Stephen Ames - Ends 2009 Season With A Victory

Sunday, at the Children's Miracle Network Classic, which Ames also won in 2007, was the last day for players to secure a tour card for next year. Only those who finished the year in the top 125 on the money list are guaranteed full status. The next 25 will at least get conditional status and be able to enter more than a dozen tournaments.

Ames finished 37th on the PGA TOUR's money list for 2009.

The 45-year-old Canadian finished with a final round 8-under 64 and was in the clubhouse watching as George McNeill (67) and Justin Leonard (67) created the three player playoff. With the victory, Ames become the oldest winner in the tournament's history.

Acording to the PGA TOUR's website the Associated press reported that Among those who followed Ames on the back nine was his 10-year-old son, Ryan, who provided a little extra motivation walking up to the 18th tee needing a birdie.

"He said, 'Dad, you need to hole this,'" Ames recalled later. "I said, 'All right, I'll try my best.' It was a very casual round. It's Mickey Mouse, come on."

Ames got some additional help winning this tournament on the course at Disney World.

First, Leonard missed a 16-foot putt for the win in regulation and then twice left putts short when he was eliminated on the first playoff hole -- also the 18th. Then McNeill, who saved par on the first playoff hole, despite landing his tee shot between the trees, had a 6-foot putt on the 15th to force a third playoff hole, but his ball trickled around the edge but failed to drop, giving Ames the win and the $828,000 first-place prize

Before Sunday's victory, Ames was planning to take his family to their annual winter vacation in Hawaii in early January, which is about the same time as the PGA TOUR's winners-only SBS Championship in Maui is played. That just happens to be the place the Ames family vacations, and they were planning to leave the Island a few days before the tournament. It would seem those plans will have to be altered.

"I always tell Gary Player golf always gets in the way," Ames said. "I don't want to play golf. I want to sit on the beach and relax." However, now Stephen Ames will get to do both.

1 - *Stephen Ames 69 70 67 64 270 $ 846,000.00
T2 - Justin Leonard 68 64 71 67 270 $ 413,600.00
T2 - George McNeill 68 66 69 67 270 $ 413,600.00
T4 - Nick O'Hern 68 70 66 67 271 $ 206,800.00
T4 - Justin Rose 65 69 69 68 271 $ 206,800.00
6 - Mathias Gronberg 68 69 66 69 272 $ 169,200.00
T7 - Brian Davis 72 69 68 64 273 $ 151,575.00
T7 - D.A. Points 71 70 67 65 273 $ 151,575.00
T9 - Zach Johnson 67 70 69 68 274 $ 131,600.00
T9 - Carl Pettersson 71 66 67 70 274 $ 131,600.00
* Ames won playoff on second extra hole

