Cook Wins but Can’t Beat Souchak

In a week where just about everything went right in Memphis, Tenn., John Cook enjoyed one of his finest walks toward the 18th green in some time.

He had just chipped from 75 feet on the last hole, an eight-iron that was a hair too hard. The ball bounced off the pin, leaving Cook one stroke shy of the PGA Tour record for a 72-hole tournament.

Still, this was no time to complain. Cook was a winner again, having captured the $1.35-million St. Jude Classic by seven strokes.

“It’s been a long time since I felt like this,” Cook said. “I did the things I needed to do today right on through to the last hole. I didn’t want to coast in from anywhere.”

He closed with a two-under-par 69 for a four-round total of 258, 26 under par and one stroke off Mike Souchak’s record at the Texas Open, a mark that has been in the books for 41 years.

Cook won three tournaments in 1992. It has been a dry spell since, although he did win the Mexican Open last year.

John Adams, who has never won in 20 years on tour, finished second at 265.

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Dottie Pepper ran up a six-stroke lead, then held off a late charge by Annika Sorenstam to win the rain-battered LPGA Rochester (N.Y.) International by two shots.

Pepper fired a six-under 66 in the morning and a 71 in the afternoon to finish at 10-under 206 at the soggy Locust Hill Country Club course.

Sorenstam, the two-time U.S. Open champion from Sweden, had a 67 and a 69 on the 36-hole final day of the tournament that was shortened to 54 holes from 72. Thursday’s opening round was washed out and less than half the field of 141 completed the second round Saturday.

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Dale Douglass birdied the third playoff hole to win his second Bell Atlantic Classic championship and his 11th Senior PGA Tour title.

Douglass, who won this tournament in 1990, went to the extra holes at Malvern, Pa., tied at four-under-par 206 with John Schroeder and Tom Wargo. For the victory, he earned $135,000, more than doubling his earnings for the entire season.