Dufner rebounds to win Memorial Johnson makes it 11 wins at Dover
DUBLIN, Ohio — 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 hole to close out a victory in the Memorial.
Dufner lost a five-stroke lead in the third round and 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-par 68 and win by three shots.
“Yesterday was not my best day,” Dufner said of his 77. “But I had to get over it quick. It’s a 72-hole tournament, there’s a lot of things that can happen out there. I knew I was still in the mix.”
Dufner finished at 13-under 275 for his fifth PGA Tour victory.
Not since Nick Faldo in 1989 has anyone shot 77 in the third round and 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 threeshot lead, began the back nine with two consecutive bogeys, and finished with a double bogey for a 78 to tie for 10th.
In other golf news:
• 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 secondround lead, Kim closed with a 2-under 69 for a two-stroke victory over Nordqvist (69) at Stockton Seaview in Galloway Township, N.J. Kim was making her sixth start since returning from an injury suffered falling down stairs. Kim finished at 11-under 202. Michelle Wie had a 65 to tie for third at 7 under. Creamer had a 74 to drop into a tie for seventh at 6 under.
MOTOR SPORTS
Jimmie Johnson sped off on the final restart and earned another slice of NASCAR history, winning at Dover for the 11th time and moving into a tie for sixth on the career victories list.
Johnson worked hard to take this checkered flag. He was forced to start from the rear of the field because of a gear change and 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 might 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.
Larson was second, followed by Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman and Chase Elliott. In other news: • Graham Rahal completed a doubleheader sweep in the Detroit Grand Prix to become IndyCar’s first two-time winner this season. Rahal’s Hondapowered car finished 1.17 seconds ahead of Josef Newgarden’s Chevrolet a day after getting to the checkered flag six-plus seconds ahead of the competition. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver pulled away for the victory after a single-file final restart with two laps to go in the 70-lap race on the Belle Isle course. Will Power of Team Penske was third.
• Brittany Force won the NHRA New England Nationals at Epping, N.H., for her first Top Fuel victory of the season and fourth overall. She beat Antron Brown in the final with a 3.716-second pass at 328.62 mph to Brown’s 3.728 at 327.98.
COLLEGES OU, Florida set for softball final
The Women’s College World Series dream matchup is set.
Shay Knighten singled in two runs in the fifth inning to help defending champion Oklahoma beat Oregon 4-2 in the semifinals.
The Sooners (59-9) will play top-seeded Florida (58-8) on Monday night to start the best-of-three championship series at Oklahoma City. The teams have combined to win the past four national titles but are meeting for the first time in the championship series.
PRO BASEBALL Long balls help Skeeters’ cause
Hector Olivera’s tworun homer in the fifth inning and Kevin Ahrens’ solo shot in the ninth provided all of the offense the Skeeters needed to defeat Somerset 6-2 in Atlantic League play at Bridgewater, N.J.
Jake Hale got the pitching decision, allowing five hits and two earned runs while striking out four and walking none.
MISCELLANEOUS Belmont field taking shape
Irish War Cry and Hollywood Handsome have joined a probable 12-horse field for the Belmont Stakes, which is shaping up with a week to go until the last leg of the Triple Crown. Trainer Graham Motion said Wood Memorial winner Irish War Cry will make his next start in the 11/2mile Belmont on June 10. The colt finished 10th in the Kentucky Derby and didn’t run in the Preakness Stakes. Hollywood Handsome will make his Triple Crown debut in the Belmont . ...
The opening races in the America’s Cup challenger semifinals on Bermuda’s Great Sound were postponed because the wind didn’t reach the required six knots for the foiling 50-foot catamarans to race in. Two races are scheduled in each of the matchups, between Emirates Team New Zealand and Britain’s Land Rover BAR, and Sweden’s Artemis Racing and SoftBank Team Japan. .