Lehman beats Couples, Frost in sudden death

Golf

Tom Lehman has always prided himself on outlasting his flashier opponents by playing steady if unspectacular golf.

Never was that more evident than Sunday when Lehman won the 71st Senior PGA Championship with a par on the first playoff hole, where Fred Couples and David Frost double-bogeyed after terrible tee shots.

Lehman began the sudden death playoff on No. 18 with a solid shot down the fairway before Couples' only bad tee shot of the tournament veered left into the shrubs, forcing him to take a drop.

Frost's tee shot ended up in the left bunker and he pulled his second shot left of the gallery. He cleared out dozens of pine cones in between him and the green before striking his ball, which was nestled in a shrub, across the green.

"That was just a bizarre playoff," Lehman said. "I'm not sure I've ever experienced anything like that. I turned to my caddie and I said, 'How many shots have they taken?'"

Frost and Couples finished with 6s before Lehman's birdie putt from 12 feet came up a quarter roll short. He smiled, tapped it from there, pumped his right fist and cradled the silver trophy.

"I think I had an advantage from the start because I had just finished," Lehman said. "The longer you have to wait I think the tougher it gets to play in a playoff."

Frost had waited 45 minutes, Couples half an hour.

"And I basically just finished signing my card and went back and hit it," Lehman said.

Just getting into the playoff took the kind of gapless golf and dogged determination that Lehman is known for. After bogeys on three of his first five holes, he huddled with his caddie and promised not to beat himself.

He didn't, finishing the last 13 holes bogey-free at 3 under.

"And I really didn't do anything exceptional," Lehman said, "but I didn't make any mistakes."

Everyone around him did.

Lehman's first individual Champions Tour triumph — he teamed with Bernhard Langer to win the 2009 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf — was worth $360,000.

Couples and Frost each took home $176,000 of the $2 million purse, which was of little consolation to Couples, who has energized the Champions Tour this season, winning half of the six events he entered before coming to Colorado, where the thin air favored his strong drives — but not in sudden death.

After congratulating Lehman, Couples put his head down and stormed toward the clubhouse, where he quickly grabbed a couple of irons out of his locker and bolted for the parking lot.

"It's pretty disappointing," was all Couples had to say as he hustled to a waiting car.

Behind back-to-back eagles on Nos. 15 and 16, Couples had a chance to win this tournament outright in regulation but his eight-foot putt for birdie on 18 missed by an inch. Just as he was putting, a wind gust of about 25 mph came, but he didn't back away.

His tap-in left him with a 69 and in a tie with Frost (67) and Tom Lehman (71), who joined the playoff at 7 under par by sinking a 4 1/2-foot putt on 18 in only a slight breeze.

Frost simply ran out of miracles on the 73rd hole.

"I didn't have enough guts to aim it way out right and bring it back like Tom did," Frost said. "But I won't let one hole bother me when I played so many good holes out there yesterday and today."

Frost was tied for 45th at 5 over par after 36 holes — a dozen shots behind Couples, who led at the halfway mark — before shooting 65-67 over the weekend.

Lehman began the day as the co-leader with Jay Don Blake, whose eagle on No. 7 gave him a two-shot lead that was short-lived.

Blake, who hasn't won in 396 starts, sauntered onto No. 8, took a couple of practice swings with his 4-iron — and topped his tee shot 30 yards into the bushes.

"I just totally shanked one, shanked it right into a ditch," Blake said. "From then on, I felt like I couldn't really be at ease at hitting some good iron shots. I was pretty cautious all day. That kind of put me in a bad frame of mind."

After taking the penalty and carding a double-bogey, both Blake's game and hopes of winning for the first time since 1991 unraveled.

"It gets in your head," said Blake, who finished with a 76, tied for eighth place at 2 under for the tournament.

It was cooler and calmer Sunday at the picturesque Colorado Golf Club, but the pin placements were the toughest yet. The ever-shifting winds added to the adversity the golfers faced at the 3-year-old course co-designed by Ben Crenshaw.

Crenshaw said he wants to fatten the fairways on his 7,464-foot monster for any future majors.

Lehman was the only golfer to shoot four rounds under par here.

