Johnson captures St. Jude

Dustin Johnson won the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday in his second event back after a back injury sidelined him nearly three months, shooting a 4-under-par 66 to beat John Merrick by a stroke.

Johnson birdied Nos. 16 and 17 and closed with a par to finish at 9-under 271. He earned $1,008,000 for his sixth PGA Tour title.

Johnson aggravated his back in early March lifting a jet ski at his home and didn’t return to the PGA Tour until last week at the Memorial, where he tied for 19th.

Merrick finished with …

Dustin Johnson won the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday in his second event back after a back injury sidelined him nearly three months, shooting a 4-under-par 66 to beat John Merrick by a stroke.

Johnson birdied Nos. 16 and 17 and closed with a par to finish at 9-under 271. He earned $1,008,000 for his sixth PGA Tour title.

Johnson aggravated his back in early March lifting a jet ski at his home and didn’t return to the PGA Tour until last week at the Memorial, where he tied for 19th.

Merrick finished with a 68.

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III had a 69 to tie for third with Chad Campbell, Nick O’Hern and Ryan Palmer at 7 under. Rory McIlroy, the defending champion later this week in the U.S. Open, closed with a double bogey for a 69 that left him in a tie for seventh at 6 under.

LPGA

Shanshan Feng won the LPGA Championship in Pittsford, N.Y., to become the first Chinese player to win an LPGA Tour title and a major event, closing with a 5-under 67 for a two-stroke victory.

The 22-year-old Feng, the only player from China on the tour, had the lowest round of the tournament at the right time and finished at 6-under 282.

Stacy Lewis, bidding to win her third straight stroke-play event on the LPGA Tour, shot a 70 to tie for second with Mika Miyazato, Suzann Pettersen and third-round leader Eun-Hee Ji. Miyazato shot 69, Pettersen 70, and Ji 72. Karrie Webb, who started the day one shot behind Ji, had a 72 to finish at 3 under. Little-known Gerina Piller and Ai Miyazato shot 68 to also finish at 3 under.

Feng joined a growing list players who have broken through for their first career victory at the LPGA Championship. Anna Nordqvist did it in 2008 and Tseng in 2009 were the last two of the seven who have accomplished the feat.

Champions Tour

Tom Lehman successfully defended his title in the Regions Tradition in Birmingham, Ala., finishing the Champions Tour major with a 4-under 68 for a two-stroke victory.

Lehman overcame a near-constant drizzle and occasional heavy rain at Shoal Creek – plus hard charges by Bernhard Langer and Chien Soon Lu – for his sixth Champions Tour victory.

Lehman finished at 14-undeer 275. Langer and Lu shot 66 to tie for second.

Lehman, the former British Open champion who shot in the 60s all four days, joined Jack Nicklaus, Gil Morgan and Fred Funk as the only players to win the Tradition multiple times.

Curtis Cup

Britain-Ireland rallied to beat the United States 10 1/2-9 1/2 in the Curtis Cup at Nairn, Scotland, ending the Americans’ 16-year domination of the biennial women’s amateur matches.

Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow scored the critical point, beating Amy Anderson 4 and 2 in the seventh of the eight singles matches. Britain-Ireland and Europe now hold the Curtis Cup, the men’s Walker Cup, plus the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup.

The United States leads the series 27-7-3.