Hurst Makes Amends With an Easy Victory

Pat Hurst put an 18th-hole collapse behind her in a hurry, and put herself in a perfect frame of mind for the Solheim Cup.

A week after making a double bogey on the last hole to finish two strokes behind Cristie Kerr in the Wendy’s Championship for Children, Hurst closed with a routine par Sunday to beat Kerr by three strokes in the State Farm Classic at Springfield, Ill.

“You try to look at the present, not the past,” Hurst said. “I think last week was just a steppingstone, and I think it helped a little bit.”

Hurst finished with a two-under-par 70 for her fourth LPGA Tour victory and first since 2000. She had a 17-under 271 total and earned $195,000.

A little more than an hour after finishing play, Hurst and Kerr boarded a bus with five other U.S. Solheim Cup players for the trip to Carmel, Ind., for the matches this weekend against Europe at Crooked Stick.

Hurst birdied four of the first five holes and had a five-stroke lead after 11 holes, but dropped three strokes on her next two holes with a double bogey and bogey. She rebounded with a birdie on No. 14 and finished with four pars.

“I’m glad that last putt is in and that back nine is over,” Hurst said.

Kerr, the State Farm winner last year, birdied three of her first four holes but never moved closer than two shots and finished with a 69.

“I hit it the best I’ve hit it in over a week. My putting left me totally. I was shocked,” Kerr said.

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Hale Irwin won for the first time since turning 60 in June, shooting a four-under 68 at Pebble Beach for a one-stroke victory over three players in the Champions Tour’s First Tee Open.

Irwin, a three-time winner this year and the tour’s career leader with 43 victories, had a 13-under 203 total. The three-time U.S. Open champion is the first player 60 or older to win since J.C. Snead in 2002.

“I relish the challenge of playing and going out at the age of 60 to play like I did when I was 50,” said Irwin, who earned $300,000 from the $2-million purse.

Irwin made a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 17 and closed with a par to hold off 2004 winner Craig Stadler (67), Morris Hatalsky (67) and Gil Morgan (69). Stadler and Hatalsky, playing two groups ahead of Irwin, both missed birdie putts on the 18th hole.

Irwin, who began the final round tied for the lead with Morgan, had seven birdies and three bogeys in the final round.

The 1984 AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am winner, Irwin is the 12th player to win PGA Tour and Champions Tour events on the same course.

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The Deutsche Bank Championship at Norton, Mass., appeared to belong to Tiger Woods at the start of the week. Now it’s up for grabs for just about everyone except golf’s No. 1 player.

John Rollins set a course record with a 28 on the back nine, holing out a bunker shot on the 18th hole for an eight-under 63 as the leaders were still warming up on the range.

Jason Bohn birdied his last four holes for a 67. Carl Petterson scrambled to a 68. Billy Andrade started and finished with birdies and made 16 pars in between.

And when Olin Browne recovered from an awkward spot in the fairway to save par on the 18th for a 70, he joined the five-way tie atop the leaderboard, the largest logjam going into the final round in 22 years on the PGA Tour.

“We just have to wait until the last few holes to see the way things shake out,” Browne said. “With as many guys as there are tied for the lead there’s going to be a lot of jockeying for position.

“The important thing is to catch a rhythm, hit as many quality shots as possible, and if you have a chance on the last couple of holes, take your crack.”

The leaders were at 10-under 203, one shot ahead of Kent Jones (63) and Joey Sindelar (69). Fourteen other players were within four shots of the lead on the TPC of Boston.

After opening with a 65 to take the lead, Woods, who shot a 73 on Saturday, stumbled to a 72, his second round over par, and was seven shots behind.

“I played well the first day. And for some reason ... welcome to golf,” Woods said. “You come out the next day and you just don’t have it. And the last two days, I have not had it.”

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Sergio Garcia won the European Masters by a stroke, chipping in for a birdie on the 16th hole at Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland. He shot a three-under 68 to hold off Peter Gustafsson.

Garcia began the day ahead by a stroke and finished at 14-under 270. Gustafsson posted the day’s best round, a 64. Paul Casey (66) was third at 272.

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Retief Goosen shot an eight-under 64 to win the China Masters at Beijing, beating U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell by six strokes.

Goosen, who led from the from first round, had a 29 on the first nine holes and ended the Asian Tour event at 22-under 266.