"I loved the course from the moment I laid my eyes on it," Lehman said.

Zach Johnson adds plaid jacket with Colonial win

Golf

Zach Johnson now has a plaid jacket to go along with his green one, after an extended wait before slipping on his prize at the Colonial.

Johnson won at Hogan's Alley with a tournament record 21-under 259, sealing his victory with a pair of birdies in the short span of play in between two late weather delays Sunday.

When Johnson drained a 14-foot birdie putt at the 17th hole to take a two-stroke lead over Brian Davis, he had a wide smile on his face and emphatically pumped his fist. But the real celebration had to wait.

"As far as momentum and a big putt, that was a big one," said Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion. "I didn't have a number in my head, but I figure if you get to 21, you have got a pretty good chance."

Johnson's closing 6-under 64 left him three strokes ahead of Davis, who had a closing 68.

"Zach won the tournament, I didn't lose it," Davis said. "It was a weird feeling walking up 18 knowing you can't win."

When the horn sounded to suspend play the first time, Johnson was approaching his tee shot at No. 15 that had landed in the right rough short of a bunker. After that delay, he hit his approach onto the green and made the putt to get back to 20 under.

By time play was stopped again 31 minutes later, before he teed off at 18 for a closing par, Johnson was ready for the plaid jacket.

"Quite frankly, the biggest one, I thought, was probably on 15," he said. "It calmed me down."

The delays were because of threatening weather. Light rain fell despite sunny skies after the second delay lasted 46 minutes, a minute shorter than the first one.

Jeff Overton and Ben Crane both shot 67 to finish tied for third at 17 under. Scott Verplank (65) and Bryce Molder (70), who led after the second and third rounds, were another shot back.

Davis was again contending for his first PGA Tour victory, six weeks after the 35-year-old Englishman called a two-stroke penalty on himself on the first hole of a playoff at Hilton Head.

At Colonial, Davis was 19 under with a two-stroke lead after a 5 1/2-foot putt at the seventh hole. But that was his last birdie of the day. A 9-footer at No. 17 slid just past the cup, then he finished with a bogey.

It is the seventh PGA Tour victory for Johnson and first since winning in San Antonio last May. His best finish through 12 tournaments this season had been a tie for 12th at the Sony Open in Hawaii the second week of the season.

Along with the plaid jacket, Johnson got a $1.116 million check.

"Going into the back nine, my mindframe was I don't care if I win this, I don't care if I lose it, I'm content with whatever happens," he said. "I'm going to go out fighting, I'm going to go out aggressive."

Johnson's clinching shot at the 381-yard 17th was his fifth birdie on the back nine, though he gave back one of those with his only bogey over his last 2 1/2 rounds.

Three of those birdies came on putts of at least 22 feet in a four-hole stretch. He took the lead for good when he drained the longest of the three, a 25-footer at the 427-yard 15th hole soon after the initial weather delay.

Kenny Perry was 19 under in both of his Colonial victories, in 2003 and 2005. The next-lowest score before this week was 17 under by a trio of players last year when Steve Stricker won on the second playoff hole.

The Colonial score was the lowest on the PGA Tour for a four-round tournament since Geoff Ogilvy won the season-opening SBS Championship in Hawaii at 22-under 270.

At Hilton Head in April, Davis made a birdie on the 72nd hole to get into a playoff with Jim Furyk. Davis ticked a loose reed in a hazard during a backswing in the playoff and immediately called over a rules official to point out something that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. A television replay confirmed the violation.

Davis tied for 57th at New Orleans and missed the cut his last three tournaments before getting to Colonial.

"If you would have said at the start of the week after three missed cuts you are going to finish second, you would be delighted," he said. "Obviously, I had a chance today, I couldn't quite get over the hump."

Molder led alone halfway through the tournament and shared the lead with Davis at the start of the final round, but his final birdie Sunday came on the 10th hole, the same as Saturday, when he finished with eight consecutive pars instead of being able to lower his score.

This time, he had bogeys at Nos. 16 and 17.

"You certainly learn," said the four-time All-American from Georgia Tech who is still looking for his first PGA Tour victory nine years after turning pro. "This is the closest I've been to winning. ... Zach put the pedal down and he really kept going. That's what you have to be able to do."

