Golf Roundup : After a ‘Scare,’ Alcott Wins by Shooting a 69

Amy Alcott fired a three-under-par 69 Sunday for a four-stroke victory in the Women’s Invitational at Moss Creek Plantation on Hilton Head Island, S.C., after play was delayed for nearly two hours while security officials removed an “overzealous fan.”

Authorities suspected the man had a weapon, but it turned out that a security officer mistook a bottle of suntan lotion for a handgun.

“Security people at the front gate observed what they thought was a man entering the compound with a firearm in his lap,” LPGA spokesman Kevin Plate said. “A search was made for this individual, his car was found, and in his car was a list of three players.”

Plate wouldn’t reveal the names of the three players. All golfers were escorted to the clubhouse.

Security officers located the man near the practice tee at the Devils Elbow South course. He was reimbursed for his ticket and escorted from the course.

Plate said the man, who “can be described best as an overzealous fan,” has written letters to players in the past. Following the delay, security officers were seen accompanying the threesomes in which Beth Daniel and Hollis Stacy were playing.

Alcott, who started the day one stroke off the pace, had a 72-hole total of 284. Nancy Lopez, Patty Sheehan, Kathy Postlewait and Juli Inkster tied for second at 288.

Alcott, of Santa Monica, collected $30,000 for her victory to boost her season’s earnings to more than $103,000. It was her second tournament win of the year and her first-ever at Moss Creek.

Alcott sank a five-foot putt on No. 5 and a 20-foot putt on No. 6 for a pair of birdies and made the turn three under par. She added birdies on Nos. 11 and 14, and overcame a bogey at No. 16.

Third-round leader Lori Garbacz had a 78 and a 292.

At Tallahassee, Fla., Jeff Sluman rebounded from a third-round 74 with his third seven-under-par 65 and earned his first professional victory by edging Gary Player and Kenny Knox by one stroke in the $200,000 Tallahassee Open.

Sluman, 27, won the $36,000 first-place check with a four-day total of 269, tying the tournament record set by Chi Chi Rodriquez in 1979.

Sluman started the day three shots behind Knox and two behind Player. But the former Florida State University star took control on the front nine when he tied another course record by knocking six strokes off par.

Player had a final-round 68, which left him deadlocked with Knox at 270. Knox shot a 69.

Manuel Pinero of Spain shot a six-under-par 66 for a 267 total at Milan, Italy, to win the $100,000 Italian Open by one stroke over Britain’s Sam Torrance.

Seve Ballesteros of Spain, runner-up after three rounds, finished with a 70 and was five strokes back.