Pettersen gets job done, wins LPGA
With a major championship in her grasp, Suzann Pettersen never flinched.
Not at the furious charge from 18-year-old Na On Min, who made four straight birdies to pull within one shot. Not at the relentless pressure from Karrie Webb, who birdied the last two holes. And not at memories of a major meltdown 10 weeks ago.
Pettersen felt like a different person at the LPGA Championship.
And it showed.
The 26-year-old Norwegian redeemed herself Sunday with a 5-under 67 for a one-shot victory over Webb and her first major at Havre De Grace, Md. She played so close to perfection on the back nine at Bulle Rock that she had a birdie putt on every hole, only two of them longer than 12 feet.
There was no choke from this champion.
“I wasn’t even close to being in those emotions that I was back then,” said Pettersen, who blew a three-shot lead with four holes to play at the Kraft Nabisco. “I finally proved to all of you that I can actually put it all together and take a major. So now, I probably don’t have to get that question again.”
The only question now is how good she can get.
Webb described her earlier in the week as having more talent in her tiny finger than some players on the LPGA Tour, and Pettersen showed it on a demanding course, finishing at 14-under 274.
Webb closed with a 67 and had to settle for second again.
A year ago, Se Ri Pak beat her in a playoff with a 201-yard shot that stopped a few inches from the cup. This time, Webb finished with two birdies that, considering what happened at the Nabisco, she thought might be good enough.
“I knew what happened to her at Kraft, and I just knew I needed to keep putting pressure on her,” Webb said. “She obviously executed very well coming down the stretch, and she should be very proud of herself. It shows a lot of courage and guts and trust in her ability.”
Min, trying to become the youngest major champion in LPGA history, ran off four straight birdies through the 16th hole to get within one shot and had a 10-footer on the 17th. But she settled for pars on the last two holes for a 70 to finish third. It was her first time playing in a major, and only her sixth tournament as a pro.
PGA Tour
Forget Adam Scott, Vijay Singh or Sergio Garcia tuning up for the U.S. Open with a victory.
Woody Austin ran away with the warmup act.
Trailing by four strokes at the start of Sunday’s play, Austin shot the best closing round on tour this year in winning the Stanford St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tenn., by five strokes for his first PGA Tour victory since 2004 and third overall.
His 8-under 62 was the best final round of Austin’s career and the best in the 50 years of this event.
John Daly shot a 79 and finished 79th in the 80-player field. Playing on a sponsor’s exemption and tied for eighth after the first 18, he shocked everyone Friday by accusing his wife, Sherrie, of waking him up by attacking him with a steak knife.
Austin had never finished better than a tie for 44th in his previous trips to the TPC Southwind course, and he has struggled this year missing five cuts with his only top-25 coming with a tie for 18th in New Orleans in April.
Scott shot a 75 and finished seventh at 276.
Champions Tour
Jay Haas cruised to his third Champions Tour win of the season, shooting a 2-under 69 to take the Principal Charity Classic in West Des Moines, Iowa, by three strokes.
Haas, the only player with multiple wins on the senior tour this season, finished with a 12-under total of 201. He led the entire way and picked up his ninth career victory on the Champions Tour.