DIVOTS: Johnson and Phil Mickelson are the only players who have PGA Tour wins in each of the last four seasons (2007-10). ... Mickelson missed the cut at Colonial at 4 over when he could have been the No. 1 player in the world with a victory. ... Ian Poulter, the No. 6 player in the world, shot 76 Sunday in the first group off. His 7-over total was the worst among the 76 players who made the cut. ... Stricker finished at 8 under, tied for 38th, in his first event after a six-week hiatus because of a chest injury.

Lefty will be left out of pink and No. 1 spot

Golf

There will be no Phil in pink at the Colonial — and no top ranking.

Phil Mickelson shot a 3-over 73 Friday for his second consecutive over-par round, putting him at 4 over for the tournament. While there were still plenty of players left to finish, the projected cut when Lefty walked off the course on an ideal day for scoring was 1 under.

"I played terrible. I don't know what to say," Mickelson said. "The course was in great shape, there was no wind and there were a lot of birdies out there, and I just played terrible."

A victory at the Colonial would have pushed Mickelson ahead of Tiger Woods for No. 1 in the world ranking for the first time in his career.

Missing the cut will keep Mickelson from playing during the tournament's second "Pink Out" on Saturday.

Most players joined PGA Tour and tournament officials in wearing pink for the first "Pink Out" last year, when Mickelson wasn't at Hogan's Alley to defend his 2008 Colonial title right after finding out that his wife, Amy, had breast cancer.

"The 'Pink Out' is really something that's pretty cool. ... I wish I was going to be here to partake in that. I'll be wearing pink tomorrow, but in San Diego," Mickelson said. "Monday is Amy's birthday and so it will give me a chance to spend a weekend with her to celebrate."

The only tournament Amy Mickelson has attended since being diagnosed last year was the Masters last month, when she was behind the 18th green with their three children on the final day to share in Lefty's victory.

When asked how his wife was, Mickelson responded, "She's doing well, thank you."

It is Mickelson's first missed cut in 11 tournaments this season. The last time he didn't play a weekend round in a PGA Tour money event was at Houston in April 2009, a stretch of 21 tournaments.

Mickelson's return to Colonial got off to a spectacular start, with birdies on his first two holes Thursday. But he shot 6-over with only three more birdies his final 34 holes, including two quick bogeys Friday and then three more in a row after his final birdie.

"I thought my game was sharper. I thought I had a good couple of practice sessions at home. This was a good barometer though because the start to my run into the U.S. Open, it tells me I've got a lot of work to do," he said. "I didn't drive it very well, didn't hit very many good iron shots. I've struggled a little bit with the short game and the putter wasn't great."

In his only other tournaments since winning the Masters, Mickelson was the runner-up at Quail Hollow and tied for 17th at The Players Championship three weeks ago.

Mickelson started his second round with a par at No. 10, then had consecutive bogeys, hitting his second shot out of bounds at the par-5 11th hole and then at No. 12 knocking a par-saving 5-foot putt a couple feet past the cup.

After consecutive birdies at Nos. 1 and 2 during his first round, he had to shout "Fore!" after errant shots toward spectators on both of those holes Friday.

Mickelson's 3-wood approach from thick rough at the par-5 first headed toward the gallery on the right of the green, though Mickelson managed to save par from there.

When his tee shot at the dogleg-right No. 2 stayed right toward spectators, Mickelson cupped his mouth and gave another warning. But he hit the shot from the rough to 12 feet of the pin and made birdie.

"Come on Phil, we need you baby," a spectator shouted before Mickelson teed off at No. 3.

Instead, Mickelson bogeyed the next three holes.

"I was a little rustier than I thought," he said. "I'll get home and get some practice in and see if I can get this thing turned around."

H.S. junior Spieth makes cut at Byron Nelson

Golf

Jordan Spieth did something Tiger Woods couldn't do. And his pal Tony Romo showed up to watch.

Who the heck is this guy?

Spieth is a high school junior from Dallas who cut class this week to play in the Byron Nelson Championship, becoming the first prep to take on the pros in this event since Woods in 1993. He's handled his nerves and the TPC Four Seasons course quite nicely, shooting a 3-under 137 through two rounds to become the sixth-youngest player to make the cut at a PGA Tour event.

