GOLF ROUNDUP : O’Meara Falters, but Holds On

It shouldn’t have been that hard. Mark O’Meara held a six-shot lead in the Honda Classic with nine holes to play Sunday in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

He won by a stroke.

O’Meara’s 71 in the wind gave him a nine-under-par 275 and his first PGA Tour victory since 1992. But on the brink of collapse, he had to right himself over the back nine to stave off bids by two of the world’s best players, Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam.

“I’m glad that’s over,” O’Meara said. “Wow, there was a lot of work out there. It’s always tough to have the lead. You have to play smart golf.”

He played well enough to be coasting, but then three-putted No. 11 while Woosnam was curling in an eagle putt on No. 12 to tie things.

O’Meara birdied No. 12 to retake the lead and held it, but never by more than a shot.

Faldo shot 69 for a 276 total and second place. Woosnam’s 68 gave him a 277 total and third.

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Dottie Mochrie shot a four-under 68 in Tucson, finishing at 10-under 278 to win the LPGA Ping-Welch tournament and put to rest a career of playing poorly over the Randolph North municipal course.

Mochrie, who has played at Tucson in each of her eight seasons on the tour, had never done better than a tie for 15th.

“You’re supposed to have low scores on this golf course,” she said. “It’s not that long, the par fives are fairly accessible and the greens are pretty big. And I come in here and shoot a million every year.”

This year, she was five shots better than Cindy Rarick and Annika Sorenstam, who tied for second.

Amy Alcott, who was two shots behind going into the final round and bidding for her 30th tour victory and automatic entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame, shot 73 and tied for fifth place.

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Jim Albus shot a three-under 69 to finish at 11-under 205 for a three-shot victory over Jay Sigel and Ray Floyd in the Dominion Seniors tournament at San Antonio.

Albus won the event for the second year in a row.