Bae wins first PGA title at Byron Nelson

Sang-Moon Bae won the Byron Nelson Championship on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, beating Keegan Bradley by two strokes after blowing a four-stroke lead.

The 26-year-old South Korean closed with a 1-under 69 to finish at 13-under 267.

Bradley was trying to become the Nelson’s first wire-to-wire winner since Tom Watson in 1980. Bradley set the TPC Four Seasons course record with an opening 60 even with two bogeys, but finished with a 72 on a day with wind gusting to nearly 40 mph at times.

Bae already had 11 international victories – winning on the Korean, Japanese and Asian tours.

Four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the front nine gave Bae a four-stroke advantage in the final group. But he struggled in the middle of the round, making a double bogey at No. 9 and a bogey at the next hole.

Bradley, whose first PGA Tour victory came as a rookie at the Nelson two years ago, got even with a birdie at the 15th hole. But he missed a short birdie putt at the next hole to fall behind for good.

Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champ, shot a 68 to finish third at 10 under.

World Match Play

Graeme McDowell won the Volvo World Match Play Championship, beating Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee 2 and 1 in the final at Thracian Cliffs in Kavarna, Bulgaria.

McDowell won a year after losing the final to Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts at Finca Cortesin in Spain. The 2010 U.S. Open champion fought back from 2 down after four holes, pulled ahead of his 43-year-old opponent on the 14th hole and secured the victory at the 17th.

McDowell, also the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage winner last month in Hilton Head, S.C., will move to the top of the European Tour money list and up one place to No. 7 on the world ranking.

In the morning semifinals, McDowell beat South Africa’s Branden Grace 3 and 2, and Thongchai defeated South Africa’s Thomas Aiken 3 and 2.

LPGA

Jennifer Johnson rallies to win the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic for her first tour title, birdieing four of the final six holes for a one-stroke victory over Jessica Korda and Pornanong Phatlum in Mobile, Ala.

The 21-year-old American closed with her second straight 7-under 65 for a tournament-record 21-under 267 total on The Crossings course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s Magnolia Grove complex. She two-putted for par on the final hole, tipped her cap and headed toward the practice range in case of a playoff.

But Phatlum was already done and the lead was safe even with Korda’s closing birdie. Phatlum, a 23-year-old from Thailand, closed with a 63. Korda finished with a 68 that included three bogeys and seven birdies.

Five players finished two strokes back, including Hall of Famer Karrie Webb.

Former WSU standout Kim Welch shot 77 Sunday to finish at 285.

Edwall, Wash., resident Wendy Ward finished one stroke behind Welch after shooting 75.