Appleby denied as weather washes out final round

Stuart Appleby was left to curse the Texan rainstorms as Scott Dunlap recorded his second career PGA Tour Champions victory at the Insperity Invitational.

Bad weather affecting the greater Houston area both overnight and Sunday morning forced the cancellation of the third round.

In accordance with the tour's regulations, the results of the first 36 holes stand as final, leaving Dunlap a shot clear of Appleby. Another Australian, defending champion Steven Alker, was tied for fourth, two shots off the lead.

The field was forced to play those 36 holes on Saturday after Friday's action was postponed due to rain accumulation at The Woodlands Country Club.

Dunlap's victory was his first on the PGA Tour Champions since the 2014 Boeing Classic.

He carded a seven-under-par 65 through his first 18 holes before polishing off his Saturday with a two-under showing. His nine-under 135 was one stroke better than the total of both Joe Durant and Appleby.

Dunlap did not card a bogey until his 33rd hole of the day, the par-5 sixth. He also had one at the par-4 ninth to close his second round.

Alker and Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand finished in a tie for fourth at seven-under, one stroke side ahead of Canadian Mike Weir.

Champions legend Bernhard Langer, in his first start since tearing his Achilles on Feb. 1, finished in a tie for 31st at one-under 143 after shooting rounds of 69 and 74. He has won the Insperity Invitational four times.

Durant said after playing on Saturday that he was glad to get the two rounds in, but he foreshadowed that there might not be a third one.

"Just a long day," Durant told the Houston Chronicle after two rounds of four-under 68s. "I'm just amazed we were able to play quite honestly with the amount of rain we've had. Hope we get to play one more round, but we'll see. Mother Nature wins every time."