Langer holds off Pavin
Bernhard Langer won his first senior major title on Sunday, holding off a final-round challenge from Corey Pavin for a one-stroke win in the Senior British Open at Carnoustie, Scotland.
The German shot a 1-over 72 at Carnoustie to finish at 5-under 279. Pavin ended with a 1-under 70.
“I have always wanted to win the British Open,” Langer said. “I didn’t. Now this is the next best thing.”
Pavin, the American Ryder Cup captain, trailed by three shots at the start of the fourth round but cut the gap to two when he birdied his second hole of the day.
Langer survived three-putting both the eighth and ninth greens. After making birdie at 15, he parred his way to his 11th win in three years on the Champions Tour.
Pavin finished three strokes ahead of Americans Fred Funk, Jay Don Blake and Russ Cochran and Australian Peter Senior.
Tom Watson finished with 74 for a 6-over 290. The 60-year-old American said he would return next year to play in both the British Open and Senior British Open.
Carl Pettersson rallied to win the Canadian Open at Toronto for his fourth PGA Tour victory, closing with a 3-under 67 for a one-stroke victory over Dean Wilson.
Pettersson, who set a tournament record with a 10-under 60 in the third round, finished at 14-under 266 at hilly, tree-lined St. George’s.
The 40-year-old Wilson, playing on a sponsor exemption, shot a 72 after opening with three straight 65s to take a four-stroke lead into the final day.
Six strokes behind Wilson after seven holes and four back with seven to play, Pettersson made a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 13th to pull within one, then took the lead with a 25-footer from the fringe on the 480-yard, par-4 14th.
Wilson bogeyed 14, hitting into the thick rough to the right of the green, chipping through the putting surface to the opposite fringe and missing a 15-foot par try.
Luke Donald (66) was third at 12 under.
Former Pullman resident Kirk Triplett fired a 3-under 67 to finish at 272, six strokes behind Pettersson.
LPGA
Jiyai Shin of South Korea birdied the 18th hole to win the Evian Masters at Evian-Les-Bains, France, shooting a 5-under 67 to finish at 14 under and one stroke ahead of Morgan Pressel, Na Yeon Choi and Alexis Thompson.
Shin’s fifth birdie in the final round put her one stroke clear of overnight leader Pressel, whose putt to force a playoff rolled agonizingly over the hole without dropping in.
The 22-year-old Shin became the first South Korean to win the Evian Masters and earned $487,500 for the win. She now has seven LPGA Tour victories in two years, winning her first at the British Open in 2008.
Shin briefly held the No. 1 world ranking for seven weeks after Lorena Ochoa’s retirement earlier this season. She had an emergency appendectomy just six weeks ago, and only recently returned to competition.
Pressel (70), who started the final round two strokes clear, walked over and hugged Shin after missing her putt.
Pressel’s downhill putt from the right of the green gathered speed, and she sank to her knees when it rolled over the hole – giving her a share of second with Na Yeon of South Korea (66) and the 15-year-old Thompson from the United States (67).
Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash. shot a 1-over 73 and finished with a 289.