Golf

Early birds, late miss lift Hurst

By TIMES WIRES
Published August 21, 2006

PORTLAND, Ore. - Pat Hurst shot a final-round 4-under 68 and held off Jeong Jang to win the Safeway Classic at Columbia-Edgewater Country Club on Sunday.

Hurst finished at 10-under 206 on the par-72, 6,327-yard course.

Hurst watched as Jang, who was 9 under, missed an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have forced a playoff.

Jang (70) finished at 9-under 207, along with Kim Saiki (67). Juli Inkster shot 70 for 208.

"I had a pretty hot start, I birdied three of the first four holes, I think, and I just kept it steady after that," Hurst said.

It was Hurst's fifth win on the LPGA Tour and first since last year's State Farm Classic. She lost to Annika Sorenstam in a playoff at this year's U.S. Women's Open. Hurst has seven top-10 finishes this season.

Tampa-born, Boca Raton-raised rookie Morgan Pressel, who was tied for the lead after two rounds, shot 74 and tied for seventh at 211.

Champions Tour: Tom Kite took advantage of an erratic Keith Fergus, who hit two spectators and the cart path three separate times during the one-hole playoff, to win the Boeing Greater Seattle Classic in Snoqualmie, Wash.

Kite, who began the day three behind second-round leader Don Pooley, shot 6-under 66 to finish with a three-day 15-under 201. Fergus started five shots back and reached 15 under with a 64.

Kite birdied the first playoff hole, the par-5, 554-yard No. 18, while Fergus bogeyed. It was Kite's ninth career seniors victory - third in a playoff.

European PGA: Spain's Alejandro Canizares won the Russian Open in Nakhabino by four shots for his first European tour title, closing with 6-under 66 for a tournament-record 22-under 266.

Canizares, who turned pro two months ago, birdied two of his last three holes to beat the previous top tourney score of 19-under 269.

David Drysdale was the runnerup after 69 for 270. Defending champion Mikael Lundberg, who had a hole-in-one on the 197-yard, par-3 8th hole, tied Gary Murphy for third place at 271.

Nationwide Tour: Craig Bowden parred the first playoff hole to beat Jess Daley at the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic in Moosic. Bowden, seven shots back at the start of the final round, shot 8-under 63 for 16-under 268. Daley (70) missed a 4-foot par putt on the first extra hole, setting up Bowden's winner.

Futures Tour: Palmetto's Ashley Hoagland shot a final-round 70 for 206 to beat Sarah Lynn Johnston and Yeon Joo Lee by two shots at the Hunters Oak Classic in Queenstown, Md. Tampa's Elizabeth Stuart (82) shot 228 and earned $112.

Mid Senior Championship: Plantation's Paul Melson fired a final-round 67 on the Cypress Course at Bonita Bay Club East in Naples to win his second state championship. Melson had a three-round total of 8-under 208, beating Fort Lauderdale's Rick Woulfe and Orlando's Bret Voisin by six strokes. Tampa's Tim Hume was the top local finisher at 216.

Asian Tour: Chinarat Phadungsil, 17, beat Prom Meesawat and Lin Wen-tang in a playoff to win the Crowne Plaza Open in Sanya, China, his second triumph in 10 months on the tour. The trio finished tied at 16-under 272.

Juniors: Palm Harbor's Dakoda Dowd, 13, shot 3-under 68 to win the girls division of the Ryan Wells Memorial Tournament at Innisbrook. Dowd's two-round 146 edged Whitney Wenglasz of East Lake (73-74) and defending champion Evan Jensen of Belleair (77-71).

Matt Cooney of Gaither High had the round of the day - 6-under 65 on the Highlands South course - for 137, beating Jack Twomey (70-70) of Jesuit in the boys high school division. Taylor Hancock of Clearwater won the boys middle school division with 141 (71-70) over Skycrest School teammate Lee McCoy (143).

[Last modified August 21, 2006, 02:14:30]