News & Notes

"We always liked the 1st tee at Castle Pines, but this might be better. From the top of the tee you can't help but go, 'Oh, my gosh!'"
—JOEY SINDELAR, on the breathtaking 2nd hole at Punta Espada

REGAL EAGLE

With his ball flying toward Punta Espada's 17th green on Sunday at the Cap Cana Championship, Keith Fergus turned to his caddie, Terry Engleman, for a quick word.

"Terry," Fergus said, "this is going to be good." Neither knew how good. Fergus's ball—launched with a sand wedge from the rough 95 yards away—landed five feet past the cup, spun back and dropped in for an eagle 2 that vaulted him to a one-shot victory over Mark O'Meara and Andy Bean. Fergus, who played the last seven holes in six under for a final-round 67, it was the second Champions tour win, and it kept O'Meara winless in 35 starts on the senior circuit.

O'Meara, who shot 68, was clearly stung. Earlier this month he finished a shot back of Eduardo Romero at the Toshiba Classic. "I'm not quite all the way there yet," said O'Meara, who will play in the Masters, which he won in 1998. "The confidence is starting to come around with all these finishes, but at this stage in my life, I want to win."

Like Father, Like Son

Victor García, best known as Sergio's dad, cut a dashing figure in his first Champions tour start in five years. That is where the good news ends. García opened with rounds of 80 and 77 before closing with an 82 to finish last (in a field of 78) at the Cap Cana Championship. Dressed in white during his opening round, García might have been mistaken for his son when he stepped into the bunker at the par-4 18th hole. His setup to the ball and his swing looked nearly identical to those of the No. 3-ranked player in the world. (Victor, a club pro in Castellon, Spain, taught Sergio the game.) Alas, García left the sand shot well short, bogeyed the hole and later admitted to feeling some nerves. "Un poquito nervioso [a little nervous]," he said.

Nevertheless, "I'm enjoying being here, everything is fantastic," García said. His wife, Consuelo, followed his play at Punta Espada as ardently as the couple follow their son at major championships. Asked when he might make his next Champions start, García said Cap Cana was it for '09.