The 12-foot putt on the 72nd hole of the Senior Players Championship gave Wadkins his first major title and a huge sense of relief.

After all, it was just a month ago that Phil Mickelson's double bogey on No. 18 cost him a chance to win the U.S. Open. But Jim Thorpe's three-putt bogey on the final hole at the TPC of Michigan on Sunday allowed Wadkins to escape a fate similar.

``Anyone who says they aren't feeling nerves at that state of the game is telling a lie,'' said Wadkins, who shot a 4-under 68 on Sunday and was 14 under for the tournament. ``The tournament should have been over, and I almost gave it away.''

Wadkins was one stroke better than Thorpe, who shot a 69 on Sunday and was the runner-up for a third time at the Senior Players.

Wadkins overcame not only a wild finish on the 18th hole, but also a four-stroke deficit and 95-degree heat to claim only his third Champions Tour win.

Dave Barr of Kelowna, B.C., shot a 71 to finish 15 strokes back.

The 54-year-old Wadkins made five straight birdies on the back nine to charge past Thorpe and third-round leader Loren Roberts, whose double bogeys on Nos. 11 and 14 dropped him down the leaderboard.

Wadkins' previous Champions Tour wins included the 2001 Long Island Classic and this year's Boeing Championship. He never has won on the PGA Tour. His previous best finish at a Champions Tour major was second in the Senior PGA in both 2002 and 2003.

Wadkins' older brother Lanny broadcast the final round on CBS and said he felt a great deal of pride in his sibling's accomplishment.

``This is really cool for me,'' Lanny Wadkins said on the air.

Bobby Wadkins took control on No. 15 when his 68-foot chip from the fringe found the bottom of the cup and sent him pumping his fist.

He had a bogey on No. 16, but bounced back with a birdie on No. 17.

Then came a finishing hole that Wadkins won't soon forget.

On the par-4 18th, Wadkins drove it left into a marsh and had to take a drop. His third shot fell into a greenside bunker. His shot from the bunker flew over the green and hit a spectator on the hill.

``I haven't hit a bunker shot like that since I was 15,'' he said. ``Hopefully, I won't hit another one for another 40 years.''

His fifth shot from the rough _ which he said was his toughest of the weekend _ nearly went in the hole, but had too much pace. Wadkins then holed a 12-footer for double bogey to seal the win.

Asked about what he was thinking before his final putt, Wadkins said: ``What ... is Lanny saying about me up there on TV? I can't imagine the abuse I would've gotten from him tonight'' had he missed it.

Wadkins made his charge despite a triple-digit heat index that forced Jim Colbert to withdraw from the tournament on the 13th hole because of heat exhaustion. The 65-year-old Colbert was treated with intravenous fluids at the course. He was 4 over when he pulled out of the tournament.

Wadkins, who wore a shirt with a Miami Dolphins logo on it for his round on Sunday, earned $375,000 US with the win.

He benefited from a back-nine collapse by Roberts, whose 64 on Saturday gave him a two-shot leading heading into Sunday.

Roberts, who was second on the money list leading up to the Senior Players, played the front nine at 2 under, but double bogeys at Nos. 11 and 14 dropped him down the leaderboard. He finished with a 74 on Sunday and was 12 under for the tournament.

Last Saturday at the U.S. Senior Open, Roberts shot a 62 to set a record for the lowest 18-hole score in a USGA Open championship, but he followed that with a 3 over 73 on Sunday, good for a tie for eighth place.

Roberts entered Sunday at the Senior Players with a two-stroke lead over Lonnie Nielsen, who carded a 76 on Sunday and finished in a tie for 17th.

``I've been struggling for five months now,'' Roberts said. ``I hit it good some days and terrible some days. Today, I hit it good for nine holes, and then I pulled the wrong club on one hole and made a terrible shot on another hole, plus the putter went cold on the back nine.''

``I feel a little worn out from fighting with my golf swing. I don't feel like I can get it done on Sunday right now after working so hard to fix things.''

Tour money leader Jay Haas tied for third at 12-under 276, and defending champion Peter Jacobsen was 4 over on Sunday and finished in a tie for 45th place at 2 under.

After Wadkins was presented with the Senior Players trophy and the keys to a new Ford Mustang GT, the rock band Collective Soul performed behind the 18th green.

The tournament will shift next year to Baltimore after being played in the Detroit area since 1990 and at the Jack Nicklaus-designed TPC of Michigan since 1991.