By Compiled from Times wires
Published June 2, 2003
DUBLIN, Ohio - Even when he's far behind and has few holes left, Tiger Woods refuses to relinquish center stage.
Kenny Perry won the Memorial on Sunday for his second victory in as many weeks, yet it was Woods who received the loudest roars from the fans stacked several deep along the fairways at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
When Woods nearly holed a 4-iron on his 235-yard second shot into the 15th hole - double eagle was just inches away - it produced such a loud cheer that the lead group could clearly hear it a quarter-mile away as they approached the No. 10 tee.
"I hit a good one, pulled it a touch and got a good bounce," Woods said, grinning.
"He's the best player in the world, so he's obviously going to do some impressive things," playing partner Ben Crane said.
Woods shot 7-under 65 to finish tied for fourth, four shots back of Perry, who led by two after Saturday's round. Making his first appearance on PGA Tour since the Masters, Woods frittered away his shot at a fourth Memorial title - he won three in a row from 1999-2001 - when he could muster only 76 in the monsoonlike conditions of the third round.
Perry shot par 72 for a two-shot victory over Lee Janzen.
It was the first time in his career that the 42-year-old Perry has won twice in the same year - back to back, no less, at two of the most prestigious stops on the PGA Tour.
Perry pulled away with four birdies on the front nine to build a five-stroke lead, and Janzen never got any closer until Perry got sloppy, closing with three straight bogeys.
Perry finished at 13-under 275 and earned $900,000 for the second straight week.
Masters champion Mike Weir finished third at 10-under 278.
KELLOGG-KEEBLER CLASSIC: The question was never whether Annika Sorenstam was going to win, but by how much.
Playing in her first LPGA Tour event since her historic rounds at the PGA's Colonial, Sorenstam breezed to a three-stroke victory at Aurora, Ill.
Though she bogeyed her final two holes, she'd built such a big lead it hardly mattered. She finished with 1-under 71, giving her 17-under 199.
"Obviously I'm very, very pleased," she said. "It's been a great week, and to come back and perform the way I did is pretty much incredible."
Mhairi McKay, two behind Sorenstam after Saturday's round, had four birdies on the back nine, but triple bogey on the front had all but ended her chances. McKay shot par, finishing at 202.
MUSIC CITY CHAMPIONSHIP: Jim Ahern shot 3-under 69 to complete a wire-to-wire win at the Champions Tour event in Nashville, only the third victory of his professional career. He set the tournament record with 196 over 54 holes, two strokes better than Isao Aoki in 1998 and Hale Irwin in 2000. Ahern last won an event in 1999.
WALES OPEN: Ian Poulter of England completed a start-to-finish victory in the European PGA Tour event in Newport, shooting 2-under-par 70 to win by three strokes.
