Stephen Ames finishes strong at Boeing Classic for 4th win of year

Canada's Stephen Ames bookended a 9-under 63 with eagles at the first and last holes on Sunday to win the Boeing Classic in Snoqualmie, Wash.

Ames broke away from the pack by going 6 under par over his final five holes -- four birdies at Nos. 14-17, then an eagle 3 at No. 18.

That allowed him to tie the tournament record with a 19-under 197 over three rounds at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, seven shots better than defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain in second place.

"I think anybody would take that, obviously," Ames said of the finishing run. "Closing like that, just kind of freewheeling it a little bit. I hit the shots that I needed to hit coming down the end and everything just clicked and everything came out the way you usually see it.

"Not always does it happen like that. But I guess I was in a different time zone there when I was playing the last four holes."

Ames, who entered the season with two career wins on the PGA Tour Champions, won for the fourth time this season. He is projected to move into third place in the Charles Schwab Cup money list.

He credited his trainer, Harry Sese, for helping him get back in peak shape after a shoulder injury in 2020.

"From there, being very regimented with my working out," Ames said. "I would say that was probably the biggest thing right there in the fact of being able to be very clear, very free-minded when I'm playing. That helps big time."

Ames started the day with a one-stroke lead over Jimenez and New Zealand's Steven Alker. An eagle at the par-5 first hole helped establish some more of a cushion right away.

Ames stayed bogey-free throughout the day, though he only managed to add one birdie to his card (the par-3 sixth hole) through his first 13 holes.

"Even up to 14 it was still a ballgame because it was only two shots still in it," Ames said. "I mean, when (Alker) missed the birdie putt on 14 and I made mine, then it went to three again. Like I said, it was still a ballgame, still had to play golf coming in. A lot of players always get themselves ahead of the game and you've got to stay in the present, which I kept telling myself."

Alker (71 on Sunday) faded to a tie for third with South Korea's K.J. Choi (65) at 10 under. Stuart Appleby of Australia (65), Keith Horne of South Africa (66) and Bernhard Langer of Germany (69) tied for fifth at 8 under.