GOLF ROUNDUP : No One’s Close to Couples, Who Wins by Nine Shots

Fred Couples confirmed his status as one of the best players in the world with an expected, almost casual victory Sunday in the Nestle Invitational at Orlando.

With Couples holding a six-shot advantage when the final round began, the question was not whether Couples would win against the best field of the year, but by how much.

He answered that by shooting a two-under-par 70 for a nine-stroke margin, the largest since Jose Maria Olazabal won the 1990 World Series of Golf by 12 shots.

Couples led from start to finish and scored the runaway triumph on a 269 total, 19 under par on Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club.

Gene Sauers finished a distant second at 278 after a 73. No one else was within a dozen shots of the winner.

With his victory, Couples became the first American to lead the Sony world rankings since the system was introduced in 1986. He replaced Masters champion Ian Woosnam in the rankings that now are recognized around the world.

Couples was less than impressed and decidedly unconcerned.

“Maybe I’m ranked No. 1, but I’m not the best player in the world,” he said. “Seve (Ballesteros), Olazabal, (Payne) Stewart, (Nick) Faldo, Woosnam, they’re all pretty good players.”

Danielle Ammaccapane shot a four-under-par 67 to win her second consecutive LPGA Standard Register Ping title by two strokes.

Ammaccapane, 26, birdied the first three holes to pull away from Spain’s Marta Figueras-Dotti, who was only one stroke back when play began Sunday on the Moon Valley Country Club course at Phoenix.