Leishman wins BMW Championship in Chicago
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The clutch shots down the stretch in the BMW Championship belonged to everyone except the winner.
Marc Leishman didn’t really need them.
Staked to a five-shot lead, and determined to not let another FedEx Cup playoff event get away from him. Leishman never gave anyone much of a chance Sunday at Conway Farms. And when Justin Rose made a late run and closed within two shots, Leishman made back-to-back birdies to put away the final challenge, and then added one more for a 4-under 67 to set the tournament scoring record.
Leishman went wireto-wire for the first time on the PGA Tour. The Australian moved up to No. 4 in the FedEx Cup, giving him a clear shot at the $10 million bonus next week. He moved into the top 15 in the world.
But this mainly was about redemption for losing a two-shot lead on the back nine at the TPC Boston two weeks ago.
“When the pressure got put on that back nine by Rosie, I reacted with birdies,” Leishman said. “Didn’t get too worried. Just tried to keep doing my own thing and give myself chances. ... Backing up what happened (in Boston) was probably the most satisfying thing for me. I was just really determined to not let that happen again.”
Leishman finished at 23-under 261, breaking the 72-hole tournament record that Tiger Woods set at Cog Hill in 2007.
Rose ran out of hope when he made bogey on the par-3 17th and closed with a 65. Rickie Fowler ran off three straight birdies only after he was too far back and shot 67. They finished five shots behind.
Nordqvist wins Evian major in playoff
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — Anna Nordqvist beat unheralded American Brittany Altomare in a playoff under driving rain and hail at the first extra hole to win the Evian Championship on Sunday.
Nordqvist sank a 4-foot putt for bogey 5 on the soaked 18th hole while 102nd-ranked Altomare had a six.
The 30-year-old Swede earned $547,500 for winning her first major since the 2009 LPGA Championship.
Altomare got $340,000 for only her second career top-10 finish.
Nordqvist and Altomare both shot 66 for 9-under totals of 204. It was a 54-hole event after weather-affected play Thursday was scrapped.
Second-round leader Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand and two-time major winner Lydia Ko of New Zealand fell out of the playoff by dropping shots on the 18th.
Nordqvist’s victory ensured 10 different major winners in the last two seasons.
Kelly wins another Champions title
VICTORIA, British Columbia (AP) — Jerry Kelly avoided the late trouble that derailed Lee Janzen and David McKenzie to win the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship on Sunday for his second PGA Tour Champions victory in four weeks.
Kelly closed with a 3-under 68 — rebounding from a bogey on the par-5 13th with a birdie on the par-4 15th and finishing with three straight pars — for a one-stroke victory over Janzen.
The 50-year-old Kelly, a stroke behind McKenzie and Jerry Smith entering the final round, won the Boeing Classic outside Seattle last month for his first senior title. The three-time PGA Tour winner finished at 14-under 199 on Bear Mountain’s Mountain Course.
Janzen also shot 68, but dropped three late strokes to give away the lead. After making three birdies in a row, he bogeyed the 15th and made a double bogey on the par-4 17th.
McKenzie, the Australian trying to become the first qualifier to win since 2012, dropped back with double bogeys on the par-3 14th and the 17th. He birdied the par-5 18th for a 71 that left him tied for third at 12 under with Tommy Armour III.