"There's never going to be a golf course that's too much for him," said Romo, the star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys and a solid amateur golfer himself, having qualified for a U.S. Open sectional event on Thursday. He befriended Spieth while playing a tournament in South Carolina this year and have remained pals.

"He's fine, as long as he keeps his emotions under control. He's got the game for it, no question. He's just playing the way he's capable of playing."

Spieth's debut on Thursday was delayed nearly four hours by threatening skies, and he got in only 11 holes at even par. He spent the night at the resort attached to the course because he finished so late, then teed off at 7:15 a.m. He made a pair of birdies over seven holes for a 68, took about a half-hour break, then shot 69 in the second round. He is tied for 22nd entering the third round.

"I'm in shock right now," said Spieth, who already has accepted a sponsor's invitation to play the PGA event in Memphis, June 10-13. "I'm extremely pleased with how the week has gone so far. Hopefully I can make a run at the top of the leaderboard the next two days."

As the day went on, temperatures rose — and so did the size of his gallery. (Much to the chagrin of his school's teachers; "They're not happy with me," he said.)

Spieth saw hundreds of classmates and thousands of fans around the 18th green, and told his caddie he wanted to really give them something to cheer about with his approach.

Sure enough, he went right at the pin, putting it 12 feet past the cup. He missed the birdie putt, then tapped in for a par that drew another raucous celebration. He tipped his cap, then flipped the ball toward some of his teenage pals. Several of them tumbled onto the green fighting for the souvenir.

"I didn't really expect the loudness of the cheers," said Spieth, who just last week won a state high school title, and last summer won the U.S. Junior Amateur title. "It's a new experience for me. I could get used to it."

Spieth (pronounced SPEEth) has been so pumped up that he's adjusted his club selection, going one notch lighter than usual. He also goofed on the second hole of the second round, teeing off when it was David Lutterus' turn. When his caddie pointed out the faux pas, Spieth apologized and Lutterus told him to forget about it.

Through it all, Spieth's strength was his consistency — lots and lots of pars. His 1-under second round came from three birdies and a pair of bogeys.

His defining shot came on the par-5 16th. He was coming off his second bogey and had put his approach into a sand trap he'd been trying to avoid. His chip rolled to about two feet from the hole for an easy birdie.

"I feel like I played better than my score showed today," he said. "When something like that happens, and you're still somewhat in it, you kind of realize that if putts start to drop, you can make a run at it.

"I don't want to think of myself as the amateur out here. I want to think of myself as a contender."

Besides his youthful face — let's just say he probably wears out a golf glove quicker than he does a razor — Spieth's amateur status was obvious by his lack of sponsor branding. He uses his high school team's golf bag ("Jesuit Rangers" it reads) and he wore a Texas Longhorns hat, even though he's more than a year away from college.

Spieth is 16 years, nine months and 24 days. He's the second 16-year-old to make a cut this season, joining Italy's Matteo Manassero at the Masters.

Manassero also has the best-ever finish by someone this young, having tied for 13th at the 2009 British Open.

Woods isn't on that list. But he does have an interesting history at this event.

Recruited by Nelson when he was only 17, Woods shot 77-72 then went home for the weekend. He returned four years later and won it, making him still the youngest winner.

Simon Khan shoots 66 to win BMW PGA Championship

Golf

Simon Khan won the BMW PGA Championship by a stroke on Sunday, shooting a 5-under 66 to come from seven strokes back and capture a tournament the Englishman played in only after receiving a late invitation.

Fredrik Andersson Hed of Sweden (67) and Luke Donald of England (71) tied for second at 5-under 279, one shot back of Khan. Donald was tied with Khan with two holes to play, but double-bogeyed No. 17 after hitting his drive into the trees.

The 471st-ranked Khan was asked to play in the European Tour event less than 72 hours before it started.

England's Chris Wood had led by two shots at the start of the day, but dropped six shots in his first 16 holes. Sweden's Robert Karlsson, who shot a course record 62 on Saturday, had three bogeys and a double bogey in his first 15 holes.

