Stephen Ames of Canada shot a final-round 5-under 67 on Sunday to safe his third win of the PGA Tour Champions season on the Principal Charity Classic in Des Moines, Iowa.
Ames made an important birdie on the par-3 seventeenth gap and a brief par putt on the par-4 18th at Wakonda Club to complete at 17-under 199 and beat defending champion Jerry Kelly and red-hot Steve Stricker by one stroke.
The 59-year-old Ames beforehand gained the Trophy Hassan II in Morocco and the Mitsubishi Electric Classic final month outdoors Atlanta. It was additionally Ames’ second victory on the Des Moines-area occasion after additionally capturing the title in 2021.
“When you consider the fact how well (Stricker) has played all year … I figured I had to do something this week,” Ames advised the Golf Channel broadcast. “And the putter got really nice and warm, which is good for me, because I’ve had problems with it the past couple of events that I’ve played. It’s thrilling again to come back here and win.”
Ames’ solely bogey of the three-round match got here Sunday on the par-3 14th, dropping him again to 16 beneath for the match after piling up his first 5 birdies. At the downhill seventeenth, he landed his wedge shot inside 10 ft of the pin and made birdie to get again to 17 beneath.
Playing with Ames, Stricker made 4 bogeys and no birdies for a final-round 68, however he missed birdie putts at Nos. 14, 15 and 16 earlier than getting one final probability to tie Ames at 17 beneath on the ultimate gap.
Stricker’s makeable left-to-right birdie putt missed under the outlet, and Ames adopted along with his 2 1/2-footer for par and the win.
“They love their golf out here, which is awesome, and they do a wonderful attendance here every year we’ve come back,” Ames stated. “Next year it’s gonna be a different golf course so we’re looking forward to seeing what that’s gonna look like, but I think overall it was a great week.”
Kelly shot a 7-under 65 to leap into the tie for second with Stricker. Rod Pampling of Australia (66) and Tim Petrovic (67) tied for fourth at 15 beneath.
–Field Level Media