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Gilder wins Senior finale

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- On a blustery Sunday at the Gaillardia Golf and Country Club, Bob Gilder held off Doug Tewell with a 1-over-par 73 that was good enough to earn him the richest payday in Senior Tour history.

Only five of 30 players broke par Sunday. Gilder was not one of them. Neither were third-round leader Bruce Lietzke, Gil Morgan or Tom Kite. Bruce Fleisher and Dana Quigley were not even close.

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The wind played havoc with the tour's top-30 money winners. And the course didn't help. At 7,012 yards, Gaillardia was the second-longest layout the Seniors attacked in 2001.

So Gilder had his work cut out for him entering the final round. The rookie was up to the task, barely, sprinkling five birdies between six bogeys en route to just his second round over par since August.

No one else battled the conditions better than Gilder, who last year overcame a sprained ankle, five kidney stones and the pressure of the tour's National Qualifying Tournament, taking home medalist honors.

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Gilder earned $440,000 -- the most lucrative top prize in Senior Tour history -- and jumped from 13th to seventh on the money list with more than $1.68 million.

At 11-under 277, Gilder was a stroke better than a hard-charging Tewell, who had one of Sunday's two sub-70 scores. He shot a 69, playing the last six holes in 4-under.

Lietzke began the day with a one-shot lead over Gilder, but had seven bogeys and three birdies en route to a 76, which placed him third at 279 and cost him his third title in 10 starts as a rookie.

Defending champion Tom Watson was fourth at 282, followed by Morgan and Larry Nelson at 284. Morgan finished with a 76.

Kite also shot a final-round 76 and tied for seventh with Hale Irwin, Walter Hall and Tom Jenkins at 285.

Leonard Thompson was 14th at 287, but had the low round of the day with a 67. That was a far cry from Fleisher's 78 and Quigley's 81. There were 21 scores of 75 or higher and three in the 80s.

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Fleisher finished second to Allen Doyle in the inaugural Charles Schwab Cup standings. Doyle, who won the money title with more than $2.5 million, claimed the $1 million Schwab bonus.

This was the last official event on the Senior Tour schedule. The Senior Match Play Challenge is next week in Puerto Rico.

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