Khan's second victory in nine years earned him $938,000 and a playing exemption in Europe through 2015. Last November, Khan wept at the end of the Hong Kong Open after losing his Tour playing card, which he won back in qualifying school.

"I was devastated in Hong Kong last year and to bounce back like this has been fantastic," said Khan, whose other win was at the 2004 Wales Open.

Khan's connections with Wentworth run deep. As a boy, he watched Seve Ballesteros beat Ben Crenshaw in match play and later he finished runner-up in a tournament here behind countryman David Howell.

"This place is the reason I started golf," Khan said. "This place inspires me and this event is everything. Just to be here was unbelievable and I wanted to put my mark on every shot.

"I have always felt comfortable around this course — you can see your shots so clearly. Just being here is special. I didn't know I was in the tournament until Monday and to win here is so special for me."

Just as Karlsson had swept through the field in Saturday's third round with his 62, Khan and Andersson Hed followed a similar pattern in the finale after beginning seven shots behind Woods.

Khan made three birdies in his opening six holes. Adersson Hed, the recent winner of the Italian Open, opened with four in five.

Twelve players ahead of them faltered.

Danny Willett of England started out in second place at 5 under but dropped out of contention with three bogeys and a double bogey over the first nine holes on his way to a 74. Woods double-bogeyed the third hole before dropping four more shots in a 77.

As Khan was sitting on the clubhouse lead, Donald posed the main threat before his double bogey. The only consolation for Donald was the successful sinking of 3-foot birdie putt on the final green for a share of second place.

Oklahoma State's Hedwall, Purdue win NCAA titles

Golf

Oklahoma State's Caroline Hedwall finished her round, yet her lead kept growing. With every hole that passed for Purdue, though, its once-huge team lead dwindled to nearly nothing.

Still, the Boilermakers did enough to claim their first NCAA women's golf team championship.

Purdue held off Southern California on Friday by one stroke to win the team title while Hedwall shot a 68 to claim a four-stroke victory and the individual crown.

The Boilermakers, who shot a 7-over 295 to finish at 1 over, entered the final round with a 7-stroke lead over the Trojans, overcame a late rash of bogeys and wrapped up the title on the final hole.

"I'm not sure that they ever went ahead," Purdue coach Devon Brouse said. "It was important that we did maintain the lead. Trust me, I checked that live scoring a lot on the back nine and I never saw them ahead. ... It got down to two, then it got down to one, and that's where it ended."

Southern Cal, which led after each of the first two rounds, could have forced a playoff at the Country Club of Landfall course after Purdue's Maude-Aimee LeBlanc left a 20-foot putt short on the 18th and tapped in for bogey.

"I wish I had finished with a birdie, but I guess a bogey was good enough," a smiling LeBlanc said.

It sure was: The Trojans' Jennifer Song rolled her 10-foot birdie putt to the right of the cup to clinch the title for the Boilermakers.

Hedwall, a sophomore from Sweden, finished at 12-under 276 to beat Arizona State freshman Jennifer Johnson, who entered the final round with a one-stroke lead but shot a 73. LeBlanc (71) and Auburn's Cydney Clayton (66) finished at 7 under.

"I don't think I've realized it yet," Hedwall said of her title.

Before this, the Boilermakers' previous best finish came in 2007, when they were second to Duke. Either the Blue Devils or a Pac-10 team had won every team championship but one from 1993-2009.

"It's significant when somebody can dethrone a Pac-10 team, so to speak, because obviously, they've been a little bit dominant," Brouse said.

Alabama, which had never finished higher than ninth in five previous NCAA championship appearances, ended up in third place at 5 over, followed by defending national champion Arizona State (9 over) and Arizona (14 over).

The Sun Devils' Johnson spent most of the first three rounds leading the individual competition, but Hedwall — a two-time Big 12 player of the year — made her move late in her round.

Starting on the back nine, she went to 11 under with a birdie on the par-5 No. 4. Johnson pulled even with a birdie on No. 10, then fell a stroke back with a bogey on the par-5 12th.

Hedwall pulled away with a birdie on No. 8, and when she finished her round one hole later, she led Johnson by two strokes. Hedwall patiently hung around the 18th green for nearly 2 hours while Johnson finished her round with bogeys on two of her final four holes.

