TOM Lehman has always prided himself on outlasting his flashier opponents by playing steadily if unspectacularly.

Never was that more evident than on Sunday when Lehman won the 71st US Senior PGA Championship with a par on the first play-off hole, where Fred Couples and David Frost double-bogeyed after poor drives.

Lehman began the play-off on the 18th with a solid shot down the fairway, before Couples’ only bad tee-shot of the tournament veered left into the shrubs, forcing him to take a drop. Frost’s drive ended up in the left bunker and he pulled his second shot left of the gallery.

US SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP(at Colorado GC, Denver) – Leading final scores(US unless stated, par 72): 281– Tom Lehman 68 71 71 71 (Lehman won at first play-off hole), David Frost (Rsa) 72 77 65 67, Fred Couples 69 68 75 69; 283– Mark O'Meara 72 73 67 71; 284– Nick Price (Zim) 70 71 73 70; 285– Larry Mize 73 72 70 70, Bill Glasson 69 75 70 71; 286– Robin Freeman 66 75 75 70, Andrew Oldcorn (Sco) 73 75 67 71, Jay Don Blake 71 69 70 76. Irish: 295– Des Smyth 74 72 74 75.