PRATTVILLE, Ala. - Chris Couch shot par 72 Sunday to win the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship by three strokes.
Couch, who began the day with a four-stroke lead, finished at 18-under 270 and earned $112,500. He finished fourth on the money list.
The tournament field was made up of the top 55 players on the tour money list.
Though no player got within three of Couch during the final round, the tournament had plenty of drama as players jockeyed for position on the final money list.
The top 20 on the money list earn PGA Tour cards for next season.
D.J. Brigman, who needed to win or finish alone in second to jump from No. 32 into the top 20, made a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to earn his card. He shot 4-under 68 to finish at 267, and jumped to No. 16 with his $67,500 payday.
Tommy Tolles also played his way into the top 20 by shooting 71 and tying for 12th at 279. That was worth $12,656 and moved him from No. 23 to No. 20, edging Daniel Chopra by $1,164.
Zach Johnson topped the money list with a tour-record $494,882.
LPGA: Rookie Shi-hyun Ahn captured her first title, shooting 4-under 68 to win the CJ Nine Bridges Classic in Jeju Island, South Korea. The 19-year-old South Korean, competing in her first LPGA tournament, eagled the 18th hole and finished at 12-under 204. She was three ahead of defending champ Se Ri Pak, Laura Davies, Grace Park and Gloria Park. Park shot 62 to break the course record. The win allows Ahn to compete in most tournaments the next two years.
VOLVO MASTERS: Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson won the European PGA Tour's season-ending event in Sotogrande, Spain, beating Spain's Carlos Rodiles on the fourth playoff hole. Jacobson led all four rounds, becoming the tournament's first wire-to-wire champion. Both players closed with 2-under 70 and finished 12-under 276.
COLLEGES: SSC soccer pairings set
Fourth-seeded Saint Leo hosts No.5 Tampa at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday in a Sunshine State Conference men's soccer tournament. Included in the day's other opening-round pairings for the league's first men's tournament since 1981 is No.8 Eckerd at top-seeded Lynn at 3 p.m. In the inaugural women's tournament, second-seeded Tampa hosts No.7 Eckerd at 7, and No.3 Saint Leo hosts to No.6 Florida Tech at noon.
TENNIS: Henman takes trophy
Tim Henman ended a disappointing season on a high note, beating Romania's Andrei Pavel 6-2, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-2) to capture the Paris Masters title. Henman slipped to No.40 in the rankings last month from a career-best of No.4 in 2002.
ADVANTA CHAMPIONSHIPS: With Anastasia Myskina tiring and staying back on the baseline, Amelie Mauresmo sensed an opening. She shook off her slow start and beat Myskina 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 in Villanova, Pa., to win her second title this season. Martina Navratilova and Lisa Raymond won the doubles final, defeating Cara Black and Rennae Stubbs 6-3, 6-4.
BELL CHALLENGE: Russian teen Maria Sharapova won the tournament in Quebec City when Milagros Sequera quit after breaking her left ankle at the start of the second set. Sharapova won the first set 6-2.
VENUS SIDELINED: Sixth-ranked Venus Williams withdrew from the WTA Championships, citing an abdominal strain that has bothered her since April. Chandra Rubin will replace Williams in the season-ending tournament that begins this week in Los Angeles.
ET CETERA
AUTO RACING: Kenny Adams won East Bay Raceway's final USCS Southern Thunder Series event Saturday. Jeff Mathews was the Open Wheel Modified winner, and Larry Brazil Jr. topped the Limited Sprints.
FIGURE SKATING: Russia's Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov won the ice dance championship at Skate Canada in Mississauga, Ontario.
SOCCER: Abby Wambach scored twice off Mia Hamm assists as the United States defeated Mexico 3-1 in Dallas.
VOLLEYBALL: Tayyiba Haneef's 15 points led the United States past Argentina in straight sets as the Americans improved to 2-0 in the Women's World Cup in Tokyo.
BASEBALL: Former Mets manager Bobby Valentine agreed to a three-year deal to return to Japan to manage the Lotte Marines.
