CHAMPIONS

• Cook coasts to win at Schwab Cup Championship

  
  

  Sonoma, CA (Sports Network) - John Cook closed with a three-under 69 Sunday to win the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship by five strokes.

  Cook, who had set the record for lowest 54-hole score in a 72-hole event in Champions Tour history, completed the season's final tournament at 22-under- par 266.

  He also set the tournament's 72-hole scoring record. The previous record of 268 was set by Jim Thorpe in 2003, then matched by Thorpe in 2007 and Andy Bean last year.

  "I won at Oak Hills and we're leaving there and now we're leaving here," Cook joked about this event moving to Harding Park next year. "My God, what do I have to do? I've got to come back." Russ Cochran birdied the last for a four-under 68. He took second place at 17- under-par 271. Jeff Sluman (68) and Brad Bryant (69) shared third at minus-15.

  Last week's winner Phil Blackmar took fifth at 14-under-par 274 after a final- round, three-under 69.

  The other big winner this week was Loren Roberts. He fired a six-under 66 to end in a tie for sixth at minus-13. That helped Roberts secure the season-long Charles Schwab Cup. It was the second time in three years that Roberts won that title.

  "I hunkered down after my round Friday and spent some time on the range and I worked pretty hard," Roberts admitted. "I found a couple things and hit the ball really, really good on the weekend.

  "The Schwab Cup is about how you play in the major championships, and I really played well this year in the major championships." Cook led by six at the start of the round and opened with a seven-foot birdie putt on the first at Sonoma Golf Club. He cruised to 10 consecutive pars from the second and his lead dipped no lower than five shots in that span.

  The 52-year-old Cook moved to 21-under with a birdie on the par-four 12th. After four straight pars, he sank a five-footer for birdie on 17. Cook two- putted for par at the last to seal the win.

  "The last part of this year, I said to myself we've had a nice year, let's cap it off...let's finish strong, finish like a champion. We did that," said Cook, who collected $442,000 for the win.

  Cochran, playing alongside Cook, posted back-to-back birdies to start his round.

  He bogeyed the sixth, but recovered that lost stroke with a birdie on No. 5. Around the turn, Cochran birdied 15 and 18 to grab second place.

  Loren Roberts was joined in sixth place at 13-under-par-275 by Tom Watson (71) and Bernhard Langer (68).

  Eduardo Romero ended alone in ninth at minus-12 after closing with a 68.

  Bean easily had the low round of the day with his nine-under 63. He shared 18th at minus-nine.

  11/01 19:44:25 ET