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The Loop
John Daly finishes T-17 in PGA Tour Champions debut, Jesper Parnevik wins
All the attention was on John Daly at this week's Insperity Invitational, but it was another five-time PGA Tour winner who wound up being Sunday's headliner. Jesper Parnevik shot a final-round 67 to win his first PGA Tour Champions title by four shots.
"It feels fantastic, actually," Parnevik told reporters after. "I'm still in shock, because when it's been this long, you don't even remember how it is."
The 51-year-old Swede was referring to his last PGA Tour win, which came 15 years ago at the 2001 Honda Classic. But the PGA Tour Champions is the best mulligan in golf. And like Parnevik, Daly is excited about this next phase of his career.
Daly's debut on the senior circuit ended in a T-17, although it looked like it might be a lot better after he started Sunday with three consecutive birdies. He made another birdie on No. 6 to get within two shots of the lead before bogeys on 7 and 8 stalled his momentum. A triple bogey on No. 17 dropped him out of the top 10.
Daly, who turned 50 on April 28, described his chipping and putting as "awful," but his driving was anything but that. He averaged 315.8 yards off the tee, nearly 50 yards longer than the tour average, while managing to hit 35 of 42 fairways. That kind of driving should help Daly contend -- and fill the galleries at future PGA Tour Champions events.
"Just get home and work on the things I need to work on. My short and middle irons were actually pretty good. My 7-, 8-, and 9-irons were the ones that really hurt me today," Daly said after. "But other than that, I mean, you know, putting is putting. Some weeks are good, some are bad. But, all in all, it was a good week."