JACK NICKLAUS scored the 100th professional victory of his illustrious career at Scottsdale, Arizona, on Sunday when he retained the Tradition title.

Nicklaus sealed his fourth win in the tournament with a second straight 65, seven under par, which gave him a 16 under aggregate of 272 three better than former US Open champion Hale Irwin.

Irwin began the round at 10 under, one shot ahead of Nicklaus, and reached 15 under by the 10th, but he shot straight bogeys between the 11th and 13th holes to finish with a 69.

The crucial hole was the 500 yards par five 12th, where there was a three shot swing. While Nicklaus had an eagle after a huge drive, a pin high iron to the fringe of the green and a chip in from 25 feet, Irwin slumped to a six after a disastrous second shot into a transition area.

Nicklaus's lead increased to two strokes with Irwin's next bogey and the multiple major winner turned up the heat with a birdie on the 16th.

Ray Floyd was third on 281 after two bogeys and a double bogey in the last five holes of the front nine.