Rookie Tseng wins major

Yani Tseng of Taiwan became the first rookie in 10 years to win a major, beating Maria Hjorth on the fourth hole of a playoff with a five-foot birdie on the 18th hole to win the LPGA Championship in Havre De Grace, Md.

Tseng, a 19-year-old with a decorated amateur career, closed with a four-under-par 68 and became the second-youngest woman to win a major. Not since Se Ri Pak in the 1998 McDonald’s LPGA Championship had a player won a major as a rookie.

“I feel so lucky,” Tseng said.

Hjorth appeared to have fate on her side when her fairway metal bounced off the rocks in a creek, over a ledge and across the green, turning a bogey into a birdie on the 15th hole. She closed with a 71, and missed a 12-foot birdie before Tseng holed the winning putt.

Lorena Ochoa went 14 holes without a birdie, ending her hopes of a third straight major. She birdied two of the last three holes for a 71 and finished one shot out of the playoff, along with Annika Sorenstam.

Sorenstam had a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole to get into the playoff, but she left it short and shot 71.

Tseng and Hjorth finished at 12-under 276.

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Justin Leonard won the Stanford St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tenn., in a playoff, holing a 19-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole to beat Masters champion Trevor Immelman and Robert Allenby.

Leonard blew a one-stroke lead with two holes left to drop into the playoff but won on the 150-yard, par-three 11th when Immelman pushed his birdie attempt past the hole.

It’s Leonard’s 12th PGA Tour title, his second at TPC Southwind and his first since the 2007 Valero Texas Open.

Leonard closed with a two-under-par 68 to match Allenby (65) and Immelman (69) at four-under 276.