on the front nine.
Canizares had his best shot to make a late charge when he birdied Nos. 12, 13 and 14 to trim Ahern's lead to two strokes. But at the next hole - a short 170-yard, par-3 - Canizares chipped his second shot onto the green, and it rolled past the hole about four feet. He missed the par putt by inches and tapped in for bogey.
Ahern essentially closed the door when he birdied No. 16, sinking a 4-foot putt and going to 20 under for the tournament.
Ahern finished by making par the final two holes.
Canizares shot a 67 Sunday and finished the tournament four strokes back.
Larry Nelson, designer of the Springhouse Golf Club course, had six straight birdies on the back nine to shoot an 8-under 64 and finish in third, five strokes back.
Ed Dougherty and Tom Jenkins tied at 13 under for the tournament - seven back. Dougherty shot a 65 and Jenkins a 69.
Davis tried to make a move when his tee shot on the 167-yard, par-3 third hit the flag pole and bounced about four feet from the hole. He made the birdie putt while Ahern two-putted for par and saw his lead narrow to five strokes.
On the par-4 11th, Davis had to hit out of the rough between the cart path and woods on his third shot and was short of the green. He finished with a double bogey on the hole, a 73 for the day and 10 strokes back.
Ahern, never really known as a good putter, changed his putting style from swinging the putter back shut to going wide two weeks ago. It has helped greatly this week, but at times failed him on Sunday.
Ahern missed the greens on Nos. 11 and 12 but managed a birdie on the par-4 11th. His birdie putt on the 12th went about two feet past the hole and he tapped in for par.
He eagled the 391-yard, par-4 No. 4, where players have to hit the ball right of the fairway and then over a creek onto the green. His approach shot landed about six feet above the hole and he made the downhill putt.
Ahern bogeyed the par-3 eighth, only his second bogey of the tournament.
The most dramatic moment of the tournament, formerly known as the BellSouth Senior Classic, came on the first day when Ahern birdied 18 for a 64 to grab the lead by one stroke over Doug Tewell.
Tewell shot a 73 Saturday and a 72 on Sunday to finish 14 strokes back.
