Don Pooley

Unflappable Don Pooley staved off a late challenge by Tom Watson in the fourth round and won the 2002 U.S. Senior Open with a 10-foot birdie on the fifth playoff hole at Caves Valley Golf Club in Baltimore, Md.

"To win the U.S. Senior Open as my first senior event, it doesn't get better than that," said Pooley, who played in his first Senior Open. "That is the top."

Pooley, the first champion to make the field through sectional qualifying, shot a 1-under-par 70 on Sunday. He navigated a streak of 17 straight pars that included holes 5-18 in his final round and three in the playoff, most notably three pressure-packed saves on holes 70, 71 and 72.

His fortitude countered Watson's barrage, which was marked by six birdies in the last 10 holes to take the pair to 10-under-par 274 for the championship and the first three-hole aggregate score playoff in Senior Open history. It was the fifth playoff in 23 years of the championship and the first since 1991.

"I felt somebody was really going to have to play great to beat me," Pooley added. "And, then Tom started reeling off birdie after birdie."

Watson, who shot 4-under-par 67 in the final round, trailed by five shots with 10 holes remaining. He began his run at No. 9. He then birdied holes 10, 13, 14, 15 and 17. His birdie on the 15th hole allowed him to catch Pooley at 10 under par. Watson bogeyed 16 but birdied 17 to pull even again with one hole left.

"I did what I had to do to catch him," Watson said. "In the end, it wasn't good enough."

Both players registered par 4s at the 72nd hole and the three-hole playoff began on Caves Valley's 430-yard downhill 16th hole. Pooley and Watson parred the first two playoff holes -16 with both making up and downs and 17 where Pooley's hit a brilliant bunker shot to save par. On 18, Watson made a 12-foot putt to save par and Pooley missed his chance to win from 8 feet.

They returned to the 18th to begin sudden death. Both drained short birdies on No.18, first Pooley, then Watson.

For the fourth time together on Sunday, Pooley and Watson played the 456 yard, par-418th hole. Pooley, who set a championship record with a 63 on Saturday to take a three-stroke lead into the final round, drove into the fairway. Watson's drive found the left rough and his second shot was in thick rough on the back right of the green.

Pooley's 7-iron shot landed on the apron and rolled to 10 feet right of the hole.

Watson's chip was wide of the hole and Pooley was poised for his winning attempt. As he had on several occasions earlier in the day, he backed off after addressing the ball.

"It wasn't that I was nervous," Pooley said. "I backed away because my thoughts weren't where I wanted them."

As his championship-clinching putt rolled in the middle of the hole to end 23 scintillating holes and nearly five and half hours of play, Pooley raised his putter in triumph.

Three strokes back was Tom Kite, who finished third at 7-under-par 277. In fourthplace was Ed Dougherty (6-under-par 278). Morris Hatalsky and Fred Gibson tied for fifth at 4-underpar 280.