Woody Austin picked up his second victory of the season on the PGA TOUR Champions after outlasting Wes Short Jr. in a two-hole playoff on Sunday to capture the 2016 Mitsubishi Electric Classic. Earlier this year, Austin won the Tucson Conquistadores Classic by one shot.
Austin fired a tournament record eight-under 64 to finish at -11.
After Austin and Short Jr. both made par on the first playoff hole, they returned to the No. 18 tee for a second playoff hole. Short Jr. pushed his tee shot left into the trees and struggled to recover, enabling Austin to play conservatively and make par on his second try, clinching the victory.
“I was in a perfect spot but just a bad number for my bag,” said Austin. “I either had a club that could just barely clear the water or I had a club that could hit it in the back bunker. I didn’t have a club that could hit it on the green unless I did something with it. And I didn’t want to give him his shot back by trying to be so cute just to get it on the green. So I felt like if I laid up there and just played him mano a mano with a one‑shot lead, I liked my chances. So I kind of played that a little conservative, but the way he played it is what made me play conservative.”
Austin’s record-tying round equaled a pair of 64s shot in 2015 by Olin Browne and Bernhard Langer.
Austin led all players during tournament week in greens in regulation (81.5 percent). The Derby, Kan., resident was a four-time winner on the PGA TOUR with his most recent victory came at the 2013 Sanderson Farms Championship. At the time, he was the eighth-oldest winner in PGA TOUR history at 49 years, five months and 25 days. Austin also now ranks second in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup standings.
