D.A. Weibring can remember times when he played exceptionally well and still ended up watching someone else receive the winner's trophy at a major tournament.

And so he made no apologies after it finally became his turn to take home the hardware.

Down by four strokes with 14 holes to play, Weibring soared past a fading Nick Price and held off a host of challengers yesterday to win the Senior Players Championship in Timonium, Md., his first career major victory in 65 tries.

Weibring closed out a 2-under 68 with a 2-foot par putt on the 72nd hole. He finished at 9-under 271, one stroke better than hometown favorite Fred Funk (66).

On a day in which four of the top seven finishers bogeyed 18, closing with five consecutive pars was good enough to provide Weibring with a lovely crystal trophy and $390,000 -- the biggest payday of his career.

"I had a couple of fortunate things happen," Weibring said. "I didn't play my best golf. I've played better in the final round and haven't been rewarded. It was just my time, and I'm very proud to have won."

Price (71), Ben Crenshaw (66) and Jeff Sluman (69) finished at 7 under, and Jay Haas (68) followed at 6 under.

It was Weibring's fifth win in six years on the Champions Tour, and one of the most significant of his entire career. He was 0 for 39 in major tournaments on the PGA Tour and 0 for 25 on the 50-and-over circuit.

"It will all sink in as time goes on," he said. "But I did always believe I could win a major championship. Sometimes things happen, and they just fall into place."

Weibring's final round included four birdies, but his biggest shots were on holes he parred. He salvaged par on 16 after hitting a 6-iron into the bunker, then drained a difficult 9-foot putt on 17 to maintain his grasp on the slim lead.

Weibring, 55, got help from Price, who missed a 3-foot birdie putt on 17 that would have created a tie at the top.

Price opened with a 70 Thursday, then carded successive 66s to take a one-shot lead into the final round. He extended the margin with a birdie on No. 1, then added another birdie on the fourth hole to go ahead by four strokes. But successive bogeys on Nos. 7 and 8, combined with Weibring's birdie on No. 8, created a deadlock atop the leader board.

Price made it three bogeys in four holes at 10, and although he birdied 12, he couldn't make up the difference. He put the lid on a lamentable round with a bogey on 18.

• Texas Open: Zach Johnson won his fourth PGA Tour title, following his third-round 62 with a 64 for a two-stroke victory in San Antonio over Charlie Wi, Mark Wilson and Tim Wilkinson. Johnson, who entered the week with only one top-10 finish this year, had a 19-under 261 total. Wi finished with 61, Wilson had 63 and Wilkinson shot 64. Third-round leader Rory Sabbatini shot a 72 to finish seven strokes back.

• Madrid Masters: South Africa's Charl Schwartzel won in Madrid for his second European tour victory, closing with a 5-under 66 for a three-stroke victory over Argentina's Ricardo Gonzalez (68). Schwartzel, 24, overcame sickness and shoulder and back pain to finish at 19-under 265.

• Longs Drugs Challenge: South Korea's In-Kyung Kim won in Danville, Calif., for her first LPGA Tour victory, closing with a 1-over 73 in gusty conditions for a three-stroke victory over Angela Stanford (75). Kim, 20, in her second season on the tour, birdied the final two holes for a 10-under 278 total.