"She had to finish really well to beat me. I didn't have to wait that long" to know the title was secure, a smiling Hedwall said.

For Hedwall, this was quite the way to leave Stillwater. She said she's leaving the Cowgirls, plans to play an amateur schedule this summer and will try to qualify for the LPGA Tour.

LSU's Megan McChrystal shot an NCAA championship-record 64 in the final round, breaking the mark of 65 most recently matched in 1998 by Arizona State's Grace Park and Duke's Jenny Chuasiriporn.

Karlsson shoots record 62; thought he missed cut

Golf

Robert Karlsson shot a course record 9-under 62 Saturday to take an early share of the third-round lead at the BMW PGA Championship after returning overnight from Monaco in the mistaken belief he'd missed the cut.

The Swede shot the lowest score at the remodeled course since the European PGA event was first played in 1955 at Wentworth, England.

Karlsson is at 6 under to share the lead with Luke Donald of England, who had yet to begin his third round.

Karlsson was near his home in Monaco when he got a phone call indicating he'd be playing on the weekend. He flew to Paris, slept for two hours, then paid $11,000 for a private jet to take him to London, arriving at the course an hour before his tee time.

"Don't touch my putter it might burn you," Karlsson said after making nine birdie putts. "Luckily, I snatched a couple of hours sleep at Orly (Airport in Paris). After making three early birdies, I just decided to keep going.

"When you start like that it is easy to sit back and protect those birdies and maybe shoot a 70, but I decided to keep going and my caddy said at the 9th: 'We've been invited to this party, so let's party.'"

Wood leads by 2, Karlsson shoots course-record 62

Golf

England's Chris Wood shot a 4-under 67 Saturday to take a two-shot lead ahead of Sweden's Robert Karlsson, who had a course-record 62 in the third round of the BMW PGA Championship.

Karlsson finished at 6-under 207, despite a quick turnaround from his home in Monaco after he thought he'd missed the cut. It's the lowest round since the European PGA event was first played on the course in 1955. He's tied for second with Danny Willett (70).

Karlsson flew home to Monaco on Friday before receiving a phone call saying he was playing on the weekend. He flew to Paris, slept for two hours, then paid $11,000 for a private jet to take him to London, arriving at the course an hour before tee time.

He had nine birdies on Wentworth's redesigned West Course.

"Don't touch my putter, it might burn you," Karlsson said. "Luckily, I snatched a couple of hours sleep at Orly (Airport in Paris). After making three early birdies, I just decided to keep going.

"When you start like that it is easy to sit back and protect those birdies and maybe shoot a 70, but I decided to keep going. My caddy said at the 9th: 'We've been invited to this party, so let's party.'"

The 22-year-old Wood has top-five finishes at the last two British Opens, and is looking for his first European Tour victory.

"It's good to be leading," Wood said after holing three straight birdies from the second green. "I went off like a train after making a couple of nice putts and I stayed calm."

Wood drove into trees to bogey the 13th and 15th holes but quickly regained his advantage with a birdie at the 16th.

Willett failed to find consistency, mixing seven birdies with four bogeys and a double.

Overnight leader Luke Donald dropped back to fourth place and 5 under after a 72, and five players were left tied in fifth place at 3 under. They included defending champion Paul Casey of England, who shot a 72.

Ernie Els had a 76 to trail the leader by 10 strokes. Lee Westwood (73) was two more strokes behind

Jordan Spieth, 16, in contention at Byron Nelson

Golf

Making the cut at the Byron Nelson Championship never was the goal for Jordan Spieth. The 16-year-old insists he's here to win.

The high school junior shot a 3-under 67 Saturday, his best round yet. That dropped him to 6-under 204 for the tournament, giving him a legitimate chance to win his PGA Tour debut. He is tied for seventh, sixth shots behind leader Jason Day.

"I know the pins are going to be the toughest pins I've ever experienced in my life, but if I'm confident," Spieth said. "I'm going to start firing because I got nothing to lose, nothing to hold back, might as well try and make a run."

Spieth on Friday became the sixth-youngest player to make a cut. The best finish for someone so young was Italy's Matteo Manassero, tying for 13th at the 2009 British Open.

