After watching most of his comfortable lead disappear on the back nine of the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club on Sunday, Steve Allan found a little timely magic with his putter.

With Tag Ridings looking at a kick-in birdie that could tie Allan for the lead, Allan rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt from the back of the green on the par-4 16th hole to maintain a one-shot lead on the way to winning the Galleri Classic presented by Spotlight 29 Casino.

Starting the day with a one-shot lead, Allan had dominated the first half of the day with a 5-under 31 on the front nine of the Shore Course. But Allan started treading water while Ridings, in just his second career PGA Tour Champions event, put together five birdies on the back nine including three in a row starting at the 14th hole.

Ridings’ two-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole could have tied Allan for the lead, but Allan rolled in his first birdie on the back nine to hold onto the lead.

Both players parred the par-3 17th, and when Ridings pulled his tee shot into the water on the way to a par on the par-5 18th, Allan could coast in with his own par for his first win in 28 starts on the PGA Tour Champions. Allan finished with a 5-under 67 for the day and a 15-under 201 total for the week, one shot off the Galleri Classic scoring record.

When the final putt dropped, Allan raised one fist in celebration. His wife Bridget and three sons, including Liam his caddie, were there with some quick hugs, then he was doused with champagne by some by fellow Aussie pros.

“I won the Australian Open in 2002 and it was my second win, four years after my first win,” Allan recalled. “And I told my girlfriend, now my wife, it won’t be four years until I win again. Unfortunately, it’s been 23 years. It’s a big relief to get a win. I was close on the PGA Tour a couple of times. Didn’t get over the line.”

Allan, who was only in the field because Steve Stricker withdrew last weekend with a bad back, takes home $300,000 for the victory, nearly half of what he had earned in 27 events since joining the tour in 2024.

The victory was the first for the Australian native on a recognized tour since winning the Holden Australian Open on the Australasian PGA Tour in 2002. His only other professional win came in the 1998 German Open on the DP World Tour.

Allan also won with his family at the tournament and with his son Liam as his caddie.

“Yeah, it’s amazing. When I won that Australian Open, I was lucky enough to be in my hometown with my parents and my friends, and my whole family is here this week,” Allan said. “So it’s like a Champions Tour version of that, so it’s great.”

Ridings also shot 67, but his hot streak came on the back nine when he was already six shots behind Allan. Ridings was making just his second start on the PGA Tour Champions and was in the field by winning a Tuesday qualifying tournament.

Tying for third at 13 under was Steven Alker, who had finished second in the Rancho Mirage event each of the last two years and who missed several birdie chances in the middle of a round of 67. Alker tied with Miguel Angel Jimenez, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions this year, and Steve Flesch. Jimenez fired 65 on Sunday and Flesch shot 64 on a day full of birdies at Mission Hills Country Club with expected strong winds staying away from the course.

Allan started the day with a one-shot lead over Ridings and seemed to take the drama out of the day early with birdies on his first two holes and then added birdies on the eighth and ninth on the way to a front-nine 5-under 31. After pars on the 10th and 11th, Allan had a five-shot lead with just seven holes to play.

But Allan parred the first five holes on the back nine and then made his only bogey of the day on the par-4 15th. That’s the same time that Ridings, who shot even par on the front nine, was catching fire. Ridings birdied 10 and 11 and then made three straight birdies at 14, 15 and 16, hitting it to inside two feet on No. 16.

“A couple putts in the middle of the round and I could have really sort of kept going, but Tag came hard at the back nine, and I was lucky to sneak one in on 16 there, which sort of gave me — not really breathing room, but it kept me ahead,” Allan said.

Allan missed the fairway on the 16th to the right and hit an approach to the back of the green, needing a 20-foot birdie to hold onto the lead. The putt went in, allowing Allan to maintain his one-shot advantage.

“It was a tricky putt. It was sort of downhill,” Allan said. “I have a habit of leaving putts short. My kids call it ‘doing a dad’ when they leave it short, so it being downhill probably helped me to just get it rolling.”

Allan said one of the reasons he was able to stay calm on the back nine as his lead was slipping away came from his experience from being on the PGA Tour Champions for a full year in 2024. While Allan didn’t win last year and never won on the regular tour, he said he saw what it took to win.

“Having a year’s worth of experience under my belt I think helped a lot. I saw a few times close hand what it took to win,” Allan said. “I played with Stewart Cink when he won, played the second round with Steve Stricker when he won in South Dakota, and the guys, they’re really good. You still have to play really well.”

Article originally appeared on: Golfweek.usatoday.com