Steinhauer wins State Farm Classic
Sherri Steinhauer was resigned to a playoff after her bunker shot rolled off the green on the 72nd hole of the LPGA State Farm Classic in Springfield, Ill.
Instead, her 23-foot par putt from the first cut of rough fell into the cup, capping a wild finish that handed the 44-year-old Steinhauer her eighth career title and just the fifth wire-to-wire win on the LPGA Tour this year.
“I was just thinking two-putt and go for a playoff. Give it a chance, but just two-putt and go in the playoff and see what will happen. It went in. It was amazing,” Steinhauer said after her first win since the 2006 Women’s British Open.
The four-time U.S. Solheim Cup player shot a 5-under 67 to finish at 17-under 271, holding off a late charge by Christina Kim at Panther Creek Country Club. The 23-year-old Kim closed with a 66.
Defending champion Annika Sorenstam shot a 67 to tie for third with Rachel Hetherington (69) at 14 under. Angela Park (68) finished five strokes back at 12 under.
Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa skipped the tournament after winning three straight events to push her tour-leading total to six.
PGA Tour
Brett Wetterich emerged from the pack with a 15-foot eagle and held on for a 6-under 66 at Norton, Mass., giving him a one-shot lead in the Deutsche Bank Championship but no room for error.
The second straight week of these PGA Tour Playoffs delivered a surprising leader in Wetterich, who has not been in serious contention since March. And it looks as if it will be the second straight week of a final round up for grabs among an All-Star cast of contenders.
Wetterich was at 13-under 200 and will play in the final pairing on Labor Day with Arron Oberholser, who had to scramble for par after hitting into the hazard on the 18th to shoot 66.
But of all the errors on the closing holes, perhaps the most significant belonged to Aaron Baddeley. He went for the green out of the bunker and wound up with a bogey, a shot that enabled Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to be paired in the second-to-last group. Mickelson is two shots behind at 202 and Woods is tied for fourth, three shots back.
Champions Tour
Gil Morgan won his 25th career Champions Tour title, closing with a 5-under 67 for a two-stroke victory over Hale Irwin in the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, Calif.
Morgan finished with a 14-under 202 total, birdieing four of the first six holes and adding another on No. 16. He opened with a 70 at Pebble Beach and shot a 65 on Saturday at Del Monte. The 62-year-old Irwin closed with a 69.