Steve Stricker closed with a 7-under 65 and tied the Regions Tradition record at 265 as he ran away with his second straight championship at the PGA Tour Champions major by six strokes over Ernie Els and Robert Karlsson.
Stricker, whose late surge had pulled him into a tie with Karlsson entering the final round, continued his domination on the par-72 Founders Course at Greystone. It’s his third win at the Tradition in the last five attempts — including two runner-up finishes— and gave the 56-year-old five major wins.
Doug Tewell also shot 265 in 2001 when the Tradition was held at Desert Mountain in Arizona.
His birdie putt for the outright tournament scoring record was only about a foot off on No. 18. Doug Tewell had set the Tradition record, going 23-under in 2001.
Stricker strengthened his lead in the Charles Schwab Cup with his second victory this year, and his 13th in 55 career starts on the 50-and-older circuit.
Els closed with a 65 but never really challenged Stricker. Karlsson, who shared the 54-hole lead with Stricker, opened with a birdie but then didn’t make another until the the 13th hole He shot a 71.