Jonathan Byrd T11 70 68 69 68 275 $ 103,400.00
Bill Haas T11 68 69 69 69 275 $ 103,400.00
Jeff Overton T11 70 68 68 69 275 $ 103,400.00
Nicholas Thompson T11 72 69 68 66 275 $ 103,400.00
Chris DiMarco T15 68 68 71 69 276 $ 72,850.00
Tom Lehman T15 71 67 69 69 276 $ 72,850.00
Will MacKenzie T15 67 72 66 71 276 $ 72,850.00
Joe Ogilvie T15 70 69 67 70 276 $ 72,850.00
Jimmy Walker T15 69 70 68 69 276 $ 72,850.00
Matt Weibring T15 68 68 70 70 276 $ 72,850.00
Kent Jones T21 70 68 71 68 277 $ 52,640.00
Greg Owen T21 66 71 70 70 277 $ 52,640.00
Johnson Wagner T21 70 68 72 67 277 $ 52,640.00
Rich Beem T24 69 73 68 68 278 $ 40,067.50
Ben Crane T24 71 70 67 70 278 $ 40,067.50
Jeff Maggert T24 71 69 68 70 278 $ 40,067.50
John Rollins T24 70 71 67 70 278 $ 40,067.50
Todd Hamilton 28 74 68 70 67 279 $ 34,780.00
Charles Howell III T29 70 70 71 69 280 $ 29,240.72
Spencer Levin T29 71 68 71 70 280 $ 29,240.72
Patrick Sheehan T29 70 70 69 71 280 $ 29,240.72
Michael Bradley T29 70 71 72 67 280 $ 29,240.71
Daniel Chopra T29 68 71 74 67 280 $ 29,240.71
Chez Reavie T29 68 69 71 72 280 $ 29,240.71
David Toms T29 73 67 69 71 280 $ 29,240.71
Cameron Beckman T36 70 68 73 70 281 $ 22,618.75
Brian Gay T36 68 71 73 69 281 $ 22,618.75
Jeff Quinney T36 70 71 71 69 281 $ 22,618.75
Jay Williamson T36 70 71 70 70 281 $ 22,618.75
Jason Bohn T40 72 70 71 69 282 $ 17,390.00
Rickie Fowler T40 66 75 69 72 282 $ 17,390.00
Tim Herron T40 70 66 74 72 282 $ 17,390.00
Ryan Palmer T40 71 71 70 70 282 $ 17,390.00
Chris Riley T40 70 71 73 68 282 $ 17,390.00
Bo Van Pelt T40 70 72 69 71 282 $ 17,390.00
Dean Wilson T40 75 65 72 70 282 $ 17,390.00
Ricky Barnes T47 73 69 71 70 283 $ 12,426.80
Brendon de Jonge T47 70 72 72 69 283 $ 12,426.80
Harrison Frazar T47 71 70 69 73 283 $ 12,426.80
Brett Quigley T47 71 68 70 74 283 $ 12,426.80
Kevin Streelman T47 70 71 73 69 283 $ 12,426.80
Jeff Klauk T52 69 72 74 69 284 $ 10,798.25
James Oh T52 71 71 70 72 284 $ 10,798.25
Tom Pernice, Jr. T52 69 67 74 74 284 $ 10,798.25
Rod Perry T52 69 70 73 72 284 $ 10,798.25
Darron Stiles T52 71 69 71 73 284 $ 10,798.25
D.J. Trahan T52 70 71 74 69 284 $ 10,798.25
Charles Warren T52 70 70 72 72 284 $ 10,798.25
Casey Wittenberg T52 66 71 77 70 284 $ 10,798.25
Kris Blanks T60 67 70 72 76 285 $ 10,199.00
Fredrik Jacobson T60 72 69 69 75 285 $ 10,199.00
Richard S. Johnson T60 69 72 71 73 285 $ 10,199.00
Brandt Snedeker T60 70 70 72 73 285 $ 10,199.00
Corey Pavin T64 69 71 73 73 286 $ 9,823.00
Aron Price T64 71 70 71 74 286 $ 9,823.00
Rick Price T64 67 73 73 73 286 $ 9,823.00
Marc Turnesa T64 72 70 71 73 286 $ 9,823.00
Briny Baird 68 71 71 69 76 287 $ 9,588.00
Peter Lonard 69 69 70 77 73 289 $ 9,494.00
Ken Duke T70 71 71 75 73 290 $ 9,353.00
Ted Purdy T70 69 73 74 74 290 $ 9,353.00

The following players did not finish
Arjun Atwal 74 69 143
Brian Bateman 71 72 143
Matthew Borchert 69 74 143
Brad Faxon 74 69 143
Jason Gore 71 72 143
Bob Heintz 71 72 143
J.B. Holmes 72 71 143
Cliff Kresge 67 76 143
Shane Bertsch 73 71 144
Erik Compton 72 72 144
Derek Fathauer 71 73 144
Paul Goydos 74 70 144
Scott Gutschewski 70 74 144
Matt Jones 78 66 144
Colt Knost 73 71 144
Greg Kraft 74 70 144
Jamie Lovemark 71 73 144
Steve Lowery 72 72 144
David Mathis 70 74 144
John Merrick 72 72 144
Heath Slocum 69 75 144
Bob Tway 72 72 144
Tommy Armour III 72 73 145
Mark Calcavecchia 72 73 145
Joe Durant 70 75 145
Steve Flesch 72 73 145
Parker McLachlin 74 71 145
Patrick Moore 70 75 145
Scott Piercy 74 71 145
Brian Vranesh 75 70 145
Aaron Watkins 71 74 145
Tyler Aldridge 72 74 146
Matt Bettencourt 67 79 146
Wil Collins 73 73 146
Jarrod Lyle 75 71 146
Leif Olson 72 74 146
Tim Petrovic 72 74 146
Charlie Wi 70 76 146
Glen Day 71 76 147
Steve Elkington 72 75 147
Troy Kelly 73 74 147
Roland Thatcher 74 73 147
Eric Axley 73 75 148
Robert Garrigus 74 74 148
Michael Letzig 73 75 148
John Mallinger 75 73 148
Peter Tomasulo 76 72 148
David Duval 76 73 149
Rocco Mediate 71 78 149
Michael Allen 73 77 150
Lee Janzen 74 76 150
Haymes Snedeker 74 76 150
Billy Mayfair 76 75 151
Brendon Todd 73 78 151
Brad Adamonis 75 77 152
Webb Simpson W/D 70 72 142
Davis Love III W/D 73 73