Couch’s 55-foot chip-in wins Zurich Classic

This Sunday in New Orleans sure ended a lot better for Chris Couch than the last one.

Twice on the verge of a collapse, Couch recovered by chipping in from 55 feet for par on the 18th hole at English Turn to close with a 7-under 65 and win the Zurich Classic by one shot over Charles Howell III and Fred Funk.

Couch, who turns 33 today, won for the first time on the PGA Tour and capped off a week in the Big Easy he won’t soon forget.

A week ago, he was in downtown having some drinks when he got lost going to his car, took a ride from strangers that made him uncomfortable, and wound up running 20 minutes through a seedy part of town until he called police for help from a tattoo parlor. That memory was long gone when he got to the 18th hole Sunday.

From the left rough, his pitching wedge sailed over the green and against the back slope of a bunker still muddy from overnight rain. The best he could do was squirt that out to the collar of rough, and he had to get up-and-down just to get into a playoff.

Instead, he lofted a chip that rolled true toward the hole and disappeared for an unlikely par. Couch finished at 19-under 269 and earned $1.08 million.

Howell, whose only victory came at the Michelob Championship four years ago, must be wondering what he has to do to win. He played in the final group, shot 65 and still had to settle for second place. Funk closed with a 62.

LPGA Tour

South Korea’s Mi Hyun Kim closed with a 1-under 71 to hold off Lorena Ochoa and Karrie Webb by two strokes in the Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open in Reunion, Fla.

Kim, who won her sixth career LPGA Tour title and first since 2002, had a 12-under 276 total and earned $375,000. Ochoa finished with a 66, and Webb shot a 67.

Champions Tour

Jay Haas won his second straight Champions Tour title, shooting a 7-under 65 for a two-stroke victory in the FedEx Kinko’s Classic in Lakeway, Texas.

Haas stormed through the front nine with six birdies – five in a row in one stretch – then ended the round with three in the final four holes to pull away from Tom Kite (68) and England’s Mark James (67).

Haas earned $240,000 for his fourth career Champions Tour title.