Spieth (pronounced SPEE-th) is from Dallas and won a state high school title last week. On Saturday, he was playing before his largest gallery yet — after all, school was out, so more of his pals could be there.

Playing partner Tom Pernice Jr. shot a 66 to move to 203. When the round ended, they shook hands and the 50-year-old Pernice offered some words of wisdom.

"He's a wonderful young man," said Pernice, who has two daughters Spieth's age. "He's got a lot of exuberance and excitement in him."

Spieth opened with a birdie. He then had a rare wild stretch on the third through sixth holes: bogey, birdie, birdie, bogey. He got back to making pars with the occasional birdie mixed in — such as No. 16, where he made a great sand save Friday.

Spieth gave back a stroke with a bogey on the par-3 17th. His tee shot went past the green and his chip didn't roll as far as he'd hoped. He missed the par putt, tapped it in and walked off the green muttering, "So unnecessary!"

The frustration might have lingered on the final tee — his shot went into the rough on the first fairway. The ball had to clear a bunch of trees to a hole surrounded by sand, with water in the vicinity, too. The shot was so perfectly on line that Spieth spun his club and stifled a smile.

The ball actually landed in one of those bunkers, but he softly rolled it within 8 feet. He made the par-saving putt, gave a few fist pumps and walked off thinking about what could happen Sunday.

"It was nice to finish getting a putt to drop," he said. "Hopefully I can make a run at it tomorrow."

Pernice noted that the excitement Spieth is generating proves "you don't need Tiger and Phil always to have a great event."

Woods just happens to be the last high school player in this tournament, back in 1993. He shot 77-72 and missed the cut as a 17-year-old, then came back four years later and became the event's youngest winner.

Even if he doesn't, Spieth has plenty of other events to look forward to — a sponsor's exemption into the Memphis PGA Tour stop in June, and in July he's got a title to defend at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.

Top-ranked Shin eliminates Wie

Golf

Top-ranked Jiyai Shin knocked out Michelle Wie in the Sybase Match Play Championship quarterfinals Saturday, winning 2 and 1 on another hot, humid day at hilly Hamilton Farm.

"I just didn't play that well coming in," Wie said. "I didn't play as well as I wanted. I think I know exactly what I need to work on. I'm going to work hard the next two weeks and try to win."

Shin will play Sun Young Yoo — a 2-and-1 winner over fourth-seeded Yani Tseng — in the semifinals Sunday morning. In the other quarterfinals, 10th-seeded Angela Stanford beat Catriona Matthew 5 and 3, and No. 30 Amy Yang edged Haeji Kang 1-up.

"This match was so big," Shin said. "When I saw the pairing, I was a little bit worried because she's so long."

The 22-year-old Shin is chasing her first LPGA Tour title of the year after winning six times in the last two seasons. She also has 23 international victories.

The South Korean star, at 5-foot-1 nearly a foot shorter than Wie, took the lead for the first time when Wie bogeyed the par-4 15th after hooking her drive into the tall rough. Shin then won the par-3 16th, holing a 15-foot birdie putt. Wie hit her tee shot into the deep right bunker, blasted out to 18 feet and missed her par try.

"I just didn't hit good shots," Wie said. "Sometimes that happens."

The match ended when Wie pulled her 10-foot birdie putt well left on 17.

"She's a superstar," Shin said. "I just tried to focus on my game."

In the morning third-round matches, Shin beat Beatriz Recari 4 and 3, and Wie overcame shaky ballstriking to top Karine Icher 3 and 2.

In the afternoon, Wie birdied the par-5 second to take a 1-up lead, and Shin squared the match with a tricky 5-foot par putt on the par-4 seventh.

Wie won the par-3 12th with a 25-foot birdie putt from the edge of the green, skipping and punching the air in celebration.

"It was just 12, so I'm not worried because I've got six holes left," Shin said.

Shin pulled even on the par-4 13th with a 12-foot birdie putt after Wie hit a flop shot to a foot following an approach that went off the back of the green.

"I was thinking, this is my birdie chance," Shin said.

Stanford won six of the last eight holes to finish off Matthew in 15 holes, then rushed off to catch the Yankees-Mets game.

