The left-handed New Zealander won his third Kaanapali Classic championship yesterday with a final-round 69 that included his fourth eagle in the 54-hole tournament.

Charles took the $97,500 top prize with a 15-under par total of 198 - one stroke better than Hale Irwin, the Senior PGA Tour's leading money winner, who finished at 199 after a closing 70.

Steve Veriato, a Big Island native who made it as a Monday qualifier, finished in third place at 203 after shooting a 66 while playing in the final threesome with Charles and Irwin.

Veriato, who now lives near Austin, Texas, earned $46,800 - his biggest paycheck in eight Senior Tour events - all after qualifying on Mondays.

It was Charles' first victory of the year with two tournaments remaining and that it came at the par-71 Kaanapali North Course shouldn't have been surprising.

The victory ended a yearong drought for Charles, whose only victory in 1995 was also the Hyatt Regency Maui Kaanapali Classic. Charles, who has now won 23 Senior Tour titles tying him for third all-time, also captured the tournament here in 1990.

"Obviously, this is his course. He has great confidence here," said Irwin, who played with Charles all three rounds. "Three-putts did me in and Bob was making all this putts. It's literally amazing how many putts he made this week."

All three of Irwin's bogeys yesterday came on three-putt greens, including the par-5 10th hole. "The turnaround was probably the 10th hole. I three-putted. That just killed me."

It took a while for Charles' putter to heat up. Did it ever when it did.

"The putter won the tournament for me at 14, 15 and 17," said Charles, who birdied, eagled and birdied those three holes to give him a comforting two-stroke lead over Irwin going into the last hole.

"The nice birdie putt at 14 got my confidence back," said Charles, who had bogeyed the fourth and ninth holes to fall a stroke back of Irwin at the turn.

The 15-footer at the par-4, oceanside 14th was just the beginning. Charles rolled in a 17-footer for his eagle on the next hole to wrest the lead from Irwin.

The clincher came at the testy par-3 17th over a little lake. Charles pulled an 8-iron to the back right of the flag but sank a 60-foot putt from just off the green.

In an uncharacteristic display of emotion for the usually undemonstrative Charles, he had a "what happened" look as he tipped the bill of his visor after the ball dropped. Waiting to putt next, Irwin could only shake his head in disbelief.

Charles put on a putting show. But the key to his success at Kaanapali, according to Charles, is that, "This is one of the few courses on the Senior Tour where I am able to reach the par-5s in two."

All told, Charles played the course's three par-5 holes 10 under in the three rounds, eagling the par-5 third the first two days and the 15th yesterday. He had also eagled the par-4 eighth Saturday, holing out a 9-iron from 140 yards.

"I haven't had four eagles in a tournament before," Charles said.

Finishing second for the seventh time this year was a disappointment for Irwin, who earned $57,200 to raise his 1996 winnings to $1,537,194 - $40,804 more than Colbert with two tournaments left.

"I had another opportunity to win and I missed it. I'm more concerned about putting W's (wins) in there than dollars. And W's seem to be elusive for me right now. "

Colbert finished with a 66, tying yesterday's low round, earning only $5,395 when an opening 77 ended any hopes for his sixth victory of the year.

For Veriato, though, a 1964 St. Joseph's (Hilo) High School graduate, he very pleased with his third-place finish.

"We sponsor ourselves, so that money sure helps," said Veriato, whose wife of 11 months, Karen, was caddying for him.

"I felt all along I can play," added Veriato, who had an eagle at the par-5 third and birdies at the fourth and seventh to find himself only one stroke back of Charles and Irwin at that point.

Kaanapali Classic

Final round, par 71, At Kaanapali, Maui

Bob Charles, $97,500		64-65-69--198
Hale Irwin, $57,200		63-66-70--199*
Steve Veriato, $46,800		69-65-66--200*
Don Bies, $39,000		68-67-68--203
Deane Beman, $31,200		68-70-66--204
Don January, $22,100		70-69-66--205
Graham Marsh, $22,100		67-68-70--205
Bud Allin, $22,100		67-67-71--205
John Jacobs, $22,100		68-66-71--205
Dave Stockton, $16,250		69-70-67--206
Charles Coody, $16,250		67-69-70--206
Jim Albus, $13,217		73-67-67--207
Bobby Stroble, $13,217		68-69-70--207
Jerry McGee, $13,217		69-67-71--207
DeWitt Weaver, $11,050		73-69-66--208
Dave Hill, $11,050		69-71-68--208
Bob Murphy, $11,050		68-69-71--208
Larry Mowry, $8,619		70-72-67--209
Bob Betley, $8,619		69-73-67--209
Tom Shaw, $8,619		70-70-69--209
Mike McCullough, $8,619		71-66-72--209
Dale Douglass, $8,619		69-68-72--209
Rocky Thompson, $6,663		74-67-69--210
Masaru Amano, $6,663		66-75-69--210
Tommy Jacobs, $6,663		70-70-70--210
Terry Carlson, $6,663		72-68-70--210
Robert Landers, $5,395		71-72-68--211
Bob E. Smith, $5,395		70-71-70--211
Bob Dickson, $5,395		71-70-70--211
Rick Acton, $5,395		71-70-70--211
Jim Colbert, $5,395		77-68-66--211
Bruce Summerhays, $4,193	73-69-70--212
Bob Wynn, $4,193		69-72-71--212
Frank Conner, $4,193		73-72-67--212
Jim Ferree, $4,193		68-72-72--212
Steve Robbins, $4,193		73-67-72--212
Bill Holstead, $4,193		65-71-76--212
Dick Hendrickson, $2,925	71-71-71--213
Bobby Mitchell, $2,925		73-69-71--213
Terry Dill, $2,925		73-68-72--213
Rives McBee, $2,925		73-68-72--213
Larry Laoretti, $2,925		74-70-69--213
Harry Toscano, $2,925		71-74-68--213
Jim Wilkinson, $2,925		70-75-68--213
Butch Baird, $2,925		69-71-73--213
Orville Moody, $2,925		73-72-68--213
Homero Blancas, $2,925		69-71-73--213
Harold Henning, $2,925		72-67-74--213
Charlie Sifford, $2,145		72-73-69--214
Dave Eichelberger, $2,015	70-74-71--215
Ed Sneed, $1,755		69-73-74--216
John Paul Cain, $1,755		71-70-75--216
Don Massengale, $1,755		74-71-71--216
Bunky Henry, $1,528		71-76-70--217
John Brodie, $1,528		73-74-70--217
Tony Jacklin, $1,430		73-74-71--218
Dennis Coscina, $1,268		74-71-74--219
Ken Still, $1,268		73-73-73--219
Larry Ziegler, $1,268		73-73-73--219
Dick McClean, $1,268		75-71-73--219*
Al Kelley, $1,105		76-70-74--220
Babe Hiskey, $1,040		76-74-72--222
George Hunter, $975		80-69-74--223
Cesar Sanudo, $910		79-71-74--224
Rod Curl, $780			76-72-77--225
Dick Lotz, $780			76-76-73--225
Billy Maxwell, $780		76-76-73--225
Ben Smith, $650			73-71-82--226
Bob Lunn, $611			76-73-78--227
Frank Sanchez, $533		73-79-76--228*
Mike Fetchick, $533		75-78-75--228
Dow Finsterwald, $533		77-79-72--228
Randy Wood, $455		72-77-80--229
Ray DeMello, $429		77-77-76--230*
Ron Castillo, $403		77-81-75--233*
Steve Reid, $377		75-77-82--234
Bill Johnston, $351		82-76-77--235
Lee Elder			72-76--WD
	*Hawaii participant