Golf

Palm Harbor's Evans captures amateur title

By DAVE THEALL
Published July 4, 2006

PALM HARBOR - Jeremy Evans of Palm Harbor lagged a 40-foot downhill putt to within 2 feet and an easy par on the first playoff hole Monday to win the 14th annual Innisbrook Amateur Championship on the Copperhead course.

Evans shot a final-round 1-under 70 on the 7,320-yard layout to force the playoff with defending champion Rick Kerper of Clearwater, who finished at 71 after chipping to within 3 feet on the 18th hole to make par and force the playoff.

On the par-4, 445-yard 10th, Kerper drove long and straight down the left side of the fairway; Evans found the left rough 60 yards longer.

Evans punched it out to the back of the green, but Kerper's approach came up just short of the green in the deep rough. Kerper's chip shot came up short, leaving him with a breaking 15-footer for par, which he narrowly missed to continue the match.

"This win does a lot for my confidence," said Evans, 19, who plays for Emory University in Atlanta. "I got a good read on that downhill putt in the playoff, where I didn't want to leave it short."

Bill Moore of Tampa finished third at 219 followed by Rick Powers of Lutz at 221.

WOMEN'S MATCH PLAY: Top seed Annika Sorenstam faces Virada Nirapathpongporn on Thursday in the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship, while No. 2 Michelle Wie opens against Candy Hannemann in the other half of the draw. Lorena Ochoa, the No. 3 seed, opens against No. 62 Il Mi Chung, fourth-seeded Karrie Webb faces No. 61 Nancy Scranton, and No. 5 Paula Creamer meets No. 60 Miriam Nagl.

Defending champion Marisa Baena, seeded 37th, opens against No. 28 Wendy Ward. Last season, Baena won the first-year event for her first LPGA Tour title, beating rookie Meena Lee in the final. The 60th-seeded Colombian also beat Natalie Gulbis, Grace Park, Jennifer Rosales, Karrie Webb and Candie Kung.

Sorenstam reached the quarterfinals last year, where she lost to Kung (Complete pairings, 7C)

Times wires contributed to this report.

[Last modified July 4, 2006, 01:20:18]