"I asked my caddie on 11 what time it was," Stanford said.

She beat former Duke star Amanda Blumenherst in 20 holes in the third round.

Yang beat Kang with a birdie on the par-5 18th.

"I can't wait to play tomorrow," Yang said. "I might be tired when I wake up because I played like 30-something holes."

Yoo finished off Tseng, the Kraft Nabisco winner in April, with a halve on 17.

"I felt really comfortable out there," Yoo said.

DIVOTS: Wie changed outfits during the break, switching from a black ensemble with pants to a light green shirt and white skort. She also wore sunglasses in the afternoon match. ... The losing quarterfinalists earned $37,500 and the third-round losers got $18,750. The winner will receive $375,000 from the $1.5 million purse.

HSBC Women's Champions Steady For Natalie Gulbis

Golf

Day 2 at the HSBC Women's Champions was just a ho hum round for Natalie Gulbis. Natalie unfortunately lost one of the strokes she worked hard for on day one by posting a one over 73.

Natalie Gulbis had two bogeys on the front side leaving her at 2 over going out, but 2 nice birdies on the back put her even par for the day. Unfortunately a bogey on 18 put Natalie Gulbis one over for round two. Natalie now is in 22nd place at one under for the tournament and must get it going.

Jane Park and Paula Creamer still lead after 2 rounds at 6 under par.

Natalie Gulbis HSBC Women's Champions Day One

Golf

Natalie Gulbis started well in the 2009 HSBC Women's Champions with a respectable 2 under par round of 70 in Singapore. Natalie is in 11th place after round one. Natalie Gulbis is 3 shots behind Paula Creamer, Jane Park, and Angela Park who all shot 67's to take the lead at 5 under par.

Natalie Gulbis completed the front side in even par 36 and even better with one bogey and three birdies for a back side 34 and a round of 2 under par.

The 2009 LPGA Tour season for Natalie Gulbis continues to be steady.

Natalie Gulbis Wall Calendar For 2008

Golf

The talented and beautiful LPGA star, Natalie Gulbis, strays away from swimsuits and showcases her game face in an all-golf calendar for 2008. Photos capture her on the golf course and highlight her competitive spirit and drive to succeed. Buy It Now!

The Natalie Gulbis Show To Begin Airing September 19th

Golf

The Natalie Gulbis Show begins airing it's 2007 season Wednesday night September 19th at 10pm ET on the Golf Channel. The 6 part original reality tv series will run each Wednesday night at 10pm ET through October 24th. Repeats can be seen on various days and times throughout weeks and months after the initial airing.

This years show includes Natalie Gulbis' appearance at the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl as Grand Marshall, calendar shoot behind the scenes footage, Natalie Gulbis' first big LPGA tour win at the Evian Masters, behind the scenes clips at the filming of her Crowne Plaza Hotels commercial with golf legend Lee Trevino and rocker Alice Cooper, pit road antics at the Pepsi 400, the USA's impressive 2007 Solheim Cup victory, and Natalie's unbelievable welcome reception and first class celebration in Lake Las Vegas upon her return to the United States after her 1st win at The Evian Masters.

The 2007 version of The Natalie Gulbis Show bring more fun and laughter and an exciting look at the daily life of LPGA star Natalie Gulbis. Be sure to tune in each and every week!!!

Natalie Gulbis Wins At The 2007 Evian Masters!

Golf

Natalie Gulbis fired a two under par final round of 70 to put herself in a sudden death playoff with Jeong Jang at the 2007 Evian Masters LPGA Golf Tournament in France. Natalie Gulbis proceeded to birdie 4 the first playoff hole to defeat Jang and win her first LPGA Event ever. Gulbis opened the day 4 back of the 3 day leader Julie Inkster by shooting rounds of 72, 73, and 69 to put her in contention on the final day. An unfortunate bogey on 14 prevented Natalie from winning the tournament outright, but she called on her will to win and birdied the first playoff hole to remove the "hasn't won" stigma forever. ItsAlreadySigned4U.com congratulates Natalie Gulbis on her great accomplishment of winning the 2007 Evian Masters Golf Tournament. Stay tuned for new Natalie Gulbis autogaphed memorabilia in the weeks to come!!