Golf

Pavin wins first PGA title in a decade

By TIMES WIRES
Published July 31, 2006

MILWAUKEE - Corey Pavin found the winning formula again: precise putting, a lucky bounce and his old caddie to show him the way.

Pavin, 46, won his first PGA Tour title in 10 years Sunday, closing with 3-under 67 for a two-stroke victory over Madison native Jerry Kelly in the U.S. Bank Championship.

Pavin, whose last win came in the 1996 Colonial, earned his 15th tour victory by averaging just 26.5 putts per round and getting a timely eagle on the par-4 eighth. He finished with 20-under 260 total.

Kelly also closed with 67. Jeff Sluman (64) was 17 under, Frank Lickliter (69) and D.J. Trahan (69) followed at 15 under and Woody Austin (65), Joey Sindelar (67) and Billy Andrade (68) were 14 under.

Pavin, who also won the tournament 20 years ago, became the eighth two-time champion in Milwaukee and received $720,000. He reunited with longtime caddie Eric Schwarz earlier this month in Connecticut at the Buick Championship, and his once accurate putting stroke returned.

"In Hartford, his alignment was real bad," Schwarz said. "It took about two, three hours to get him straightened out."

Did it ever.

Kelly said he wanted to go head-to-head with the leader in the final round, but Pavin seemed like an unlikely candidate, ranking 194th in driving distance and 175th in putting on tour.

But the 1995 U.S. Open winner scorched the short 6,759-yard Brown Deer Park Golf Course early with a PGA Tour-record 26 on the par-34 front nine Thursday with just 10 putts. He finished the first round with 61 and shot 64 in the second to reach 15 under and tie the tour scoring record for the first 36 holes at 125.

"Corey had success because he kept it in play," Sluman said. "I think after three rounds, he had 17 less putts than me. If you putt like that, you can't hit it bad enough not to have a great tournament."

Kelly had the backing of the partisan crowd, expecting the Wisconsinite who lost in a playoff here in 1996 to finally win the tournament he calls a "major."

The gallery and even those outside the course loudly urged Kelly on as he tried to pump them up by waving his arms for more noise during his final round, especially down the stretch. Walking up one fairway, a man riding a bicycle in the subdivision across the street began shouting for Kelly hysterically.

But Pavin relished the chance to be the outsider and spoil everyone's fun.

Kelly, who started play Sunday two shots behind Pavin, spoiled his own chances.

He did not make a bogey but missed 13 birdie putts, the closest from 7 feet, and did not make a putt longer than 5 feet.

After an eagle attempt on No. 15, Kelly birdied to move to 18 under, two strokes behind Pavin. But he again missed birdie putts on Nos. 16, 17 and 18.

CHAMPIONS: Loren Roberts had blown a five-stroke lead, and now he watched Eduardo Romero line up a 30-foot putt on the first playoff hole to win the Senior British Open in Turnberry, Scotland.

Well short of the green in two, Roberts still had one thing going for him: his faith in his remarkable putting ability.

Roberts pitched to 12 feet, then Romero hit a poor first putt that left the Argentina star some 4 feet from the hole. Roberts made his putt and won the title when Romero missed.

"I made it more of a contest than I should have," said Roberts, who won the first three tournaments of the year on the tour.

The two players went to the playoff after they finished tied at 6-under 274. Roberts shot 75 in the final round and Romero had 71.

NATIONWIDE: Kevin Johnson won the Wichita (Kan.) Open for his fourth career tour title, closing with 5-under 66 for a one-stroke stroke victory over PGA Tour winner Matt Kuchar.

Johnson, 39, had 18-under 266 total and earned $90,000 to jump from 139th to 29th on the money list with $104,886. The top 20 at the end of the season will earn 2007 PGA Tour cards.

The former Clemson player also won the tour's 1997 Puget Sound Open, 1999 South Carolina and 2000 Permian Basin Open.

Johnson had missed the cut in 10 of his 13 previous tour starts this season, including a stretch of eight in a row.

EUROPEAN PGA: Robert Karlsson shot 5-under 67 in the final round to win the Deutsche Bank Players' Championship at Alveslohe, Germany, by four strokes.

Karlsson's second victory of the year boosted him into position to qualify for Europe's Ryder Cup team. He also won the Wales Open in June.

The Swede, who double-bogeyed the final hole after losing his tee shot, won with 25-under total of 263, a record for the 23-year-old event.

CURTIS CUP: Jennie Lee beat Melissa Reid 3 and 2 to clinch the United States' fifth straight victory, an 11-6 decision over Britain and Ireland in the biennial amateur women's competition at Bandon, Ore.

Lee, who just finished her freshman year at Duke, halved the 16th hole with her opponent from Derbyshire, England, to give the United States 9 points and the overall win.

Paige Mackenzie, from Yakima, Wash., defeated Tricia Mangan of Ennis, Ireland, 1-up, and Jane Park, who played at UCLA last season, downed Tara Delaney of Ireland 3 and 2 for the final point total.

The Americans lead the series 25-6-3.

[Last modified July 31, 2006, 02:21:56]