ESPN Golf Online news services
Sunday, November 12

DORADO, Puerto Rico -- Vicente Fernandez continued to defy the odds Sunday, winning the Senior Match Play Challenge despite entering the event as the last seed in the 16-player field.

	Fernandez

Fernandez beat Leonard Thompson on the 19th hole in the championship match to win $240,000 in unofficial prize money. Thompson took home $120,000.

"I putted very well again," Fernandez said. "I haven't putted like this for a long, long time."

Earlier in the day, Fernandez had beaten Ray Floyd 4 and 3 in the semifinals, while Thompson took out Lanny Wadkins 2 and 1.

Fernandez led most of the final match and had the lead to 3-up after 10 holes. But Thompson rallied on the back nine, finally catching him with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole. Both players bogeyed the 18th, sending the match to extra holes. Fernandez ended it quickly, however, with a birdie on the first hole of sudden death.

At the par-5, 520-yard first, Fernandez went driver and 3-iron before blasting out of the bunker while Thompson also found the bunker. Thompson missed a 5-foot par putt and conceded to Fernandez, who had a tap-in birdie.

"Leonard had a very tough lie in the bunker and couldn't get it out," Fernandez said.

Fernandez began the tournament Friday with a 2 and 1 victory over defending champion and top seed Larry Nelson, likely to be selected as player of the year on the Senior Tour. He followed up with a 4 and 3 win over John Jacobs in Saturday's quarterfinals.

Fernandez's win fit with the theme of the tournament, which saw seven of the top eight seeds fall in the first round at the Hyatt Dorado Resort. For the week, the underdogs -- a least according to seeding -- won 13 of the 15 matches.

Although unofficial, the win is the first of the season for Fernandez, who finished 23rd on the money list with $758,048. It's the first time in five years on the Senior Tour that he failed to finish in the top 20.