Champions Tour Insider: Best moments from 2009

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Mike Goodes (left), Loren Roberts and Bernhard Langer celebrate key moments during the first third of 2009. (Getty Images)
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May. 6, 2009
By Vartan Kupelian, PGATOUR.COM Contributor

Four months and eight events into the Champions Tour season, one shot stands alone.

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Keith Fergus, 95 yards away, slam-dunked a sand wedge on the 17th hole of Sunday's final round at the Cap Cana Championship.

That shot in the Dominican Republic changed everything and enabled Fergus to claim a 1-stroke victory over Andy Bean and Mark O'Meara. Fergus trailed by 1 shot with two holes remaining when he made the dramatic eagle 3 to surge into the lead.

The shot came off exactly as Fergus envisioned.

"It worked just the way my caddie and I planned," Fergus said. "We wanted to hit it just past the hole and have it come back and it did just that."

The hole-out by Fergus was the most dramatic -- and emphatic -- shot of the first four months of the 2009 Champions Tour season. Here is a review of the seven other events and a highlight reel of the most memorable shots and moments through April.

Mitsubishi Electric Championship: Flying High in Hawaii

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Langer

Bernhard Langer was thinking birdie in the season-opening event but it was clutch par saves that paved the way for his victory at Hualalai.

Langer made 23 birdies in 54 holes but timely up-and-down pars Sunday enabled him to hold off Andy Bean.

Langer made birdie four at the 14th hole to gain a 1-shot advantage. The crucial saves came on the 8th, 9th and 17th holes. At the 17th hole, he made a 15-foot par putt and capped the victory with two putts from 20 feet for par at the 18th.

Allianz Championship: The Omen

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Goodes

In his 32nd career Champions Tour event, Mike Goodes shot 15-under 201 on the Old Course at Broken Sound to claim the first-place prize of $255,000.

Goodes, who owns a plastics recycling business, hit the approach shot over the green on the final hole. The ball landed on a sprinkler. He took a drop onto the fringe and two-putted for birdie from 25 feet.

What does it take to breakthrough on the Champions Tour? A little divine intervention doesn't hurt. Goodes backed away from the final, winning putt when he was distracted by a flock of noisy seagulls.

Goodes took that as a message from a higher place.

"I was thinking the Good Lord was saying, 'You're going to make a birdie here," Goodes told reporters afterwards.

And he did.

The ACE Group Classic: Picture Perfect Wedge

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Roberts

Loren Roberts' 3-foot birdie putt on the last hole was set up by a marvelous pitch. Roberts posted a final-round 68 for a 7-under 209 total and his second win in four years at Naples.

Roberts and Gene Jones were tied with one hole left. Jones hit his approach to 12 feet at the 18th and left the stage for Roberts, who was up to the task. His wedge from 102 yards finished inside the shot by Jones. Robert had three feet for the win.

Roberts calmly stroked the ball into the hole for his third birdie in the final four holes, the exclamation point to a solid victory.

Toshiba Classic: No Tears in Argentina

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Romero

When Eduardo Romero gets it going, he makes good golf look effortless.

Romero shot a 3-under 68 in the final round to win the Toshiba Classic by 1 stroke over Joey Sindelar and O'Meara.

Romero credited a stress-free week for the victory -- and those three straight birdies to start the back nine Sunday which enabled him to surge ahead of the challengers.

"I was very relaxed all week, especially during the final round," he said. "I got more focused on the back nine and changed things around."

AT&T Champions Classic: The Comeback

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Forsman

Dan Forsman trailed by five shots at the beginning of the final round at the AT&T Champions Classic. Officially, his winning shot came on the first playoff hole where Forsman made birdie to defeat Don Pooley.

For practical purposes, however, the shot that won for Forsman came a short time earlier, the first time he played the 18th hole.

On the par 5, Forsman went for the green in two but the second shot went astray. Initially, a marshall signaled that the ball was out-of-bounds. Forsman's heart sank.

Officials took out the string to measure stake-to-stake before ruling Forsman's ball was in-bounds, not out.

"They told me it was right on the string, which means it was in-bounds," Forsman said.

He took advantage of the break to shoot 66 for a 205 total and went on to win the playoff.

Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am: Price is right

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Price

Nick Price acknowledged it was as strange a round of tournament golf he has ever played. But given the results, Price will gladly accept the aberration.

In a rarity, Price overcame three double bogeys in a final-round 71 to win for the first time on the Champions Tour at the TPC Tampa Bay.

Price made seven birdies in the final round but it was the three straight beginning at the 13th that righted the ship and gave him the victory. It was the sequence of shots at the 14th that made the difference.

"I made a beautiful birdie on 14," Price said. "I played the hole exactly the way you should -- 3-wood, 3-iron, a 9-iron to eight feet and knocked the putt in."

Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf: L&L for Legends

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Lehman, Langer

Tom Lehman could not have had a better mentor in his Champions Tour debut.

Lehman teamed with Bernhard Langer to win the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf when Lehman holed a par putt on the second playoff hole to defeat Jeff Sluman and Craig Stadler.

The teams finished at 27-under 189 in the better-ball event, with Lehman and Langer combining for a Sunday 62 at the Club at Savannah Harbor.

The best exchange came at the first playoff hole where Langer holed a 45-foot birdie putt only to see Stadler make a lengthy effort of his own to keep the playoff going.

"After that putt, I didn't know what do to," Langer said. "Then, Stadler made his on top of mine. It was very exciting."

No problem. Lehman knew what to do.

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