Esteban Toledo recorded a birdie on the third playoff hole Sunday, besting Kenny Perry for the Montreal Championship title. The $1.6 million Champions Tour event began Friday at the tough Vallee du Richelieu Rouville course in Sainte-Julie, Quebec, Canada.
Toledo registered a three-under 69 on the final round, ending 54 holes knotted with Perry, the leader in the Charles Schwab Cup points standings, who closed with two-under 70 at five-under-par 211.
The five-under total was the highest 54-hole total on the Champions Tour since the 2008 Turtle Bay Championship—won by Jerry Pate—in Hawaii.
Toledo and Perry each then shot par on the first two playoff holes, both of which were played on the Par-4 18th. Toledo chipped in for birdie on the Par-3 10th hole leaving Perry with a long putt for birdie. Perry’s putt went wide to the left to give Toledo the winner’s share of $240,000.
It was the second win of the season for the 50-year-old from Mexicali, Mexico. He beat Mike Goodes and Gene Sauers in a playoff on May 5 for his first Champions Tour win at the Insperity Championship.
"I played really, really well this week, especially the last nine holes. I think I shot 3-under par," Esteban told reporters. "Those conditions were tough coming down the stretch. I have been there once and I knew the feeling that you just got to go out there and play your own game. I really thought that Kenny was going to take over on the last four holes, but I guess the wind was kind of tough. Those conditions were difficult. You know, I didn't know I had to make the putt on 18. I didn't know anything. I didn't look at the leaderboard at all. I made the putt. It was great the whole week. It was pretty awesome."
Perry’s second place finish added to his commanding lead over Bernhard Langer in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. He told the media that his back was hurting and, if he wasn’t in contention and already entered in the tournament, he would have withdrawn. “My back was killing me and then my foot was killing me. And so I just took a lot of Advil and held my breath on all those shots and just fought through it,” the Kentuckian said.
“Nobody was making a run today, so it kept me interested. It kept me like, Shoot, nobody is going anywhere. Then I looked up and I had two shot lead. I was six under and the next was four. That's crazy. That's strange how golf is, when you feel like you are not playing your best but yet you got a two-stroke lead. To me that was mind-boggling.”
Alone in third at 212 was Duffy Waldorf, who closed with a 70, while another stroke back were South Africa's David Frost (70), American Michael Allen (71), Sweden's Anders Forsbrand (72) and 36-hole leader Bernhard Langer.
Langer, who opened with rounds of 71 and 67 to enter Sunday with a three-stroke edge over the field, shot a disappointing three-over 75 that included two double-bogeys. The 56-year-old German birdied the last to get some redemption.
Alone in eighth was Loren Roberts (70), while eight players—including first-round leader Dick Mast and Canada's Rod Spittle—tied for ninth at 215.
Defending champion Mark Calcavecchia recorded rounds of 74, 72 and 73 to end up T-31st at three-over 219.
After opening with promising rounds of 73 and 72, Ken Green closed with an 80 to finish T-58th at nine-over 225. The 55-year-old Green was playing in his first individual tour event of the year. The five-time winner on the PGA Tour wears a prosthetic device on his lower right leg.
Rocco Mediate, who finished last week's Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary at 22-under 191 to tie the all-time low scoring mark for a 54-hole Champions Tour event, shot a 74 Sunday to finish T-20th at one-over 217.
The Champions Tour is off this week, but will return the following weekend from the Kapolei Golf Club in Kapolei, Hawaii for the Pacific Links Hawai'i Championship where Willie Wood is the defending champ.