BLAINE, Minn. (AP) Hale Irwin's summer slump is over.

Irwin, who lost in playoffs two of the last three weeks, shot a 4-under 68 Sunday and beat Hubert Green by three strokes in the 3M Championship.

It was his tour-leading third Senior PGA Tour win of the year and ended a five-month victory drought.

The bogey-free final round at the TPC of the Twin Cities gave Irwin a 12-under 204 total and the first-place check of $262,500.

Irwin, who was never out of the lead Sunday, went up by as many as five strokes during a pivotal seven-hole stretch.

"Hale's not known to be kind out here and give any strokes away," Green said. "He doesn't have a reverse gear in his machine."

Irwin's last win was the Toshiba Senior Classic on March 10. Last week, he lost to Green in a seven-hole playoff - the tour's longest this year - at the Long Island Classic, and he lost to Bob Gilder after one extra hole at the SBC Senior Open.

"It's nice to have Hubert's name under mine this week on the final board," Irwin said. "Last week I played well from tee to green but was putting horribly. This week my putting came around. I made some nice long putts but I made all the 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-footers that I haven't been making."

Irwin extended his lead on the senior money list as he went over $2 million in official earnings for the sixth consecutive season.

Irwin started the round tied with James Mason for the lead at 8 under. They were still tied through six holes, but two birdies by Irwin as Mason made three bogeys over the next seven holes gave him the five-stroke lead.

A birdie at No. 10 gave Irwin a three-stroke lead.

"Then it's a situation where if I just don't do anything stupid and make pars, I force somebody to make up three shots to catch me," he said.

Green birdied three of his last four holes for a 67 that left him at 9-under 207. It was Green's third top-two finish in the last five weeks.

Doug Tewell, the 2001 3M runner-up, shot a 67 Sunday and finished tied with Mason, who had a 72, at 208.

It was Irwin's tour-record 35th victory, 67th top-two finish and 81st top-three result in 175 events in his eight-year senior career. He's won at least three events in each of the last six seasons, and has won four senior events at least three times.

Irwin won this event in 1997 and 1999 on the easier Bunker Hills course in nearby Coon Rapids. He has six consecutive top-three finishes here on two different courses; has broken par in 18 of 20 rounds; and is a combined 81 under in seven appearances.

Irwin said he never dreamed he would find this level of success when he joined the senior tour in 1995.

"I'd be lying if I told you I had an inkling this would happen," Irwin said. "But in my heart I knew I could succeed out here."

Mason, the first-round leader after a course-record 64, was playing in his 17th senior event in two years. He had one previous top-35 finish - a victory at the NFL Golf Classic in June. His $115,500 payoff Sunday was his second largest of his pro career.

Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, playing his first senior event of the year, was last among the 76 finishers at 30-over 246 after rounds of 81-81-84. He was competing on a sponsor's exemption for the third time in this event, and was paired with Arnold Palmer for the last two rounds. Bench was 75th here last year at 244.

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