Britton wins Senior PGA National Championship with record performance

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Bill Britton of Rumson, N.J., rewrote the record book and spent Sunday afternoon holding off a late charge from Texan Perry Arthur at PGA Golf Club, on his way to capturing the 21st Senior PGA Professional National Championship.

Britton fired a final-round 5-under-par 67 to complete a 72-hole performance of 18-under-par 270 and a one-stroke victory. His overall total was a stroke better than the previous record held by Jeff Coston of Blaine, Wash., who won in 2006.

The 54-year-old PGA Director of Instruction at Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck, N. J., Britton made a five-foot par-saving putt on the 18th green to preserve the victory over Arthur, who earlier knocked home a difficult 8-foot birdie putt to finish alone in second place.

Bill Britton fired a final-round 67 to win the Senior PGA Professional National Championship on Sunday. (PGA of America)

"Perry [Arthur] didn't have to make a 3 on the last to make it tough," said Britton jokingly. "I left my first putt a little shorter than I wanted to, but played the putt to move a little left and it dropped."

Britton and Arthur were knotted at 15-under through 12 holes, before Britton was able to separate himself with birdies at Nos. 13 and 14.

"Perry was doing really good early and it was close," said Britton. "I was plodding along, then made a 12-footer at 13 for a birdie and at No. 14, I made a 20-footer uphill into the grain for birdie. I was fortunate and feeling pretty good from there."

Britton knew that the final round against this field would not be easy.

"I shot a 65 yesterday and would not have been surprised if we had a few others do that today," said Britton. "It was ideal today and I knew I would have to make birdies to win and I was able to do that."

Britton, the Low Club Professional at the 2007 Senior PGA Championship will lead a 35-player contingent of Senior PGA Professionals to Colorado Golf Club near Denver for the 2010 Senior PGA Championship, May 24-30.

"I will probably appreciate this all a little more later, I am still a little nervous," he said. "I think I made all the putts that I didn't make all summer long down here this week."

Arthur, enjoying his best overall performance in six national championship appearances after sharing 11th in 2004, caught Britton with a 4-under-par front side and held the deadlock until the 13th hole.

Arthur, who birdied the 16th hole to come within two strokes of Britton, did his best to put extra pressure on the leader on the 408-yard 18th hole.

Facing a stiff crosswind and with a flagstick perched just a few paces in the front of a green side bunker, Perry executed to near perfection. He hit a 117-yard pitching wedge approach to eight feet and knocked home the birdie putt.

"I made six birdies, shot 66 and my hat's off to Bill," said Arthur, a PGA Teaching Professional at Sherrill Park Golf Course in Richardson, Texas. "Bill kept it going so well with birdies on 13, 14 and 16. Bill and I have played a lot of golf together, much of it on the Tour. I knew how good he was with the putter."

Championship alternate Paul Daniels of Port St. Lucie, Fla., finished alone in third place with a 273.

"I was a little nervous starting out, but I wasn't upset with how I played," said Daniels, who had never made a cut in a national championship event. "To come in third after never having been in this position before and to get a bye for the first round of the [Champions Tour] Q-School is something I never would have imagined. It was a great week and yes, I did learn a lot out there against some very fine players."

Defending National Champion Kirk Hanefeld, 53, of Acton, Mass., fired a final round 75 and finished in a tie for 23rd.

On Sunday, The Wanamaker Course yielded the lowest scoring average (71.79) over the four rounds of the Championship.

The field was trimmed to the low 70 scorers and ties, with 77 players advancing at one-under-par 143 to play the final two weekend rounds at the Wanamaker Course.

The 264-player field featured PGA Professionals that were at least 50 years of age, as of the Championship, who qualified through one of the 41 PGA Sections.

In addition to the low 35 finishers qualifying for the 2010 Senior PGA Championship, the top eight finishers, including ties, received exemptions into the 2010 Senior PGA Professional National Championship.

In addition, the top five finishers were exempt into the Champions Tour National Finals at TPC Scottsdale, provided they had submitted an entry by Oct. 7, 2009.

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