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Todd wins Nelson for first PGA victory

Associated Press

Brendon Todd won the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas, on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, closing with a bogey-free 4-under 66 for a two-stroke victory over Mike Weir.

It was the 77th career PGA Tour event for Todd. He earned $1,242,000, a two-year PGA Tour exemption and a spot next year in the Masters.

Todd finished at 14-under 266. He took the lead for good with birdies at Nos. 9 and 10, and went on to become the eighth first-time winner this season.

Weir, the 2003 Masters champion who won the last of his eight PGA Tour titles in 2007, finished with a 67. Charles Howell III and Marc Leishman tied for third at 10 under.

Weir had his best tournament since finishing second behind Dustin Johnson at Pebble Beach in 2009. The Canadian left-hander hadn’t had a top-25 finish since 2010, the year he suffered a partial ligament tear in his right elbow before a stretch when he missed 17 cuts in a row – including all 14 events he started in 2012.

Spokane’s Alex Prugh shot a 76 and finished at 6-over 286 to collect $13,731.

LPGA

Lizette Salas won the Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg, Virginia, for her first LPGA Tour title, shooting an even-par 71 for a four-stroke victory.

She finished at 13-under 271 and earned $195,000.

Yani Tseng tied for second with Kraft Nabisco winner Lexi Thompson and Sarah Jane Smith. Thompson had a 69, and Smith shot 66 – the best round of the day.

Champions Tour

Kenny Perry won his third Champions Tour major in the past year with a one-stroke victory over Mark Calcavecchia in the Regions Tradition in Birmingham, Alabama.

Perry closed with an even-par 72 at Shoal Creek to finish at 7-under 281, while other contenders had up-and-down days and John Cook lost the lead with a double hit.

Calcavecchia finished with a 70. Two-time winner Tom Lehman closed with a 67 to tie Jay Haas at 5 under. Haas closed with a 71. Cook’s closing 72 put him three strokes back.

Perry got his sixth victory and became the second player to win in three consecutive Champions Tour major starts, joining Gary Player, who did it in 1987-88. Perry won the Senior Players Championship and U.S. Senior Open in consecutive tour starts last year, then skipped the Senior British Open.