Kirk Triplett posted a bogey-free final round of 67 to jump four place up the leaderboard, and then edged Billy Andrade on the first sudden-death hole to claim his third career PURE Insurance Championship title.
Triplett, who opened with rounds of 70 and 69, finished his final day at Pebble Beach Golf Links with 13 pars and five birdies, highlighted by three late gains on Nos. 14, 15, and 18 to join Andrade in a playoff.
Playing the 18th hole in sudden death, both Triplett and Andrade hit their approach shots to about 10 feet of the hole, but Andrade, who was bit further out, missed his attempt at birdie, and had to watch as Triplett drained his putt to win his second Champions Tour title of the season.
For the victory, Triplett earned $315,000 and moves from No. 9 to No. 4 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. The runner-up finish for Andrade, meanwhile, was his third of the season (Regions Tradition, Japan Championship). He earned $184,800, and will move into the top 10 in the senior circuit’s standings.
Paul Broadhurst shot a 68 to claim solo third-place on 8-under par, one shot clear of Tom Gillis who finished alone in fourth-place after a final-round 69.
Winner’s Pro-file
Name: Kirk Alan Triplett
Nationality: American
Height: 6′ 3″
Weight: 200 lb
Birthdate: Mar 29, 1962 (age 57)
Native: Moses Lake, Washington
Resides: Scottsdale, Arizona
College: University of Nevada
Final Scores: Top 5
Pos-Player-To Par (Final Rd)
1. Kirk Triplett -9 (-5)
2. Billy Andrade -9 (-3)
3. Paul Broadhurst -8 (-4)
4. Tom Gillis -7 (-3)
5. Tom Lehman -6 (-3)
5. Tom Byrum -6 (-3)
5. Billy Mayfair -6 (-3)
5. Marco Dawson -6 (-1)
Top-3 Check Cashers
- Triplett – $315,000
- Andrade – $184,800
- Broadhurst – $151,200
Triplett’s Winning Stats
Driving: 266.2 yards (26th)
Greens: 48/54, 87.8% (10th)
Fairways: 26/41, 63.0% (27th)
Putts/GIR: 79/1.647 (4th)
Triplett’s 2019 Champions Tour Season
Starts: 21
Wins: 2 (PURE Insurance Championship, Hoag Classic)
Addtl Top 10s: 6
Earnings: $1,530,658 (4th)
Earnings/Start: $72,888
Chas Schwab Cup: 4th
Video: Triplett’s Winning Putt
Quotable
“Yeah, I don’t really think about all of that stuff too much. I just try and play the tournaments that are in front of me. I’m 57 years old. Anything you get after 54, 55 I think is kind of gravy out here. A year and a half ago I started hitting the ball better. I really thought I played very poorly for a year, just like physically poorly, just not hitting it very good, just saving everything with my putting and chipping. I started hitting the ball pretty good about the middle of last summer and that’s given me new life. I’ve had a lot of chances to win and I feel very competitive and I’m pretty thankful for that.”
– Kirk Triplett, 2019 PURE Insurance Champion
