Lee Westwood has played golf long enough to be philosophical despite all the times he’s come up short when so very close to victory.
The Englishman who finished second at the Masters, lost a playoff in Dubai and finished tied for fourth at The Players Championship this year won the St. Jude Classic for his second career PGA Tour victory and first since 1998, beating Swede Robert Karlsson on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff yesterday in Memphis.
“You try to do the right thing all the time,” Westwood said. “It doesn’t always work for you. I’ve been in contention a lot, especially this year, and I suppose I got a break today with other people’s misfortune but made the most of it and took a chance.”
He became the first European to win the tour’s third-longest event only after Robert Garrigus blew a three-stroke lead on the final hole of regulation with a triple bogey. He bogeyed the first playoff hole.
Garrigus said he thought he had a two-stroke lead on the 72nd hole instead of three and called it just stupidity.
“It’s little things to win. I’ve got to learn that, and next time I’m in that position I’m going to do it,” Garrigus said.
Garrigus, a 32-year-old from Scottsdale, Ariz., put his tee shot into the lake lining the 18th fairway, took his drop and yanked his next shot into the trees left of the lake before punching out over the lake. He two-putted for triple bogey to at least make the playoff.
Westwood and Karlsson went par-par-bogey until they returned to No. 18 once again. Westwood stuck his approach six feet from the pin on No. 18. Karlsson left his birdie putt from 43 feet away about a foot short.
Then Westwood rolled in the six-footer for his first PGA Tour win since New Orleans.
Westwood’s victory opened the U.S. Open door for Rocco Mediate, who gained a late entry to this week’s major as first alternate.
RAIN DELAY IN LPGA
The weather-plagued LPGA State Farm Classic was delayed again in Springfield, Ill., with the final round being pushed back until today. Cristie Kerr and Anna Nordqvist held the lead at 20 under.
BJORN ENDS DROUGHT
Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn emerged from a four-year title drought to win the Estoril (Portugal) Open by five shots.
U.S. WINS CURTIS CUP
In Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., the U.S. handily defeated Great Britain and Ireland 12½-7½ to win the Curtis Cup in the 36th biennial competition between teams of female amateur golfers.
