Perry wins again in playoff

He never wanted to be the star, the main attraction, but Kenny Perry will have no choice if this continues. The guy who merely wanted to win enough to make the Ryder Cup team is now racking up victories at a rapid pace.

“I don’t want to live in a fishbowl,” he said. “I don’t want Tiger [Woods] status.”

He’s got a ways to go to get there, but he is attracting more attention than before.

Perry beat Brad Adamonis and Jay Williamson in a playoff to win the John Deere Classic at Silvis, Ill., and escape with his third victory in five starts after bogeying the 18th hole Sunday.

Perry had a one-stroke lead at 17 under par through 17 only to lose it thanks to some poor shots from the fringe on the final hole of regulation.

He and Williamson watched as Adamonis, the PGA Tour’s oldest rookie at 35, missed an 18-foot putt for birdie that would have won it in regulation. The ball stopped three feet short and Adamonis was at 16-under 268 with the others.

While Adamonis and Williamson each hit approach shots into the pond on No. 18, Perry tapped in from about 1 1/2 feet for par and the victory after his 24-footer stopped just short.

Perry, 47, is enjoying the best stretch of his career and collected $756,000 with his 12th victory.

“I told my dad I was going to make the PGA Tour and win a tournament,” he said. “My goal was never to be a superstar. I just wanted to make a living and support my kids.”

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Paula Creamer shot a two-over 73 and did just enough to make a big lead stand up, going wire to wire to win the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic at Sylvania, Ohio, by two strokes.

Creamer, who earned her seventh career win and third this season, had worse scores every day after breaking the tournament record with an 11-under 60 in the first round.

She followed that with a 65 and a 70 to finish at 16-under 268, two shots better than Nicole Castrale, who closed fast with a 64.

Creamer’s lead dropped to one shot when rookie Shanshan Feng -- the first exempt player from China to play on the LPGA Tour -- pushed her with five birdies through the first 11 holes. But Feng fell back with three consecutive bogeys down the stretch.

South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji, second to Creamer after each of the first three rounds, shot a 72 and was third at 271. Feng had a 69 for a total of 272, followed by Karrie Webb, who shot a 70 and was at 273.

Creamer said the victory wasn’t easy.

“After you shoot 60, I swear, it’s the hardest thing. Anything over that and you feel like you’re shooting 85,” she said, laughing.

“Everybody’s saying, congratulations, congratulations. But you’ve still got three days left.”

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Graeme McDowell won the Scottish Open at Luss with three consecutive birdies on the back nine for a three-under 68 and a two-stroke victory.

Phil Mickelson had a 73 and finished 11 shots off the lead in a tie for 38th.

McDowell trailed Simon Khan by two shots until Khan double-bogeyed the 12th. McDowell then birdied the next three holes to move ahead and went on to win with a total of 13-under 271 at Loch Lomond.

James Kingston (66) finished second. Richard Green and Miguel Angel Jimenez shot 69s to tie for third at 274.