Frost triumphs with records galore

David Frost not only claimed his first Champions Tour title on Sunday, he did it in record-busting style.
David Frost was so much in command midway through Sunday’s final round of the 3M Championship, the only question that remained was could he set a tournament record?
The South African did just that, cooly nailing a magnificent, 25-foot putt for an eagle on the 18th hole to win going away with a closing 11-under 61 and a stunning 25-under 191 total that matched the Champions Tour record for a 54-hole Tournament jointly held by Bruce Fleisher (2002 Vantage Championship), Loren Roberts (2006 MasterCard Championship) and Bernhard Langer (2007 Administaff Small Business Classic).
Along with Frost, Roberts and Langer were 25 under and Fleisher 19 under on a par-70 course.
“The hole got in the way, I guess, but it was really a nice way to cap it off,” a humbled Frost said of his final monster putt on the 18th hole of the TPC Twin Cities.
It is Frost’s first career Champions Tour win and his 25-under 191 was two shots better than the previous 3M scoring record set by R.W. Eaks in 2008.
Inn addition, Frost’s final-round 61 bettered by one the tournament’s previous lowest round set by Dana Quigley in 2008.
“Twenty-five under? That’s ridiculous. This course ain’t that easy,” said Mark Calcavecchia, who was tied with Frost for the 36-hole lead, but finished five shots behind in second place after a 4-under 68.
Frost shot a 7-under 29 on the front side to pull away from the field. He birdied the first two holes and eagled the par-5 third, knocking a 3-wood from 255 yards to about 3 feet from the hole.
“I would say he was 110 percent your deserved winner,” said Calcavecchia, who was wet with perspiration after a round played in sizzling heat that went above 100 degrees at one stage with little or no wind to help cool things down.
After birdies at Nos. 6 and 7, Frost made an 8-footer on the ninth hole, the toughest on the course, to get to minus-21. He also birdied the first two holes on the back nine.
Calcavecchia birdied the 3rd, but then bogeyed the next two holes to quickly find himself trailing by five shots.
He never really recovered.
“I thought it would be hard for him to have his momentum swing the other way, and mine swing the other way,” Frost said.
For Calcavecchia, who battled sweaty palms and had the club fall out of his hands three times, the final 12 holes were all about grinding to hold onto his second place.
He did and was “super thrilled with my second nine,” he said.
Nick Price was also happy to finish high up – a 64 gave him a share of third with Tommy Armour III (65) and David Peoples (66).
“The rest of us were playing for second today,” he said smiling.
Frost’s last win on the PGA TOUR came at the 1997 MasterCard Colonial when his son was with him.
This weekend Frost used his son’s putter – one he’d used in 1997. He also switched his driver for one with a less rigid shaft. The combination was magical.
Incredibly he didn’t make a bogey all week – and found 50 of 54 greens in regulation.
“I suppose I tinker with my a game a bit too much,” said Frost, who has twice finished second in his 20 over-50s events.
He has had six top-10s this year, but was only 62nd at last week’s US Senior Open won by Langer, the defending champion here who has been battling flu and finished way down the field at 8 under.
He was in good company, though. In its 16 years, no champion has ever successfully defended his 3M crown.
Frost had no three-putt greens and needed just 84 putts for the 54 holes
“It’s about the feel. You just want to roll the ball as softly as you can and hopefully the hole gets in the way,” he said. “Some weeks it jells and some weeks it doesn’t. When it doesn’t jell you can’t force it in. I just kept staying as loose as I could on the greens this week.”
Off for the previous five weeks, Price, who is playing with a broken little toe on his right foot, was thrilled with his performance.
“I could have gone really low today, I hit the ball really super all day,” he said. “There’s obviously a little bit of rust here, but today on the back nine I played about as well as I’ve played any part of this year.
Battling the flu, defending champion Bernhard Langer shot 71 in the final round to finish at 8 under. No champion has defended his title in the event’s 16-year history.
Fred Funk, who finished at 9 under, aced the 186-yard fourth hole with a 5-iron.Frost triumphs with records galore
David Frost was so much in command midway through Sunday’s final round of the 3M Championship, the only question remaining was could he set a tournament record?
The South African did just that, cooly nailing a magnificent, 25-foot putt for an eagle on the 18th hole to win going away with an 11-under 61 and 25-under 191 total that matched the Champions Tour record for a 54-hole Tournament jointly held by Bruce Fleisher (2002 Vantage Championship), Loren Roberts (2006 MasterCard Championship) and Bernhard Langer (2007 Administaff Small Business Classic).
Roberts and Langer were 25 under; Fleisher was 19 under on a par-70 course.
“The hole got in the way, I guess, but it was really a nice way to cap it off,” Frost said of his final monster putt on the 18th hole of the TPC Twin Cities…
It is Frost’s first career Champions Tour win and hid 25-under 191 was two shots better than the previous 3M scoring record set by R.W. Eaks in 2008.
Inn addition, Frost’s final-round 61 bettered by one the tournament’s previous lowest round set by Dana Quigley in 2008.
“Twenty-five under? That’s ridiculous. This course ain’t that easy,” said Mark Calcavecchia, who was tied with Frost for the 36-hole lead, but finished five shots behind in second place after a 4-under 68.
Frost shot a 7-under 29 on the front side to pull away from the field. He birdied the first two holes and eagled the par-5 third, knocking a 3-wood from 255 yards to about 3 feet from the hole.
“I would say he was 110 percent your deserved winner,” said Calcavecchia, who was wet with perspiration after a round played in sizzling heat that went above 100 degrees at one stage with little or no wind to help cool things down.
After birdies at Nos. 6 and 7, Frost made an 8-footer on the ninth hole, the toughest on the course, to get to minus-21. He also birdied the first two holes on the back nine.