Maruyama Gets His Victory

Shigeki Maruyama spent most of the final round Sunday staying out of trouble with delicate chips and clutch putts in the Byron Nelson Classic at Irving, Texas.

Tiger Woods staged another charge that ultimately fell short. Then, Maruyama had to watch another late rally from an unlikely source in the group ahead, rookie Ben Crane, who followed an eagle with a 21-foot birdie putt on No. 17.

The Japanese star managed to hold it together, though, closing with a two-under 68 for a two-stroke victory over Crane. Woods finished third.

Maruyama capped off his second PGA Tour victory with a routine par on the final hole, thrust his arms in the air and bowed to tournament host Byron Nelson when he walked to the scoring trailer.

Maruyama finished at 14-under 266 to earn $864,000 and entry into the U.S. Open.

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Annika Sorenstam, confident she had played her best, could only stand and watch from the scorer’s tent. She didn’t expect Pat Hurst to make a mistake.

Sorenstam matched the course record with an eight-under 64 and won the Aerus Electrolux USA Championship at Franklin, Tenn., when Hurst hit into the water and bogeyed No. 18.

They shared the lead most of the day, matching birdies despite wind gusting to 20 mph. The turning point came at the par-five 18th.

Sorenstam, playing two groups ahead of Hurst, got to the front of the green in two, chipped to four feet and made the birdie putt to go to 17 under.

Hurst birdied No. 17 to go to 17 under and learned that she and Sorenstam shared the lead. A strong drive left her 199 yards to the green, but her three-wood shot drifted right, hit the bank and splashed into the water. She then chipped across the green, leaving herself a 25-footer for par.

She came up short, giving Sorenstam her third victory in seven LPGA Tour starts this year and fourth win overall this season.

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When he woke up twice Saturday night to the sound of thunder, Bruce Lietzke figured he might be on the verge of winning a tournament without even swinging a club. He was right.

Unrelenting rains made the course unplayable and Lietzke, whose eight-under-par 64 Saturday gave him a two-stroke lead, was declared the winner of the Senior Tour TD Waterhouse Championship at Kansas City.

Lietzke, 50, finished with a 36-hole total of 11-under to win $240,000. Larry Nelson, whose 66 on Saturday left him two strokes behind Lietzke, collected $140,000.