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6 U.S. Senior OpenBrowne Wins the 2011 ChampionshipSeniorOpenDespite a charge from Mark O’Meara, who tied for the leadthree times on Sunday, the story was Olin Browne from startto finish.Browne punctuated his historic week at the 2011 U.S. SeniorOpen at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, with style by droppinga 28-foot birdie putt to shoot an even-par 71 to finish at15-under-par 269. O’Meara matched Browne step-for-stepearly but faded in the end, finishing three strokes behind himat 12-under 272.The crowd around the 18th green erupted when Browne’sputt fell, making him the first wire-to-wire winner of thechampionship since Dale Douglass in 1986 and the secondin its history. Browne’s performance was one for the recordbooks; he set numerous records, including the lowest 54-holetotal in the history of the championship (15-under 198), lowestnine-hole scoring with a 5-under-par 29 on the inward nineon Saturday and the lowest score in the opening round by awinner (64).But Browne, who won three PGA Tour events in his career butno majors, wasn’t concerned with how he got the win.“I don’t think it matters how you win,” said Browne, who wonfor the first time on the Champions Tour and the first time in142 starts. “I don’t think it matters whether you shoot 63 comingfrom the pack. I don’t think it matters if you shoot 75 afterhaving a six-shot lead.”For a championship that was defined by low scores — the 128sub-par rounds smashed the record of 116 set at Crooked StickGolf Club in Carmel, Ind., in 2009 — Sunday’s course set-upwas tougher on the field. Heavy rains preceding the championshipsoftened the course and made the hole locations moreaccessible, but by Sunday they began to regain their firmness.“You didn’t see quite as low of scoring today because it isSunday,” said runner-up O’Meara. “The pins are a littletougher, the nerves are a little bit more there. There is pressure,even though there’s pressure to me every day I play.”Early in the final round it looked as if O’Meara might take thelead over Browne. Birdies at the opening hole, a 398-yardpar 4, and the 514-yard, par-5 fourth hole brought him to15-under and a share of the lead with Browne. He again tiedfor the lead when Browne bogeyed the 565-yard eighth hole,but O’Meara could never take the outright lead.The momentum clearly shifted in Browne’s direction whenO’Meara’s 12-foot birdie putts on 10 and 11 didn’t drop.those. Olin drove the ball well coming home. He put it in thefairway. He hit the greens. That’s what you’ve got to do in aUSGA event to win.”O’Meara’s chances evaporated when he bogeyed the 461-yard, par-4 13th and the 488-yard, par-4 16th.The tough stretch of finishing holes featured six of the eighttoughest scoring holes for the week, including the 14th (mostdifficult), 13th (second) and 16th (third). Browne navigated thestretch in a masterful 8-under par for the week.“I knew if I was in the lead or somewhere near the lead on theback nine that there was going to be all kinds of stuff happening,”Browne said. “It’s just too hard a nine holes of golf. I justdid the very best that I could. I hit as many functional shots tostay in it, not lose my patience and not start doing stupid stuff.”And hit functional shots he did, as Browne worked his waypatiently through the back nine, capping off his performancewith his long birdie putt on the 18th.Throughout the day, the closest any player came to O’Mearaand Browne was Mark Calcavecchia, who began the finalround six strokes behind Browne. He pulled within two strokesof the lead when he holed a 100-foot putt for birdie on thepar-3 12th, but couldn’t sustain his momentum. Calcavecchia,who finished as the runner-up at the Senior British Open theweek prior, bogeyed the 13th on his way to a third-place finish.“The way I felt today, it was kind of a miracle, so I’m, happywith that,” Calcavecchia said. “Just didn’t feel too good today.Got a little shaky with my putter, although I didn’t miss any realshort ones. I dead yanked that par putt on 14 and didn’t hit agood putt on the last hole.”Another story was Hale Irwin, whose closing 68 was goodenough for a fourth-place finish, giving him the most top-fivefinishes in the history of the Senior Open with eight, one betterthan Jack Nicklaus’ mark of seven.From his opening round 64 to his 28-foot birdie putt on thelast hole, the 2011 U.S. Senior Open was ‘The Olin BrowneShow.’ For a player who has been so close to winning the U.S.Open, finally capturing a major championship was rewarding.“I had a couple of shots at Congressional (in 1997) and atPinehurst (in 2005),” said Browne, “and I butchered Pinehurston Sunday, played with Michael Campbell and watched himwin. This is very satisfying for me.”“I didn’t really putt as well today,” said O’Meara. “I reallyneeded to make the putts on 10 and 11, and I didn’t make