Bill Dodd, Jr. Outlasts Field to win Southwest PGA Senior Championship/PPC

PHOENIX, Ariz. – August 11, 2020 – When Bill Dodd, Jr. was starting out with a career in golf he set a goal of playing in 10 major championships. He just moved a step closer to adding to the list after he captured the Southwest PGA Senior Championship/PPC at Phoenix (Ariz.) Country Club.

“My mindset today was to just come in and go as low as I possibly could,” said Dodd, Jr. “I putted so well the last two days, especially today. I knew I was playing well I just didn’t know what the score was until I finished.”

After finishing the opening round of the 36-hole Championship with an even-par 71, Dodd, Jr., 67, PGA Life Member, entered the final round two shots behind co-leaders Jim Carter and Chris Endres. 

Dodd, Jr. made the turn with a 3-under-par 33, that included four birdies on Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 7 and a bogey at the par-4 fourth hole. He didn’t know it at the time but he was in the lead by a shot after Endres and Carter, playing in the final group, made the turn with even-par 36’s.

“I never look at the leaderboard or my scorecard,” Dodd, Jr. said following the round. “I play with the mentality that I have go out and make birdie on every hole. No matter what anyone is doing out there I can only control what I am doing so it doesn’t make sense to watch their scores.”

On the back nine Dodd, Jr. could only manage eight pars and a bogey at the par-4 11th.

“I had a lot of birdie opportunities but just couldn’t convert,” Dodd, Jr. said about his back nine. “I was leaving myself really long birdie putts because my irons on approach shots weren’t great today.”

Dodd, Jr. finished with a 2-under-par 69, matching the low round of the Championship, and had a 36-hole total of 140 (-2).  

Playing a group ahead of the first round leaders, Dodd, Jr. had to wait to see if his score would hold up and be good enough for the victory.

Endres, 60, PGA Teaching Professional at Anthem (Ariz.) Golf & Country Club, bogeyed Nos. 12 and 14 before getting a shot back with birdie at No. 17. He finished the back with a 1-over-par 36 and a 71 in the final round. His 36-hole total of 141 (1-) left him a shot behind Dodd, Jr. and tied for second.

Carter, 59, PGA Life Member, also finished the back with a 1-over-par 36, including bogeys at Nos. 13 and 18 with a birdie at the par-4 17 hole. He ended the Championship with a 141 (1-) and tied in second with Endres and Jim Delaney.

Also carding a 2-under-par 69 in the final round was Southern Highlands’ Delaney. After making the turn with an even-par 36, Delaney, 54, PGA Director of Golf at Southern Highlands Golf Club in Henderson, Nev., had a blemish-free back nine with seven pars and birdies on Nos. 12 and 17. He finished the Championship tied for second with Endres and Carter.

The victory was Dodd, Jr.’s first Southwest PGA Senior Championship title. He credited the biggest difference in his play to his putting, which he made a change in his putting grip four days before starting the Championship.

“Hubert Green was an idol of mine when I was little,” said Dodd, Jr. “He would putt with a split grip so I thought about it and started doing it Thursday and it’s the best I’ve putted in a while. It was the biggest difference for me this week and I think I’ll stick with that for a while.”

The top six finishers, and Carter who is exempt, qualified for the 32nd Senior PGA Professional Championship, October 15-18 at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The top 35 finishers in the 32nd Senior PGA Professional Championship earn a berth in the 2021 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, May 25–30, 2021 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

“I’ve played in four major championships in my career and having an opportunity to compete to get in another one is great,” said Dodd, Jr. “That’s the goal to make it to the Senior PGA Championship and I’m one step closer after today’s win.”

Joining Dodd, Jr., Delaney, Endres and Carter will be Randy Wittig, 60, PGA Director of Instruction at Gainey Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale, and Ross Farley, 56, PGA Head Golf Professional at Las Colinas Golf Club Las Colinas in Queen Creek, Ariz., who finished tied for fifth. Rounding out the Southwest PGA contingent will be seventh-place finisher Tom Purtzer, 68, PGA - Life Member.