For the Record, Perry Wins Colonial

Justin Leonard was shooting for history, knowing that even with his near-perfect round he wasn’t close to challenging Kenny Perry for the victory in the Colonial on Sunday at Fort Worth.

So with a chance to become only fourth person to shoot a 59 in a PGA Tour event, and in the fairway at the 18th hole, Leonard tried for the perfect shot.

But his nine-iron came up woefully short.

“The wind was dying down just enough and hopefully my adrenaline was pumping enough to get a nine-iron there,” Leonard said.

“I’m trying to hit the ball a foot from the hole. Give myself a putt at it.”

Instead, the approach shot from 144 yards landed short of the green, 65 feet from the flag. He pitched 10 feet past, and his par putt for a 60 just missed.

Leonard settled for tying Perry’s course record at nine-under-par 61 to finish second at 13 under, six strokes behind.

Perry had a closing 68 for a 19-under 261 total that broke the Colonial record of 16 under held by 1993 winner Fulton Allem. He was at 17 under after his 61 Saturday gave him an eight-stroke lead.

“Kenny Perry won this golf tournament [Saturday] in shooting the round he did,” Leonard said.

Perry’s victory was an anticlimactic ending at the Colonial, which began Thursday when Annika Sorenstam became the first woman in 58 years to play on the PGA Tour.

“I’ll probably be remembered as the guy who won Annika’s event, but that’s OK with me,” Perry said.

The $900,000 check was his largest on tour, after winning $751,171 in his first 11 cuts this year. He pushed his career earnings over $11 million.

The only drama during the final round involved Leonard. He got to eight under for the day after his four-foot birdie putt at the 178-yard 13th hole. Then birdies at the par-four 15th and par-four 17th put Leonard at 10 under, giving him a chance for the first 59 since David Duval at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in 1999.

Jeff Sluman (65) finished third at 12 under, one stroke better than Brandt Jobe (64).

*

Juli Inkster made her first Corning (N.Y.) Classic victory one for the record books. She shot a 10-under-par 62 -- tying the lowest final-round score by a winner in the history of the LPGA Tour -- to beat Lorie Kane by four strokes despite her closing 67.

Inkster’s total score of 24-under-par 264 also broke the tournament record of 268 set in 1998 by Tammie Green. It was Inkster’s 29th victory.

Catriona Matthew, who began the day with a two-shot lead over Kane, had a final-round 70 and finished in third at 269.

*

Morris Hatalsky made a four-foot par putt on the 18th hole to win his second Champions Tour event, beating Allen Doyle by a stroke at the Columbus Southern Open.

Hatalsky closed with a three-under 67 at Green Island Country Club in Columbus, Ga., and finished at 12-under 198. Doyle was second at 11-under 199 after a 67.

Hatalsky, who won the Uniting Fore Care Classic in 2002, is the 13th winner in as many Champion Tour events this year.