LPGA : Sheehan’s Birdie on 18th Beats Bradley

Patty Sheehan sank a birdie putt on the final hole Sunday to hold off Pat Bradley by one stroke and capture the $200,000 Kyocera Inamori tournament.

Sheehan held a three-stroke lead after nine holes, but Bradley pulled into a tie when the leader made her second bogey of the day by three-putting the par-4 15th.

The two matched pars on the 16th and 17th holes before Sheehan sank an 18-foot putt for a three on the par-4 18th for the victory at the 6,391-yard Bernardo Heights Country Club course.

Sheehan carded a 2-under-par 70 Sunday to finish the 72-hole tournament at 278, 10 strokes under par. Bradley, bidding for back-to-back victories after winning last week’s Nabisco Dinah Shore tournament, shot a final-round 68 for a 279 total.

Joanne Carner and Jan Stephenson finished five strokes back at 283. Carner shot a final-round 70 while Stephenson posted a 71.

Bunched at 3-under-par 285 were Jane Geddes, Val Skinner, Deb Richard and Marta Figueras-Dotti.

The final day of the event was a duel between Sheehan and Bradley, who were four strokes in front of their nearest rivals going into the final hole.

Bradley matched Sheehan’s 2-under-par 34 on the front nine. She made her third and fourth birdies of the day on Nos. 11 and 12 and caught the leader when she parred No. 15 while Sheehan made her second bogey of the round.

Bradley missed a chance to go in front at the par-5 17th when her birdie putt lipped out.

Sheehan, 29, picked up $30,000 in notching her second tournament victory of the year. She won the Sarasota, Fla., tournament in February.

She also won the Kyocera tournament for the third time in her six-year career. Each victory has been on a different course. The Los Gatos resident won the event when it was played in San Jose in 1982 and won again the next year at Torrey Pines in San Diego.