SAS Championship: Final-round notebook

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CARY, N.C. -- With his victory, Eduardo Romero becomes the first Champions Tour player in 2008 to post three victories. The win was the third for the Argentina native in his last five starts. He won the Dick's Sporting Goods Open in July and added a second win in Colorado in early August when he won the U.S. Senior Open.

John Cook carded his Tour-leading 13th top-10 finish on Sunday. (Cox/Getty Images)

Inside the Numbers

Final Leaderboard

Player Score 1. Eduardo Romero 201 -15 2. Tom Kite 204 -12 T3. Andy Bean 205 -11 T3. Gil Morgan 205 -11 T5. Jim Thorpe 206 -10 T5. Bruce Fleisher 206 -10 T7. Brad Bryant 207 -9 T7. Mark McNulty 207 -9 T7. John Cook 207 -9

• During Romero's current run of three wins in five starts, he has earned $1,176,111, an average of $235,222 per start. He earned $315,000 for his victory on Sunday. Romero is also 51-under-par during the stretch.

• Romero's check for $315,000 moved him from eighth place to third place on the 2008 money list with $1,501,799 over $300,000 than he earned in 2007 when he finished 12th on the final money list with $1,189,455.

• One day after Morris Hatalsky scored the first ace in tournament history, Tim Simpson scored the second when he made one on No. 11 on Sunday. Simpson used a 6-iron on the 177-yard hole. It was also the first hole-in-one by Simpson on the Champions Tour and the seventh this year.

• After successive rounds of 72, defending champion Mark Wiebe fired a closing-round 66 to finish tied for 17th. Wiebe earned $28,805 for his finish and he became the 10th millionaire on the Champions Tour in 2008.

• John Cook's tie for seventh finish marked his 13th top-10 finish this year, which is the best by any Champions Tour player this year. Bernhard Langer is second with 12.

• After a somewhat disastrous start, D.A. Weibring finished tied for 10. The 2003 SAS Championship winner, Weibring fired an opening-round 75, but rebounded with rounds of 63-70, which helped him jump 50 places after Friday's round.

• Weibring was not the only player to rebound. Fred Funk was tied for 51st after the first round but shot weekend rounds of 66-68 to match Weibring's tie for 10th.

• The field averaged 71.254 for the event, the second lowest in tournament history. The previous low came in 2001 when the average was 71.216.

• Eduardo Romero and Tom Kite were the only players in the field to post three consecutive rounds in the 60s.

• The most difficult hole for the tournament was No. 6 with an average score of 4.228 (+.228), while No. 17 was the easiest at 4.500 (-.500).

• Mark McNulty's tie for seventh finish was his fifth top-10 finishes in his last six starts. Including this event, he is a combined 44 under par in that stretch with 16 sub-par rounds in 20 starts.

• Three days after his 62nd birthday, Gil Morgan's tie for third finish was his best showing of the year and his best since his victory at the 2007 Walmart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach (Sept. 2). Morgan's effort helped him jump from 42nd on the money list to 33rd. He is seeking his 12th consecutive trip to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the Champions Tour's season-ending event for the top 30 money winners.

• North Carolina native Jim Thorpe (Roxboro) improved his chances of earning a spot in the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in California later next month. Thorpe, who is the defending champion, finished tied for fifth, his first top-10 effort since April. More importantly, Thorpe earned $92,400 which moved him from 40th on the money list to 34th. Only the top 30 players on the money list are eligible for the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Thorpe currently trails the player in 30th position, D.A. Weibring, by only $43,252 with three full-field events remaining.

• Larry Mize finished tied for 27th in his Champions Tour debut.

• Eduardo Romero earned 315 points in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup race and remains in fourth place, but closed the gap on the three players in front of him with four events remaining. Heading into the upcoming Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship (October 9-12), Jay Haas leads with 2,186 points followed by Bernhard Langer with 2,047. Fred Funk is in third place, with 1,964 points. Romero's 315 points increased his total of 1,874 points, while John Cook is fifth with 1,461 points. Double points will be awarded at the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship.