Golf Capsules
Golf NewsLA QUINTA, Calif -Pat Perez won the Bob Hope Classic for his first PGA Tour title, taking advantage of Steve Stricker’s collapse and holding off John Merrick by three strokes Sunday in the wind-swept final round.
Perez finished at 33-under 327. Merrick, who began the day eight shots behind Stricker but moved in front briefly on the back nine, shot a 67.
Stricker, 33 under at the start of play after rounds of 61 and 62, had a 77 to tie for third with Mike Weir (67) at 28 under. Stricker had a triple bogey on No. 7 and a quadruple bogey on No. 10, hitting into the water on both holes.
The 32-year-old Perez, playing in the final group, locked up the victory by knocking his approach shot from 200 yards on No. 18 to 3 feet to set up an eagle. Merrick, winless on the tour, already had finished his round with a par on 18.
Perez earned $918,000, while Stricker made $295,800.
Mitsubishi Electric Championship
KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii – Bernhard Langer won the Champions Tour’s season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship, closing with a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke victory over Andy Bean.
Langer, the 2008 player and rookie of the year, had an 18-under 198 total for his fifth title on the 50-and-over circuit.
Bean, who had his second straight 66, surged into contention with three birdies on the front nine and an eagle on No. 10 but parred the final four holes. His 10-foot birdie try on 18 lipped out.
But the 51-year-old German wasn’t flinching.
From 144 yards in the first cut of rough, Langer stuck an iron to 20 feet and two- putted to seal the victory.
Qatar Masters
DOHA, Qatar – Spain’s Alvaro Quiros won the Qatar Masters for his third European tour victory, making five birdies on the back nine for a 3-under 69 and a three-stroke victory over Louis Oosthuizen and Henrik Stenson.
The 26-year-old Quiros finished at 19-under 269 on the Doha Golf Club course. He will move into the top 30 in the world, virtually wrapping up his first start in the Masters at Augusta National. Oosthuizen closed with a 71, and Stenson had a 68.
Sergio Garcia (70) tied for seventh at 11 under.
HSBC LPGA Brazil Cup
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Catriona Matthew, the 39-year-old Scot expecting her second child in May, won the HSBC LPGA Brazil Cup exhibition event, shooting her second straight 3-under 69 for a five-stroke victory over Kristy McPherson.
Matthew earned $100,000 in the 15-player, two-day competition at Itanhanga Golf Club. McPherson finished with a 72. Brazil’s Angela Park (75) was third at 3 over.
Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 10:26 pm and is filed under Golf News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
