Hunter Mahan wins Bridgestone Invitational with final-round 64

Hunter Mahan kept his cool over the closing stretch and won the biggest title of his career by two shots at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday at Akron, Ohio.

While world No. 1 Tiger Woods and second-ranked Phil Mickelson posted scores that they would prefer to forget, Mahan shot a six-under-par 64, sealing his first victory in a World Golf Championships event and his third on the PGA Tour.

“I feel great,” Mahan said after clinching a spot on the U.S. team for the Oct. 1-3 Ryder Cup. “This feels unbelievable.”

Mahan, 28, was three strokes off the lead going into the final round and charged into contention with a five-under 30 on the front nine. He made two crucial putts to save par over the last four holes and posted a 12-under total of 268.

Ryan Palmer, who shared the lead with Sean O’ Hair after three rounds, shot a 69 at Firestone Country Club and finished second, a stroke ahead of Bo Van Pelt (67) and Retief Goosen (65). O’Hair (71) finished in fifth place at eight under.

Woods, a seven-time winner here, produced his worst finish on the Tour after closing with a 77, and Mickelson squandered a golden opportunity to replace Woods as No. 1.

Mickelson would have moved into the top spot for the first time by finishing alone in fourth place or better.

After beginning the final round tied for 10th, he tumbled into a share of 46th at three over after shooting a 78 that featured a double-bogey at No. 9, where he three-putted from four feet.

“It’s hard to be upbeat after a round like today,” Mickelson said. “I’ve got some work to do to get my own game sharp.”

Woods, who ended his round almost three hours before the overnight leaders teed off, produced his highest final score as a professional and tied for 78th in the 80-player field.

He had two double-bogeys in the last five holes and posted an 18-over total of 298, 30 strokes behind Mahan.

It was his highest 72-hole aggregate on the PGA Tour, his worst score relative to par, and it was the first time since the 2003 PGA Championship that he had strung together four rounds over par.

Chip shots

Bill Lunde overtook Alex Cejka in the final round of the Turning Stone Resort Championship at Verona, N.Y., and won his first PGA Tour title by one shot.

Lunde, who was four strokes behind Cejka at the start of the round, charged ahead with a sizzling front nine of six-under 30 on the way to a six-under 66 at Atunyote Golf Club. Lunde offset a bogey at the 11th with a birdie at the 16th and posted a 17-under total of 271, earning a spot in this week’s PGA Championship.

David Frost shot an 11-under 61 and earned a record-setting victory at the 3M Championship at Blaine, Minn. It was the first Champions Tour title for Frost, whose 25-under 191 was two shots better than the previous tournament scoring record set by R.W. Eaks in 2008. His final-round score beat by one the tournament record set by Dana Quigley in 2008. Mark Calcavecchia, tied with Frost for the lead after 36 holes, shot a four-under 68, and finished second, five shots behind.