Brad Faxon and Jeff Sluman won the Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf as Roger Chapman and Jay Don Blake’s challenge faltered on the final day.
In the Champions Tour’s annual two-man better-ball competition, Faxon and Sluman won at The Club at Savannah Harbor with a final round seven under 65 and 23 under total.
On a blustery day around Hutchinson Island, Sluman said: “Today it shifted again from a little bit of a different direction and the pin placements were tough and the greens were very firm.
“It was just a little more of an edge to the golf course this year than in previous years – and more rough, frankly.”
Bernhard Langer and Tom Lehman, the 2009 Liberty Mutual champs, finished tied for 12th having arrived as the team to beat on paper, by virtue of Langer’s two wins on the year and Lehman’s two-time Schwab Cup champion status. On Sunday they started one shot back, but made the turn at even par and shot 69 with two bogeys.
The second round leaders, Blake and Chapman, shot the third round’s highest score, a 71, and finished in a tie for 16th.
“We’ve had a lot of laughs, we’ve probably had some powerful type of conversations when our games were in the dumps,” Sluman said.
The two led after the first round with a 62, fell one shot back after a Saturday 66, then on Sunday started in the antepenultimate group.
“I looked at Brad and he looked at me and said ‘you know, let’s go out and do it and let’s play well and let’s just let it happen,” Sluman said. “So it’s a dream come true to win with Brad, for me.”
