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Sunday, March 5

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- Allen Doyle won the Toshiba Senior Classic without hitting a shot Sunday.

	Allen Doyle now has won five times in just 14 months on the Senior Tour.

Doyle claimed his fifth title in two years when the final round of the scheduled 54-hole tournament was canceled because of rain. He shot a 4-under 67 on Saturday for a 6-under 136 total.

"When I woke up this morning and heard the weather forecast I had a pretty good idea this might happen," Doyle said. "I didn't go out on the course because the golf course superintendent said that four to six fairways were impassable."

Doyle earned $195,000.

Sunday's round was scheduled to begin at 7:45 a.m. but was delayed an hour by heavy rains. After a further delay, Senior Tour official Bruce Sudderth officially canceled play at 9:30 a.m.

"The course was wet this morning," Sudderth said. "And there was a lot of water on the course. The course was totally unplayable and that's what made our decision. The golf superintendent said we would not have been able to get it playable."

Doyle had a one-stroke lead over Howard Twitty and Jim Thorpe at 6-under 136 after a soggy second round Saturday. An overnight downpour further drenched the Newport Beach Country Club and a bleak forecast caused the cancellation.

The threesome was to tee off at 12:33 p.m. ET, but the final round never got under way.

This is the Tour's first event shortened by rain since the 1998 Kroger Senior Classic. Last season's first major -- The Tradition in Scottsdale, Ariz. -- was cut to 36 holes when the second and fourth rounds were canceled by snow.

Doyle, 51, has finished no worse than 15th in six events this season. He claimed his first win since September and jumped to second on the money list behind Bruce Fleisher.

Twitty and Thorpe finished in a tie for second at 5-under 137. Roy Vucinich placed fourth at 138, and a group of eight tied for fifth at 139.

Doyle birdied five of the final eight holes Saturday to cap a 4-under 67. The late birdie run helped the second-year tour member to his seventh straight top-20 finish, dating to last season, and his first win since the TD Waterhouse Championship in September.

Like Doyle, Twitty is in his second year on the Senior Tour. But unlike Doyle, he has yet to record a victory after winning three times during 25 years on the PGA Tour.

Saturday, Twitty carded a 70 with three birdies and two bogeys, including one at the 17th hole that cost him a share of the lead.

Thorpe shot a 67 in the second round and remained winless on the Senior Tour in his second year.

Defending champion Gary McCord struggled to a 3-over 74 Saturday and finished seven shots behind at 1-over 143.

Fleisher tied for 22nd after shooting consecutive 71s. He has won two of the tour's six events this season.