Appleby Overcomes Weather for Victory at Kemper Open

Stuart Appleby stood on the 18th fairway at the Kemper Open, 214 yards from the green, with a one-stroke lead and the wind whipping rain into his face at Potomac, Md.

With a three-iron in his hand and the ball slightly below his feet on a side-hill lie, Appleby knew he had to get the ball on the green and two-putt to hold off Scott Hoch.

“I couldn’t do anything wrong with those factors,” Appleby said Sunday after a closing-round 72 gave him the tournament victory at 10-under-par 274. “It was something we all practice for, to hit a shot like that under pressure.”

The shot landed 15 feet from the hole. Two putts later the 27-year-old Australian had his second PGA Tour title. Hoch was one stroke back at 275 and five players--including Fred Funk, who led after each of the first three rounds--were at 278.

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John Jacobs, who had never won on either the PGA or the Senior PGA tours, shot a five-under-par 67 to win the senior Nationwide Championship at Alpharetta, Ga. Jacobs finished with a 10-under 206 total to edge Hale Irwin by one stroke and Gil Morgan and Leonard Thompson by two.

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Annika Sorenstam needed birdies on two of the last three holes to force a playoff, then beat Donna Andrews on the second extra hole to win the LPGA Michelob Light Classic at St. Louis. Sorenstam, who shot a final-round 68, and second-round leader Andrews, who had a final-round 70, were tied after 54 holes at eight-under 208.