Duffy Waldorf wins Toshiba Classic with tournament record

Duffy Waldorf wouldn’t describe winning the 21st Toshiba Classic as taking the monkey off his back. But he certainly broke through with a remarkable three-day performance at Newport Beach Country Club.

Waldorf shot 20-under-par to capture his first victory on the Champions Tour in 73 starts and his 67-60-66—193 set the tournament record.

It was actually his first victory in 292 starts. You have to go back to 2000, when he last won, on the PGA Tour, the National Car Rental Golf Classic Disney.

“I never felt like it was a monkey per se,” Waldorf, 53, said. “I came out here [on the Champions Tour] and I played well. I was in the hunt a lot. It’s a fun tour to play. I always felt winning would come. But the last year or two years, the competition has gotten really strong. There are more guys who are great players. There was a part of me that was wondering if I was going to win. Three years in they say you start losing your edge a bit … and so you wonder.”

Waldorf finished with just three pars in his final round. He hit a rough spell with bogeys on hole Nos. 4, 5 and 6. But then he responded with four straight birdies. He said the turnaround was key to put him back into contention and give himself the lead.

He collected 26 birdies, which tied the Champions Tour 54-hole record with Fred Couples and Loren Roberts. He broke the record by five birdies for most birdies in the Toshiba Classic.

All those birdies were big shots, but perhaps his biggest one came on No. 17, where he actually bogeyed.

His eight-foot putt for bogey on No. 17 gave him a one-shot lead heading into the par-five No. 18 hole against Durant, who had finished his round earlier with an eagle on No. 18.

“Without a doubt, [it was] a big putt on 17,” said Waldorf, a UCLA alum. “The putt on 17 was key to have a one-shot lead to have on Durant. He just ran out of holes it would appear. He did a John Wooden. It wasn’t that he played bad, he just ran out of holes. The game was too short.”

Durant said he wasn’t surprised that it took 73 starts for Waldorf to get his first win on the Champions Tour because of the great competition. Waldorf had four runner-up finishes in this three years on the Champions Tour.

Fred Couples, the defending champion, entered the final round three shots behind Waldorf. Couples finished tied for fifth with Kenny Perry, after shooting 69 in the final round. He had a pair of 65s before that.

Couples, who bought a home in Newport Beach this year and was a fan favorite, was trying to become the Toshiba Classic’s first three-time winner and the tournament’s first repeat champion.

Kevin Sutherland (65-66-65) finished third at 17-under and local favorite Paul Goydos finished fourth at 15-under (65-67-66).

Waldorf’s 60 in the second round tied the course record with Tom Purtzer (2004) and Nick Price (2011), who were also Toshiba Champions in those years.

Waldorf earned a first-place check for $270,000, increasing his earnings to $822,895. He also jumped from 30th to 19th on the money list. He earned 270 points in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup race and moved into 18th place.

He also earned a two-year exemption into the Mistubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.