With the specter of a playoff looming, Gene Sauers sunk his par putt on the final hole to win the 2016 U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday.Finishing at three under par for the tournament, Sauers was one shot better than Miguel Angel Jimenez and Billy Mayfair. Ian Woosnam and Michael Allen rounded out the top five.The final day couldn't have provided much more in the way of drama. Paired together in the same group, Jimenez and Sauers headed for the 18th tee tied for the lead at three under.Jimenez nearly holed out from a greenside bunker but faced a difficult putt to save par. His putt rolled just right of the cup. From the fringe, Sauers left himself a straightforward putt to capture his first win since joining thePGA Tour Champions.The USGA shared a replay of the U.S. Senior Open's final moments:The Columbus Dispatch's Kyle Robertson snapped Sauers' reaction after he secured the victory:Olin Browne, the 2011 U.S. Senior Open champion, congratulated Sauers on Twitter:According to the PGA Tour, Sauers will earn $525,500 in prize money, and the list of payouts for the rest of the field will be provided when they become available.For Jimenez, it was another disappointingly close result at a major tournament. He tied for second at the Senior Players Championship and ended up with a share of third place at the Senior Open Championship earlier this year. The 52-year-old had one hand on the U.S. Senior Open title before bogeying the final two holes.Sauers, on the other hand, showed that slow and steady can win the race. He was one under for the round and even par on the back nine. His bogey on No. 15 could've proved to be costly, but he righted the ship on the remaining holes and did enough to overtake Jimenez atop the leaderboard.Inclement weather pushed the final round to Monday. Paul Goydos discussed how the course conditions would force golfers to alter their approach ahead of the round, per Rob Oller of the Columbus Dispatch: "The style of play that's going to be needed will be much different than has been needed the first three days. It's going to play longer and much softer, so you're going to have to adjust how you play the course."On the whole, the conditions benefited those on the course, and final-round scores were a far cry from those in the third round. On Saturday, only four golfers finished under par through 18 holes. That figure jumped to 19 on Monday.Goydosbenefited from the softer conditions when he holed out from the bunker on No. 15. The USGA shared a replay of his impressive shot:Reigning champion Jeff Maggert didn't enjoy a good round Monday. He finished with a five-over 75 and provided one of the tournament's oddest visuals. Repeating the technique Maggert used for this shot on No. 8 isn't advisable for any aspiring golfers:The end of the U.S. Senior Open brings a close to the PGA Tour Champions' major season. The tour will take a break for a week before starting back up with the Boeing Classic, which tees off Aug. 26 at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge in Snoqualmie, Washington.Post-Round ReactionSauers had to put his golf career on hold while he battled Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, and at one point, doctors had given him a 25 percent chance of survival. Overcoming the disease and returning to the course made Monday's win even more special for the 53-year-old, per Reuters (via Yahoo Sports):I didn't think I'd ever be here. I told my wife when I was in the hospital I didn't think I was ever coming out. I didn't touch a club for seven years and I didn't know if I'd ever be playing again. It's pretty amazing to win a major. I'm humbled to be here and thank the Lord for saving my life.Jimenez, meanwhile, rued his bad luck."I'm human, you know'" he said, per the Associated Press (via FoxSports.com). "I'm going to make bogeys. I'm going to make birdies. It's the way it's coming. That moment is not on my side."
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