Weibring Fights Off Fatigue, Wins Greater Hartford Open

D.A. Weibring rebounded from a recent bout with fatigue brought on by Bell’s palsy and played nearly flawless golf from tee to green Sunday to win the Greater Hartford Open at Cromwell, Conn.

Weibring shot a final-round 67 for a 10-under 270 total, four strokes ahead of Tom Kite for his fifth title and first since being diagnosed with Bell’s palsy earlier this year.

Dicky Pride, Fuzzy Zoeller and Mark Calcavecchia were tied at 275 for third place in a tournament that saw its defending champion, Greg Norman, disqualified after two rounds for using a mislabeled ball.

Former Pullman resident Kirk Triplett ended at 285, collecting $3,634.

Amy Benz self-destructed in a bid to win her first LPGA event in 13-plus years on tour and Dottie Pepper turned it into her second victory in as many weeks by capturing the ShopRite Classic by four strokes on a rainy at Somers Point, N.J.

Pepper shot a 2-under-par 69 in a final round that was twice suspended for a total of 5 hours, 16 minutes by rain. Benz, who had 13 birdies and one bogey in the first two rounds, hung on for second despite a 5-over 76 that included six bogeys and a birdie.

Rathdrum’s Tracy Hanson also shot 76 and finished at 212, earning $7,174.

Robert Allenby captured his third European tour title and the second this month when he sank a 35-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to defeat Bernhard Langer in the $900,000 French Open at Guyancourt.

Isao Aoki shot a 5-under-par 66, pulling away from the field with three consecutive birdies and an eagle on the front nine for a five-stroke victory in the Kroger Senior Classic at Mason, Ohio.

Fred Couples made $165,000 to win the four-man Canadian Skins competition at Summerlea Golf Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec. Nick Faldo, the 1995 winner, made $65,000.