David Toms wins inaugural Galleri Classic at Mission Hills

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — For a while, it looked like David Toms would be lapped by the field Sunday in the final round of the Galleri Classic. As it turned out, Toms was the one circling the field.

Down three shots after eight holes to a red-hot Retief Goosen, Toms turned on his game on the back nine of the Dinah Shore Tournament Course to win the inaugural PGA Tour Champions event by four shots. A final-round 7-under 65, tied for the lowest round of the week which he established in the first round, pushed Toms to a wire-to-wire victory at 16-under 200.

Steven Alker, the reigning PGA Tour Champions player of the year, fired a 5-under 67 to move into second place alone at 12-under 204. Goosen, who was 9 under through 12 holes on the day and led Toms by three shots, stumbled on his way in with two bogeys and a mere par-5 on the 18th hole for a 67. He tied for third at 11-under with Paul Stankowski.

The wire-to-wire victory, which earned 53-year-old Toms $330,000 from the $2.2 million purse, was Toms’ second PGA Tour Champions win in his last three starts and fourth overall. He won in Tucson, Arizona, at the Cologuard Classic three weeks ago.

Toms treaded water on the front nine with three birdies and one bogey and was passed by Goosen, who shot 6-under 30 on the front nine and then birdied the first three holes on the back nine. But Tom’s birdied the ninth hole, then added six birdies on the closing nine.

The key may have been the par-4 15th hole, where Toms made birdie about an hour after Goosen clipped a tree on his second shot on the way to a bogey.