‘Easy’ 11th hole victimizes Roberts, others

Pitching (an) ace
Rick Rhoden spent 15 years in the major leagues, posting a 151-125 record with the Dodgers, Pirates, Yankees and Astros.

On Sunday at the U.S. Senior Open, the former pitching ace had an ace.

Rhoden scored a hole in one with a 6 iron at the 170-yard, par-3 second hole at NCR Country Club in the final round.

Never in contention
Two of the biggest names in golf, senior or otherwise, lingered near the leaderboard but never really threw a scare into the leaders in Sunday’s final round of the U.S. Senior Open.

Greg Norman shot a solid 69 that left him at 276, just two shots back of winner Allen Doyle. But Norman didn’t make a birdie on the back nine and never got closer than two shots.

“I’ve really got no complaints with the way I played. It was just really frustrating with the putter,” Norman said. “I’m sure there are a lot of players who are saying the same thing, except for the guy who won the tournament.”

Tom Watson closed with a 71 to finish at 277, three shots behind the winner.

Disappointed by the way he played, Watson said he wasn’t displeased with the way his month has gone.

“It was a good July,” Watson said. “I had a third at the British Open against the kids. I played half decently. Then I won (at the Senior British Open), then I finished top 10 here. It wasn’t too bad of a run.”

Divots
The comeback wasn’t a once in a lifetime occurrence for Doyle. He shot a 64 in the final round of the 1999 PGA Seniors Championship to overcome a four-stroke deficit and win. ... Doyle’s previous senior major victory was the 2001 Ford Senior Players Championship. ... Doyle hit 11 of 14 fairways, averaged 302 yards on his measured drives and needed just 25 putts in his closing 63. ... Greg Reynolds and George Zahringer shared the low amateur honors at 4-over 288. ... The 2006 Senior Open is at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas.