Vicente Fernandez ends drought with win in Las Vegas

Monday, May 17, 1999 | 4:33 a.m.

That being the case, he carried a pretty heavy burden around the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin on Sunday.

A lot of it went away following his eagle on the 16th hole.

Fernandez, who finished second in the 1998 Las Vegas Senior Classic, won this year's title with a 5-under-par 67 in the final round, giving him a 72-hole score of 274.

The two-stroke win over Dave Eichelberger ended a 20-month drought for Fernandez, who finished twice earlier this season. His last title came in 1997 at the Bank One Classic in Lexington, Ky.

"I played very well again today," said Fernandez, who shot 67 in each of the final two rounds. "I felt very confident all the way.

"This one was more pressure because I didn't win for almost two years. I knew today going to the last round I was (under) more pressure because I knew I could win and I wanted to win very badly."

Fernandez, from Argentina, broke a tie with Eichelberger by making a 30-foot for an eagle 3 on the 560-yard, par-5 16th hole.

"Winning is very special," said Fernandez, who earned $210,000. "I was close after my last win, I was close last year, I was close this year.

"But I took it like this - I was close because I was doing well, and it was a matter of time for me to get a win."

Eichelberger shot a 68 in the final round to finish with a 276. John Mahaffey took third place with a 277 following a final-round 67.

Frank Conner and Tom Wargo shared fourth place at 278, while defending champion Hale Irwin was sixth at 279.

Heading to the 16th hole, Fernandez had four birdies and one bogey and was tied with Eichelberger. His drive put him 214 yards from the hole, and his next shot left him with the crucial 30-foot putt, which he sank.

"I was not aware he eagled 16," said Eichelberger, who was one group ahead on the next hole. "I heard the yelling back there and I looked back from 17 and (Isao) Aoki was walking over to get his ball out of the hole. I didn't hear anything else.

"It might have been while I was putting, but I didn't realize that he eagled 16. I was surprised he was able to knock it on in two."

Fernandez continued to play well, barely missing birdie opportunities on the 17th and 18th holes. But all he needed was a pair of pars to win with some breathing room.

"Going to the last two holes with two shots ... it's a bit different than going with only one," Fernandez said. "I like playing out here. Maybe the weather helps me more than other players. It's dry weather, warm but dry. I think I also like this course a lot, maybe because it suits my game." Divots: Fernandez went over the $3 million mark in Senior PGA Tour career earnings at $3,027,141. He is in fourth place on the 1999 money list with $735,638. ... Third-round leader Fred Gibson dropped to eighth place with 75 on the final round, leaving him at 281 - one shot behind John Jacobs. Gibson had three bogeys and a double-bogey on the front nine Sunday. ... Mahaffey continues to play well this season with six top-10 finishes in his last 10 events. He played especially well in the final two rounds in this tournament with a 66 on Saturday followed by Sunday's 67.