Weibring quick to call his first major a real team effort

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TIMONIUM, Md. -- D.A. Weibring had the shiny crystal Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship trophy sitting right next to him, but it was his buzzing phone that caused him to get choked up with emotion.

D.A. Weibring's caddie, Troy Martin, played a big role on two crucial holes Sunday. (Cohen/Getty Images)

Inside the Numbers

Weibring in 2008

Category Total Rank Driving Distance 275.0 yds. 30 Driving Accuracy 68.12% 46 Greens in Regulation 70.23% 25 Putting Average 1.791 37 Sand Saves 40.00% 67 Scoring Average 70.94 23 Money Leaders $915,794 18

"It wouldn't be worth it if you didn't have someone to share it with," Weibring said, holding back the tears, as his cell phone let him know that his mother was calling to congratulate him.

When he knocked his final putt in to close with a 68 and a 9-under 271 total for the week, the 55-year-old Weibring finally got his first major victory. He'd been 0-for-64 in major championships on the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour combined and, even 30 minutes after the round, it hadn't quite sunk in that he could now call himself a major champion.

It was his daughter-in-law Stephanie who had the most profound impact on Weibring's final day. Stephanie is married to D.A.'s son Matt, who's also a professional golfer and, at 20th on the Nationwide Tour money list, will likely earn his PGA TOUR card next season. Before each of Matt's rounds, Steph usually sends a text message with positive thoughts.

D.A. got wind of this a few weeks ago and, soon after, Steph began sending him text messages as well. Usually they're nothing fancy, he says, just basic principles and positive thoughts. She hadn't sent him any all week, though, until Sunday morning. He copied down her text on a piece of paper, kept it in his pocket and pulled it out often during his round to remind himself of the message.

"It's basic stuff -- play with confidence and enjoy being in that position," Weibring said. "I complimented her that she should be an assistant captain for the Ryder Cup team. She was joking some of the things she was telling Matt when he was playing in Salt Lake a couple weeks ago were the same thing Zinger (U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Paul Azinger) was telling the guys on the Ryder Cup team."

Weibring often has carried notes in his pocket during a career that has spanned three decades. When he launched his career, his dad used to give him swing thoughts, which he would write down on a 3-by-5 index card to peruse during the round.

There was nothing on a piece of paper, however, that could help him make two major-winning decisions during his final round. There were two points in his day where, had he chosen differently, the trophy might have gone to someone else.

After a bogey on No. 3 and a birdie on No. 5, Weibring was even par going into the eighth hole. His caddie Troy Martin has played on the Nationwide Tour and the Hooters Tour. Weibring is even encouraging him to play in the PGA TOUR National Qualifying Tournament this year. Because Martin is such an experienced golfer, Weibring took his advice on No. 8 and it potentially saved his round.

Weibring's drive landed in the heavy rough and he had 148 yards to the front of the green on the 435-yard, par-4 hole. He wanted to hit a 7-iron to make sure he reached the back of the green, but Martin convinced him otherwise.

"Troy said, 'I think it's an 8 (-iron) and it's going to come out of there,'" Weibring said. "The ball came out and I didn't think it was going to get to the green, honestly, and I turned and the ball carried to the front part of the green and rolled up to about four feet from the hole. That was a great break.

"There are times you hit shots that you don't get a real good shot at and it comes up short," he added. "I trusted him and I hit it hard and I was aggressive with it, and I was rewarded."

The second defining moment came on the 17th hole. Following a solid drive, Weibring was in between clubs with 181 yards to the hole. For the second time on this momentous day, Weibring chose to go with one less club. He decided on his 5-iron, choked down and hit it hard. The ball rolled off the green and went into the rough behind it, which, he said, was "the last place you want to miss it."

He chipped out as best as he could but still had a 10-foot putt for par. Immediately after the ball left his putter, the look on Weibring's face was one of disappointment. That's not going in, he thought, it's going to turn to the right.

At the last second, the putt decided to take a spin around the cup and fall in. Nick Price, who had a five-footer for birdie right after Weibring sank his par, missed his putt and Weibring safely went to the 18th with the lead he'd thought he had lost just a minute before.

"I guess that's maybe the difference when you win and when you finish second or third, which I've done many, many times," Weibring said.

On the 72 hole, Weibring had another challenging moment when he had a 48-footer for birdie and knew he must two-putt to win the title.

"And I looked forward to that challenge. I said to myself, I took a look at it and I said, you know, I'm going to hit a great putt here and lag it down there and I might even make this," he said. "That was the attitude I had. I took my line and had a nice sense of peace and just aimed it and let it go."

The putt ended up less than two feet from the hole, and Weibring putted that in for par and the championship.

"D.A. is one of the best putters on the planet. On 18, that was a pretty tough first putt he had," said runner-up Fred Funk, who was standing by green in case Weibring missed to send it into a playoff. "I was hoping he wouldn't hit it quite that close."

"He's just always been a very solid driver, hits good iron shots and has putted well on the Champions Tour," said Ben Crenshaw, who tied for third with Price and Jeff Sluman. "He is just one of those players that does not make many mistakes. He's very, very steady."

This was the first time Weibring's wife Kristy has witnessed one of his five Champions Tour victories and he was thrilled to share it with her. In fact, she hadn't seen him win in person since the 1991 Hardee's Golf Classic on the PGA TOUR, the third of his five victories on that circuit.

If it isn't clear already, Weibring's family means just as much to him as any major win. He told a story about his youngest daughter Allie. When she was little, she'd sit with him and color while he was practicing putting and pretend to draw a line with her marker from the ball to the hole. Even today, though she's now a 21, he still calls her and asks her what color the marker is before a round. A junior at the University of Oklahoma, Allie usually tells him crimson or cream.

"I tell you, as I read the putt on 18 and a lot of other putts, I saw a red line," Weibring said. "That way, if you make it, it's more personal and fun rather than what the consequences are."

Weibring contended at several major championships on the PGA TOUR, including the 1988 U.S. Open, and tied for second at the U.S. Senior Open in 2005 as well. But this was his biggest win yet and earned him the largest paycheck of his professional career at $390,000. He also moved into 11th place in the Charles Schwab Cup race and will play in the 2009 PLAYERS Championship next year.

"It was just my time," Weibring said. "I'm very proud to have won and hopefully I can carry that through and have a real good month here."