Cook falls short again in a Champions Tour major

August 24, 2009

John Cooks birdie putt just missed on the first playoff hole at the Jeld-Wen Tradition on Sunday, and so did his chances for a first major on the Champions Tour.

Cook was tied with Mike Reid at 16-under 272 after four rounds at Crosswater Golf Club in central Oregon, forcing the playoff. But while Cooks 15-foot putt missed, Reids 12-footer sank for the victory.

Ive had a lot of chances in majors, Cook said. I want to bag one of these soon. Thats how your career is measured.

The Tradition was the fourth of five majors on the tour this year.

Cook joined the Champions Tour in 2007 and has won twice, at the ATT Championship in both 2007 and 2008.

He won 11 events on the PGA Tour, and won the U.S. Amateur in 1978.

In the first round of the Tradition, Cook made a hole-in-one on the par-3 No. 13 hole at Crosswater using an 8-iron. It was his first ace on the Champions Tour.

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BIG CHECK: Mike Reids victory in the Jeld-Wen Tradition amounted to the biggest payday of his professional career.

The Champions Tour major earned Reid $392,000. He is now 20th on the money list, his best season since 1995.

Reid won Sunday with a birdie putt on the first playoff hole at Crosswater Golf Club in central Oregon, besting John Cook.

Overall, Bernhard Langer of Germany remained atop the tour money list with earnings of more than $1.6 million this season. Langer finished well off the leaders at the Tradition at 7-under 281.

With his victory, Reid earned a full exemption for the calendar year and becomes eligible for the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii through 2014.

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FERNANDEZ WDs: Vicente Fernandez of Argentina withdrew before the start of the final round of the Jeld-Wen Tradition because of a bad back.

Fernandez was at 11 over after the first three days of the Champions Tour major at Crosswater Golf Club.

Greg Norman withdrew from the Tradition just before the opening round, also citing a sore back. It would have been his first appearance in the event and sixth start on the Champions Tour this year.

The Hall of Famer from Australia joined the tour for senior golfers in 2005. The Shark was the worlds top-ranked golfer for 331 weeks during the 1990s.

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DIVOTS: Brad Bryant fell short of becoming the first player to go wire-to-wire in a Champions Tour major since Doug Tewell in the Tradition in 2001. … Mike Reids win ends a string of 94 starts without one. … Five of 17 Champions Tour events have been decided in playoffs this season.