Hale Irwin became golf's first $2 million man on Sunday when he birdied the final hole for a one-shot victory in the $1.5 million Vantage Championship on the Senior PGA Tour at Clemmons, North Carolina.
The clinching putt gave Irwin his eighth Senior PGA Tour win this season and the $225,000 first prize, pushing his yearly earnings to $2,003,864 in 20 events. No golfer on any tour had ever won $2 million in one season, although Tiger Woods needs just over $50,000 to reach the plateau on the US PGA Tour this year.
Irwin, who won the last of his three US Open titles in 1990, squandered a five-stroke lead but sank a 30-inch birdie putt at the par-five 18th. That broke the tie with Dave Eichelberger, whose
nine-under-par 62 matched the course record set by Irwin on Saturday and left him in second place.
Irwin's eight victories are the most on the Senior Tour since Peter Thomson won a record nine in 1985.
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