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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Westwood outlasts Karlsson

The Spokesman-Review

Lee Westwood has played golf long enough to be philosophical despite all the times he’s come up short when so very close to victory.

The Englishman who finished second at the Masters, lost a playoff in Dubai and finished tied for fourth at The Players Championship this year won the St. Jude Classic at Memphis, Tenn., for his second career PGA Tour victory and first since 1998, beating Swede Robert Karlsson on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff Sunday.

“You try to do the right thing all the time,” Westwood said. “It doesn’t always work for you. I’ve been in contention a lot, especially this year, and I suppose I got a break today with other people’s misfortune but made the most of it and took a chance.”

He became the first European to win the tour’s third-longest event only after Robert Garrigus blew a three-stroke lead on the final hole of regulation with a triple bogey. He bogeyed the first playoff hole.

Garrigus said he thought he had a two-stroke lead on the 72nd hole instead of three and called it just stupidity.

“It’s little things to win. I’ve got to learn that, and next time I’m in that position I’m going to do it,” Garrigus said.

Westwood and Karlsson went par-par-bogey until they returned to No. 18 once again. Westwood stuck his approach 6 feet from the pin on No. 18. Karlsson left his birdie putt from 43 feet away to extend the playoff about a foot short.

Then Westwood, who went 17 straight holes between birdies, rolled in the 6-footer for his first PGA win since New Orleans to go with 20 career European Tour victories.

LPGA

The final round of the weather-plagued LPGA State Farm Classic at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Ill., was pushed back until today.

Cristie Kerr and Anna Nordqvist held the tournament lead at 20 under. Na On Min, Jee Young Lee, Katie Futcher, Gwladys Nocera and Na Yeon Choi were three shots off the pace.

It was debated whether to award the title to Kerr, the leader after 54 holes, and cancel the fourth round but LPGA rules official Jim Haley said they will try to finish the 72-hole tournament today.

Curtis Cup

At Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., the girls from the United States did Harriot and Margaret Curtis proud.

Playing at the Essex County Club, the home course of the two women who donated the trophy that began the Curtis Cup in 1932, the U.S. handily defeated Great Britain and Ireland 12.5-7.5 in the 36th biennial competition between teams of female amateur golfers.

Alexis Thompson, a 15-year-old from Coral Gables, Fla., and 18-year-old Jennifer Johnson of La Quinta, Calif., both got off to huge early leads in their singles matches. The Americans needed only two of eight points in the singles to retain the cup after sweeping all six fourball and foursome matches Saturday to take a commanding 8.5-3.5 lead.

Thompson, who finished 4-0-1 for the weekend, beat Sally Watson 6 and 5, and Johnson defeated Rachel Jennings 5 and 4 to clinch it for the U.S., which now leads the series 27-6-3 and has won seven straight matches.