Forsman shoots 66 to win Champions Tour event

Published 4:43 pm Sunday, May 16, 2010

HOOVER, Ala. — Dan Forsman made an eagle and four consecutive birdies on the front nine Sunday on his way to a three-stroke victory in the Regions Charity Classic on Sunday.

Forsman, who shot a tournament-record 62 in the second round at Ross Bridge, won for the second time on the Champions Tour.

He made a couple of late bogeys to finish at 66 for the third round and minus-20 196 for the tournament, easily beating Joe Ozaki (66) and Peter Senior (68) at 17-under 199.

Second-round leader Bobby Clampett shot a 73 to fall to fifth.

David Peoples (68) came in fourth at 15-under, while Jeff Sluman (68) tied with Clampett another stroke back.

Clampett birdied three of the first six holes, but made a double-bogey on No. 7 and then bogeyed both 10 and 11 to fall eight shots behind Forsman.

Forsman built a five-shot lead after making a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 11.

“I caught fire down the front nine,” said Forsman, who earned $255,000. “When I made that birdie on 11, even I had to step back and go, ‘Wow, maybe I could shoot 60.’

“At that point, the only thing that could cool me down out there was Mother Nature.”

A rain shower briefly soaked the course while Forsman was playing No. 12, and he said he allowed that to rattle him into making bogeys on both 13 and 14.

“The weather came, and that changed a lot of things,” Forsman said. “My momentum had been cooled off big time. There was a little more stress and strain with each shot.”

But the rest of the field was unable to put any serious pressure on Forsman.

“The (double-bogey) at 7 really shocked me,” Clampett said. “Then Dan starts making birdies, and he’s just off and running. I probably lost my patience a little bit after that.”

Senior, the other player in the final group, birdied four of the first six holes but finished with 12 consecutive pars.

“I got off to a good start, and then I went to sleep,” said Senior, who did not have a bogey in the tournament. “I missed a short birdie putt on No. 7 and I never got going after that. Then Dan just blew the competition away and coasted home.

“It’s amazing what pressure can do, and I just didn’t exert any whatsoever. I thought I had a chance, but I just couldn’t get it going.”

Forsman