Perry wins Memorial
Kenny Perry joined Tiger Woods as the only three-time winner of the Memorial on Sunday at Dublin, Ohio, taking a big step toward joining the No. 1 player in the world on the Ryder Cup team this fall.
With every contender in full retreat on the back nine, the 47-year-old Perry surged ahead with pars and one timely birdie, coasting home to a 3-under 69 and a two-shot victory that could not have come at a better time.
He became the oldest winner at the tournament Jack Nicklaus built, and as he walked off the green to warm handshake from the tournament host, Perry soon was surrounded by his wife and three children. It was the first time in his two decades on the PGA Tour all of them had been at a tournament he won.
He finished at 8-under 280, the highest winning score at the Memorial in 23 years. Perry earned $1.08 million for his 10th career victory, which translates to 1,080 points toward the Ryder Cup, moving him up to No. 5 in the standings.
The Ryder Cup will be held at Valhalla in his native Kentucky, and Perry is so desperate to make the team that he won’t even bother qualifying for the U.S. Open. He does not like Torrey Pines, and figures he should devote his energy to tournaments where he has a better chance of earning points, such as Memphis next week and Hartford the week after the U.S. Open.
LPGA
Sophie Gustafson’s stunning collapse, and Karrie Webb’s short playoff miss opened the way for Seon Hwa Lee to come from nine shots back and win the Ginn Tribute at Mount Pleasant, S.C.
South Korea’s Lee two-putted from about 45 feet for par on the lone playoff hole, the 18th, then watched LPGA Hall of Famer Webb miss a 3-footer that would’ve extended things at RiverTowne Country Club.
Lee shot a 67 for her third LPGA title. She earned $390,000, one of the richest prizes in women’s golf.
It wouldn’t have happened without Gustafson’s fall. Holding a six-shot lead when the day began, Gustafson had five bogeys and two double bogeys in her last 15 holes for a 7-over 79 that left her three shots from the playoff.
The comeback was the second-largest in LPGA Tour history, surpassed only by 10-stroke rallies from Mickey Wright in 1964 and Annika Sorenstam in 2001.
Champions Tour
Jay Haas shot a 6-under 65 to repeat as champion of the Principal Charity Classic at West Des Moines, Iowa, and move into first place on the Champions Tour money list.
Haas, who won the Senior PGA Championship last week, shot 4-under on the back nine and finished at 10-under 203 total, one shot ahead of Andy Bean. Haas also passed Bernhard Langer for first in the points standings with the victory.
Second-round leader Nick Price bogeyed his final hole and finished third with a final-round 69 and 8-under 205 total. Joey Sindelar was fourth at 7-under, and seven players tied for fifth at 6-under 207.
Haas entered the final round two strokes behind Price, but three straight birdies down the stretch gave him the lead for good. He knocked down a 48-foot putt on No. 14, then dropped his tee shot on No. 16 two feet from the pin. A short putt there gave Haas a one-shot lead, and he closed with two straight pars.
Curtis Cup
The Americans won the Curtis Cup at St. Andrews, Scotland, for the sixth straight time with the perfect ending – the clinching point was won by Stacy Lewis and the final point came from Alison Walshe.
Both were simply perfect at the home of golf.
Lewis, the former NCAA champion from Arkansas, became the first player in the 76-year history of the matches to go 5-0.
Her final victory came against Elizabeth Bennett, 3 and 2, and turned out to be the point the Americans needed to beat Great Britain & Ireland.
Walshe also was undefeated in the three matches she played, winning the last point on the 18th hole for a 13-7 victory.
The United States now leads the series, 26-6-3.