Associated Press
The golf roundup …
EDINA, Minn. ó Two weeks away from her 20th birthday, Inbee Park became the youngest winner of the U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday by closing with a 2-under 71 as everyone around her faded away at Interlachen.
Park didn’t make a bogey in the final 10 holes, pulling away with three clutch putts and taking a four-shot lead to the final hole. She finished with a tap-in birdie, and some fellow South Korean players doused her with beer.
The victory came 10 years after Park took up the game, inspired by watching Se Ri Pak win the Women’s Open at Blackwolf Run to become the youngest champion at age 20.
Park finished at 9-under 283 and earned $585,000 from the richest purse in women’s golf. Her four-shot victory over Helen Alfredsson, who shot 75, was the largest in the Women’s Open since Karrie Webb won by eight shots at Pine Needles in 2001.
No one imagined the only drama on the back nine would come from Annika Sorenstam, who was never in contention competing in her final Women’s Open before retirement at the end of the season. Her final shot was a 6-iron from 199 yards that tumbled into the cup for eagle ó and a 78 that left her 12 shots behind in a tie for 24th.
Stacy Lewis, trying to become the first player to win a major in her professional debut, took double bogey from 80 yards away on the par-5 second hole and struggled all afternoon with her lag putting. She staggered home to a 79 and tied for third at 4-under 288 with Angela Park (73) and In-Kyung Kim (75).
– GRAND BLANC, Mich. ó Kenny Perry won the Buick Open, closing with a 6-under 66 to hold off Woody Austin and Bubba Watson at Warwick Hills.
Perry finished at 19-under 269, one shot better than Austin, who bogeyed the last two holes, and Watson, who missed a 12-footer on the last green.
Perry, who also won in 2001 at Warwick Hills, has 11 victories on the PGA Tour, including the Memorial earlier this month.
– EAST MEADOW, N.Y. ó Loren Roberts won for the first time this year, shooting a 3-under 68 to cap a wire-to-wire, one-stroke victory over Nick Price and Lonnie Nielsen in the Commerce Bank Championship.
Roberts had three second-place finishes on the Champions Tour this year.