Zalatoris gets first PGA win
MEMPHIS, TENN. » Will Zalatoris had the most money and the best world ranking of anyone without a PGA Tour victory. He changed that by winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship without making birdie in a three-hole playoff.
Heartache in two previous playoff losses this year — one in a major — turned into relief for Zalatoris after a wild finish in the TPC Southwind. It ended when he took a penalty drop from the rocks that frame the par-3 11th green and holed a 7-foot bogey putt to beat Sepp Straka.
Zalatoris moves into the top 10 in the world for the first time and takes the No. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup, assuring him a reasonable shot at the $18 million prize in two weeks.
He was clutch even if he was scrambling. It started with a 10-foot par save on the 18th in regulation for a 4-under 66 to post at 15-under 265.
FERGUSON WINS IN EUROPE
Ewen Ferguson of Scotland captured the second title of his rookie season on the European tour by winning the ISPS Handa World Invitational by three shots.
Ferguson closed with a 1-under 69 to complete a wire-to-wire victory at Galgorm Castle, adding to his win at the Qatar Masters in March. He finished 12 under for the tournament.
In the women’s event, played on the same courses from different tees, Maja Stark of Sweden won for her third victory this year on the Ladies European Tour. With the tournament cosanctioned with the LPGA Tour, Stark gained access to join the LPGA.
Tennis
HALEP WINS IN TORONTO AGAIN » Simona Halep won the National Bank Open for the third time, beating Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3, 2- 6, 6-3.
Halep, from Romania, also won the title in 2016 and 2018 when it was called the Rogers Cup. It’s the 24th title of Halep’s career and first since switching to Patrick Mouratoglou as her coach.
BUSTA TAKES MONTREAL » Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain won the National Bank Open, beating eighthseeded Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 3- 6, 6-3, 6-3.
The first unseeded winner in the event since Argentina’s Guillermo Canas in 2002, Busta won his seventh ATP Tour title and first Masters 1000 victory.
Racing
BROWN RACES TO WIN AS OWNER » Three-time season champion Antron Brown raced to his first victory as a team owner in the Menards NHRA Nationals.
Brown broke a 30- event drought, beating four-time defending series champion Steve Torrence in the final round for his 69th victory and first since the third race of the 2021 season. The 46-year- old Brown had a 3.902-second run at 309.49 mph at Heartland Motorsports Park.
Bob Tasca III won in Funny Car, Troy Coughlin Jr. in Pro Stock and Joey Gladstone in Pro Stock Motorcycle.