Toms Holds Off Duval and Ames

With two holes to play, David Toms could have folded and given David Duval a victory at the Sprint International at Castle Rock, Colo. Instead he came up with two birdies and a victory.

Toms, who double-bogeyed the 16th, led every round in posting his second career victory on the PGA Tour, but he had to hold off Duval and Stephen Ames over the final holes.

Ames had the lead at the turn Sunday, but in a wild finish it shifted to Toms, then to Duval and finally back to Toms.

Toms, 32, finished with 47 points under the modified Stableford scoring system used in this event--three more than Duval. Ames wound up at 43, while Chris Perry had 37 and Ernie Els and Billy Mayfair each had 35.

“To come back from a disastrous double at 16 is very gratifying,” Toms said. “When we walked off the green, my caddie [Scott Gneiser] said to me, ‘Just hang in there and try to play the last two holes as good as you can.’ ”

Toms stood at 46, Ames at 44 and Duval at 42 before Toms and Ames double-bogeyed the 209-yard par-three 16th to drop three points.

Moments later, Duval birdied the 492-yard, par-five 17th, two-putting from 25 feet to take the lead with 44 points, while Toms had 43 and Ames 41.

But Toms birdied the last two holes and Duval parred the 18th.

*

Rosie Jones parred the fourth playoff hole to defeat Becky Iverson and Jan Stephenson and win the $650,000 Firstar LPGA Classic at Beavercreek, Ohio.

The three were tied at nine-under 207 after three rounds. Jones and Stephenson each had final-round 68s, and Iverson closed with a 67. Stephenson was eliminated after bogeying the first playoff hole.

*

Tom McGinnis, who had never won a PGA Tour nor Senior PGA Tour event, made a four-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to defeat Hale Irwin and win the BankBoston Classic at Concord, Mass.

McGinnis birdied the final hole of regulation for a five-under 67 and 11-under 205 total. Irwin had a final-round 68.

*

Laura Davies held off local favorite Helen Alfredsson to win the Compaq Open at Stockholm by four strokes, her second victory in Sweden in as many months. Davies shot a bogey-free, three-under 70 for a 15-under 277. . . . Barseback Golf and Country Club at Stockholm will play host to the 2004 Solheim Cup matches between Europe and the United States.

Final Results

PGA SPRINT INTERNATIONAL

David Toms: 16-13-10-8--47, $468,000

David Duval: 10-15-11-8--44, $280,000

Stephen Ames: 11-12-13-7--43, $176,800

Chris Perry: 10-15-3-9--37, $124,000

* Next: World Golf Championships: NEC Invitational, Akron, Ohio; Reno-Tahoe Open, Reno, Nev.

SENIORS BANKBOSTON CLASSIC

xTom McGinnis: 69-69-67 (-11)--$180,000

Hale Irwin: 69-68-68 (-11)--$105,000

David Graham: 71-69-66 (-10)--$79,000

Jay Sigel: 67-70-69 (-10)--$79,000

x-Won on second playoff hole

* Next: AT&T; Canada Senior Open, Montreal.

FIRSTAR LPGA CLASSIC

xRosie Jones: 72-67-68 (-9)--$97,500

Becky Iverson: 74-66-67 (-9)--$52,333

Jan Stephenson: 68-71-68 (-9)--$52,333

x-Won on fourth playoff hole

* Next: Oldsmobile Classic, East Lansing, Mich.