Dufner wins Memorial; Liberty tops Mercury
Jason Dufner never lost sight of the big picture even after losing a big lead. It paid off for him Sunday when he rallied from a four-shot deficit and holed a 30-foot par putt on the 18th to close out a victory in the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio.
Dufner lost a five-shot lead in the third round after shooting a 77. He started the final round facing a four-shot deficit. And then he played his best golf on the back nine, and kept his composure during two rain delays, to close with a 4-under 68 and win by three shots. Dufner finished at 13-under 275 for his fifth PGA Tour victory, and he joined tournament host Jack Nicklaus as the only Ohioborn winners of the Memorial. Not since Nick Faldo in the 1989 has anyone shot 77 in the third round and still won on the PGA Tour.
Rickie Fowler, in prime position to force a playoff on the 18th hole by making birdie, instead made bogey after Dufner ended it with his big par putt. Fowler shot 70 and tied for second with Anirban Lahiri, who closed with a 65. Daniel Summerhays, who began the final round with a three-shot lead, began the back nine with two straight bogeys, and he finished with a double bogey for a 78 to tie for 10th.
n In-Kyung Kim held off two-time defending champion Anna Nordqvist in the ShopRite LPGA Classic for her fifth tour title. Tied with Paula Creamer for the second-round lead, Kim closed with a 2-under 69 for a two-stroke victory over Nordqvist at Stockton Seaview in Galloway Township, N.J. Kim finished at 11-under 202.
Nordqvist shot a 69. Michelle Wie had a 65 to tie for third at 7 under with Jenny Shin (69), Jacqui Concolino (70) and Jeong Eun Lee (71). Creamer had a 74 to drop into a tie for seventh at 6 under.
JIMMIE TAKES DOVER
Jimmie Johnson sped off on the final restart and earned another slice of NASCAR history, winning at Dover (Del.) International Speedway for the 11th time and moving into a tie for sixth on the career victories list.
Johnson was forced to start from the rear of the field because of a gear change, then zipped past Kyle Larson in overtime on the final restart. Johnson tied Hall of Fame driver Cale Yarborough for sixth on the career wins list with 83.
Johnson may have had a sense history was ahead in the No. 48 Chevrolet. He wore a helmet painted in tribute to Yarborough. He tweeted this weekend, “Growing up in El Cajon I never imagined I would have a chance to tie Cale in wins.”
Johnson also joined Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip as the only drivers to win at the same track 11 times.
STOKES LEADS LIBERTY
Kiah Stokes scored a career-high 23 points and added 14 rebounds to help the host Liberty beat the Phoenix Mercury 88-72. It was the second straight game that Stokes had a career high in points and finished with a double-double. Shavonte Zellous added 21 points, and Tina Charles had 16 for the Libs (4-3), who are 2-1 on their five-game homestand.
Brittney Griner scored 26 points, and Diana Taurasi added 17 for Phoenix (4-3). The Liberty built a 14-point lead in the first half before the Mercury chipped away. The Liberty led 56-54 midway through the third quarter before outscoring Phoenix 16-9 the rest of the period.
2 JOIN BELMONT FIELD
Irish War Cry and Hollywood Handsome have joined a probable 12-horse field for the 11/2-mile Belmont Stakes on Saturday. The Wood Memorial winner, Irish War Cry finished 10th in the Kentucky Derby after prompting a fast pace and didn’t run in the Preakness. Hollywood Handsome finished fifth in the Illinois Derby and won an allowance race at his home base of Churchill Downs.