Two weeks in a row for Hoch

By Sports Network

The Sports Network

For the second straight week, Scott Hoch birdied his final two holes of the tournament to march on to victory.

On Sunday, Hoch birdied the first playoff hole to defeat Tom Kite, Brad Bryant and Tom Jenkins and win the Ace Group Classic.

Hoch, who birdied the 18th in regulation just to get into the extra session, birdied his final two holes last week to walk off with the Allianz Championship.

It marked the first time Hoch won back-to-back events in his career.

Or did it?

"I think I did it as a junior some time," joked Hoch, who collected his third win on the Champions Tour.

Hoch shot a four-under 68 on Sunday to finish regulation at 14-under 202. Kite and Bryant posted 65s earlier in the round, then overnight leader Jenkins joined the group with a two-under 70.

The first playoff hole was the par-five 18th at Quail West Naples and no one found the fairway off the tee, which would not be a huge issue since none of the quartet would be able to reach in two.

Kite hit the worst of the lay ups, finding a bunker. That left him with a difficult third that he hit short of the putting surface.

Jenkins knocked his approach over the green leaving birdie up to Hoch and Bryant.

Bryant hit his third 10 feet from the hole, but Hoch played his shot to eight feet. Bryant missed the birdie effort, leaving the door open for Hoch to win the championship.

Hoch, with a little help from a memory on the last hole of regulation, converted the putt to collect the $240,000 first-place check.

"Nick Price had the putt earlier in my group," acknowledged Hoch. "His snapped. I tried to hit it a little harder than that, but my nerves wouldn't let me. I played just enough break."

Price had 15 feet at the 54th hole to get into the playoff, but missed. He settled for a three-under 69 and sole possession of fifth place at 13-under par.

Hoch made up ground with a five-foot birdie putt at the first. He stayed at 11-under through much of the front nine and fell two behind then-leader Gary Koch.

Hoch erased that deficit at the par-five ninth. He holed his third from the fairway for an eagle that tied him for the lead.

Unfortunately his time atop the leaderboard did not last long. Hoch drove into the left rough and could not save par from 15 feet. He reclaimed the lost stroke with a 10-footer for birdie at 11, but he still trailed by a single stroke.

Kite and Bryant, who was the one Hoch passed by last week at the Allianz, were in the clubhouse at minus-14. Hoch needed another birdie to get there and squandered some chances.

He missed a 20-footer at 16, then a 10-footer at the next hole, but had the par-five 18th to go. Jenkins had a chance to win the championship outright with a 25-footer at the final hole, but it grazed the right edge of the cup.

Hoch sank his nine-foot birdie putt to become the first player since Jay Haas last year to win back-to-back titles.

"I kept plugging on the back nine," said Hoch. "I hit some good shots at 16 and 17, but didn't make the putts. I knew I had to make birdie and luckily I hit a good shot."

Jeff Sluman (68) and Loren Roberts (69) shared sixth place at 12-under 204.

Koch, an announcer for NBC, came undone with a triple-bogey at the 11th. He finished with a one-under 71 and tied for eighth with Bob Gilder (67), Gene E. Jones (68), Chip Beck (70) and Ron Streck (71). That group finished at minus-11.