ALDIE, Va. – Jim Woodward eagled the final hole to win the Senior PGA Professional National Championship on Sunday, hitting a 4-hybrid to a foot from 245 yards to set up the winning putt.
The 55-year-old Woodward, the PGA teaching professional at Oak Tree National Golf Club in Edmond, Okla., finished with a 1-over 73 at Creighton Farm for a 1-under 287 total.
''I stood on the 18th tee and said to myself, ‘Don’t be a coward,’'' Woodward said.
Mike Miles, a PGA assistant professional at Virginia Country Club in Long Beach, Calif., finished second. He birdied four of the final six holes for a 69.
The top 35 earned spots in the Senior PGA Championship in May at Bellerive in St. Louis. The top five received exemptions into the final stage of the Champions Tour qualifying tournament.
Woodward earned $20,000. He’s the first South Central PGA Section member to win the national championship.
''I’m very honored to be the first from our section to win this,’' Woodward said. ''It feels pretty good.’'
Bob Gaus of St. Louis and Sonny Skinner of Sylvester, Ga., tied for third at 2 over. Gaus closed with a 74, and Skinner shot a 71.