Golf notes: Fred Couples wins first Champions Tour major title

Fred Couples finished off John Cook with a nifty wedge shot to 3 feet on the third hole of a playoff Sunday in the Seniors Players Championship in Harrison, N.Y.

“I knew when it was going, it was a really good shot,” Couples said. ”

Couples won his first senior major title, closing with an even-par 71 to match Cook (70) at 11-under on Westchester Country Club’s West Course. Peter Senior (71) was third at 10 under.

Couples, the 1992 Masters champion, won for the first time this season after winning four times last year in his first season …

Fred Couples finished off John Cook with a nifty wedge shot to 3 feet on the third hole of a playoff Sunday in the Seniors Players Championship in Harrison, N.Y.

“I knew when it was going, it was a really good shot,” Couples said. ”

Couples won his first senior major title, closing with an even-par 71 to match Cook (70) at 11-under on Westchester Country Club’s West Course. Peter Senior (71) was third at 10 under.

Couples, the 1992 Masters champion, won for the first time this season after winning four times last year in his first season on the 50-and-over tour.

Couples joined Jack Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd as the only players to win the Players Championship on the regular and senior tours. He also earned a spot in The Players Championship, an event he won in 1984 and 1996.

PGA Tour

Webb Simpson shot a 67 to claim his first PGA Tour win, a three-stroke victory in the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C.

The Raleigh native and former Wake Forest standout finished at 18-under 262 and collected $936,000.

George McNeill (64) was at 15 under, with Tommy Gainey (69) another stroke back at the final event before the PGA Tour playoffs.

Five golfers finished at 13 under.

LPGA Tour

Suzann Pettersen won the LPGA Safeway Classic in North Plains, Ore., overcoming a nine-stroke deficit with a 7-under 64 and beating Na Yeon Choi with a par on the first hole of a playoff at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club.

Pettersen won her second LPGA Tour title of the year and eighth overall. The Norwegian star jumped to No. 2 in the world rankings behind Yani Tseng.

Choi finished with a 73 to match Pettersen at 6 under on the Ghost Creek Course.

Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., finished the event at 5-over 218, good for a tie for 40th place.