This Time, Sutton Has No Problems

Hal Sutton is going to his first Ryder Cup in 12 years and playing some of the best golf of his life.

In a dominant display of driving and clutch putting Sunday, Sutton ran away from the field in the Canadian Open at Oakville, closing with a three-under 69 for a three-stroke victory over Dennis Paulson.

“I felt in control of my game,” Sutton said after closing with a three-under 69, one of only seven rounds in the 60s on the rock-hard conditions at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

Sutton finished at 275 for the widest margin of victory in the Canadian Open since Curtis Strange won by three strokes in 1987. The third-oldest golf championship in the world is notorious for dramatic finishes, but Sutton never let it get that far.

A string of three birdies on the front nine took him from one stroke behind Lee Janzen to a four-stroke lead, and Sutton poured it on from there.

The 69 was even more impressive on a course that had been getting firmer and faster by the day. Only seven players were in the 60s in the final round.

Paulson was the only one who came close to Sutton, getting within three strokes with a two-putt birdie on No. 13 but no closer. Still, a 69 gave Paulson his second runner-up finish this year.

That can only help the Americans’ bid to win the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1993. Sutton became only the fourth U.S. player to win a tournament this year, joining Tiger Woods, David Duval and Match Play championship winner Jeff Maggert.

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Gil Morgan used strong iron play to overcome his best friend, Mike McCullough, and swirling winds at Indianapolis, shooting a three-under 69 to win the Comfort Classic senior tournament by two strokes.

Morgan trailed McCullough by one stroke entering the final round and their rounds had very different endings.

Morgan, winner of six Senior PGA Tour events each of the last two years, won his first official event this year with a quick start as he birdied the first two holes to take the lead.

He saved the lead with a par on No. 12 and finished at 15-under 201, two strokes ahead of Ed Dougherty, who also closed with a 69. Tom Jenkins finished another shot back after a final-round 71.

“On days like today, it takes a lot of ball control to stay on top of the conditions,” said Morgan, who has won two unofficial events this year. “I putted at a higher level this week. I didn’t make any mistakes until today, and when I did, I was able to salvage it.”

McCullough, who lost his lead to Morgan’s fast start, stayed close until finishing with a double bogey and bogey. He shot a 74 and finished in a fourth-place tie at 205 with J.C. Snead, who had a 67, and Walter Hall, who had a 68.

Tom Watson, making his senior tour debut, was one of five players who shared the first-round lead but faded after that. He shot a three-over 75 Sunday and finished nine shots behind Morgan.

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Se Ri Pak rallied from a four-stroke deficit to win the Samsung World Championship of Women’s Golf at Maple Grove, Minn., as Karrie Webb double-bogeyed two of the last four holes.

Pak closed with a par round of 72 for an eight-under 280, one stroke better than Webb who shot a two-over 74.

Webb, who started the final round with a one-stroke lead over Pak and Laura Davies, nearly rebounded from her first disaster, the double bogey at 15, but she missed a six-foot birdie putt on the next hole as Pak was bogeying No. 17.

In her bid to become the first player since Beth Daniel in 1990 to win seven tournaments in a year, Webb had problems on the final hole.

Her third shot on the 530-yard par-five found a greenside bunker. She hit out about three feet short of the green. After chipping onto the green, she barely missed a six-foot bogey putt.

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Britain and Ireland came back to defeat the United States and win the Walker Cup at Nairn, Scotland. The British-Irish team won 10 of a possible 12 points on the final day, resulting in a record 15-9 victory.

It was only the fifth victory in 77 years for Britain-Ireland in amateur golf’s most prestigious event, but it also marked three wins in the last six attempts.

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Bob May, an American who plays on the European tour, overtook Colin Montgomerie to win the British Masters by a stroke for his first professional victory.

Montgomerie was trying for a record-tying sixth victory of the season on the tour. He led by three strokes at the start of the round but had three consecutive bogeys beginning at No. 4 and finished at 71.

May, playing with Montgomerie, closed with a five-under 67 to finish at 19-under 269. His best previous finish was a tie for third at the Scandinavian Masters five weeks ago.

Final Scores

BELL CANADIAN OPEN--Par 72

Hal Sutton: 69--275 (-13)--$450,000

Dennis Paulson: 69--278 (-10)--$270,000

LPGA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP--Par 72

Se Ri Pak: 72--280 (-8)--$150,000

Karrie Webb: 74--281 (-7)--$90,000

Rachel Hetherington: 774--283 (-5)--$65,000

COMFORT CLASSIC--Par 72

Gil Morgan: 69--201 (-15)--$180,000

Ed Dougherty: 69--203 (-13)--$105,600

Tom Jenkins: 71--204 (-12)--$86,400