Baddeley holds off Furyk for 1st win
Aaron Baddeley won the
Baddeley was tied with Furyk entering the round, had a two-shot lead by the fifth hole, then was down by that many to Furyk after No. 11.
But the 25-year-old Australian proved unflappable, birdieing two of the hardest holes on the PGA Tour -- the 14th was statistically the hardest par 3 on Tour last year and the 15th was the hardest par 5 -- to move in front for good.
Baddeley shot a 1-under-par 70 to finish at 15 under, a stroke ahead of Furyk (71) and two ahead of Vaughn Taylor (66) and Billy Mayfair (69).
''It's been a special day. Yesterday was my [one-year] anniversary," Baddeley said. ''It has been a special weekend, it really has."
Furyk was seemingly in the clear when his birdie on No. 10 and Baddeley's miscue on No. 11 put him up by two shots. However, Furyk missed a 5-footer for par on the 12th hole and could not match Baddeley's touch at the end.
Furyk had his chances to tie after Baddeley chunked a chip shot at the par-3 17th and made bogey. But Furyk followed by missing a 10-foot par putt to remain one back.
Again on the 18th hole, Furyk had a tying 12-foot birdie putt, but slid it left. Baddeley, who missed the green when his second shot went long and right, then won with a 6-foot par putt that caught the right edge of the cup and dropped in.
''I just needed some of those putts on the back nine to go in," said Furyk.
LPGA Legends -- Patty Sheehan shot a 1-under 72 in cold, rainy conditions to win the second annual World Senior Golf Ladies Open Championship in Gotemba, Japan.
Sheehan finished the 36-hole event at 4 under, five shots ahead of Alicia Dibos and six ahead of Cindy Rarick.
European -- Jeev Milkha Singh became the second Indian player to win on the European Tour, closing with a 2-under 70 for a one-stroke win over Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano in the China Open in Beijing.
