Inspired by Pepper, U.S. Keeps Solheim

If the Europeans didn’t like Dottie Pepper after her cheerleading Saturday, they must have hated her Sunday.

Pepper won another emotional match and Sherri Steinhauer hit two memorable iron shots down the stretch for the deciding point as the United States blunted a European comeback to retain golf’s Solheim Cup, 16-12, at Dublin, Ohio.

Pepper ran her record to 4-0 this week and 10-1 in the last three Solheim Cups.

“I get inspired for stuff like this,” Pepper said. “I love a team format, and playing for your country gives me goose bumps.”

The victory was the Americans’ fourth in the five biennial competitions. Europe’s only victory came in 1992 at Dalmahoy in Scotland.

Ahead, 10 1/2-5 1/2, to start the final day, the United States needed only 3 1/2 points in singles to retain the cup. With one point up for grabs in each of the 12 head-to-head matches, Europe won the first three matches at Muirfield Village Golf Club.

But victories by Pepper, Rosie Jones, Kelly Robbins and finally Steinhauer locked up the victory.

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It took him 14 years and 378 tournaments, but Chris Perry can finally call himself a winner on the PGA Tour.

He shot a five-under-par 67 to win the B.C. Open by three strokes over Peter Jacobsen at Endicott, N.Y.

Perry finished the four rounds at 15-under 273 and took the first-place check of $270,000.

Nolan Henke was third, another stroke back, and Curt Byrum, Robert Allenby and Ted Tryba finished tied for fourth at 278.

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Miguel Angel Jimenez made a spectacular 30-yard chip over a bunker to birdie the 18th hole and win the Lancome Trophy at Saint-Nom-La-Breteche, France, after Mark O’Meara and David Duval dropped shots at the same hole.

The Spaniard, who won $209,000, ended the tournament at 11-under 273, two shots ahead of Duval, O’Meara, Jarmo Sandelin of Sweden and New Zealand’s Greg Turner.

Jiminez’s topsy-turvy round included bogeys on the 10th, 14th and 17th holes and birdies on the 11th, 12th, 13th and 18th.

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Hugh Baiocchi made a 15-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a record-tying five-man playoff to win the rain-shortened Kroger Senior Classic at Mason, Ohio.

Sunday’s final round was rained out, except for the playoff, which was squeezed into a dry period in the afternoon after the tournament had been cut to 36 holes earlier in the day.

Baiocchi, who won the Comfort Classic last week at Indianapolis, beat four others who were tied at seven-under 133 after two rounds: Bob Charles, Larry Nelson, Bruce Summerhays and Frank Conner.