THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) — Mao Saigo of Japan won the Chevron Championship on Sunday for her first major title, making a 3-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a five-way playoff.
Saigo birdied the par-5 18th in regulation for a 2-under 74, leaving her tied with Hyo Joo Kim, Ruoning Yin, Ariya Jutanugarn and Lindy Duncan. They finished at 7-under 281 at The Club at Carlton Woods.
Saigo won on the 18th in the playoff after Yin and Jutanugarn had birdie tries lip out. Jutanugarn bogeyed the 18th in regulation after stubbing her third shot only inches.
Saigo won for the first time on the LPGA Tour. She was the tour’s rookie of the year last season. The 23-year-old player is the first Japanese winner in the event and the fifth major champion. She has six victories on the Japanese tour, five in 2022.
Winners had been jumping into Poppie’s Pond off the 18th green at Mission Hills since 1988, and Saigo became the second to do it in Texas by leaping into the brown-tinged water. She shrieked and smiled as she went in holding hands with two members of her team.
Saigo took home $1.2 million from the $8 million purse.
PGA Tour
AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin shot a 1-under 71 in alternate-shot play to become first-time PGA Tour winners — by one stroke — at the Zurich Classic.
They finished at 28-under 260 at the Pete Dye-designed TPC Louisiana and Novak finally broke through after a pair of top-three finishes this month — the last a playoff loss to Justin Thomas a week ago at the RBC Heritage.
Play was delayed by weather for just over 90 minutes with Novak on Griffin on the eighth hole.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy and fellow Irishman Shane Lowry, the defending champions, were in contention through 12 holes, but fell to 12th — six shots behind — with three late bogeys.
Danish identical twins Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard narrowly missed out on a first PGA Tour win, finishing second after a 68.
LIV Golf League
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Joaquin Niemann won LIV Golf Mexico City for his third victory in six events this season, closing with a 6-under 65 for a three-stroke margin over Bryson DeChambeau and Lucus Herbert.
Niemann finished at 16-under 197 at Club de Golf Chapultepec. The 26-year-old Chilean star also won last year in Mexico at Mayakoba. He has five LIV victories after winning twice on the PGA Tour.
Herbert tied the course record with a 61, and second-round leader DeChambeau shot 70.
Legion XIII won the team competition Captain Jon Rahm (68), Tyrrell Hatton (68), Caleb Surratt (69) and Tom McKibbin (70) combined for Legion XIII’s second victory of the season and sixth overall.
LIV Golf Korea is next week.
European Tour
HAINAN ISLAND, China (AP) — Marco Penge of England closed with a 5-under 67 for a three-shot victory in Hainan Classic for his first European tour title, coming just two months after he returned from a ban for betting on golf.
The victory capped off a wild six months for Penge, which began with him narrowly keeping his European card and ended with him finishing third in the Asian Swing to earn a spot in the PGA Championship next month.
The European tour gave Penge a three-month suspension for betting on golf, though it determined he never bet on himself or on anyone in the tournaments he played. He was fined 2,000 pounds.
The 26-year-old Penge finished at 17-under 271 and held off an early charge from Sean Crocker on the front nine. Crocker fell back with too many bogeys and shot 66 to finish three back along with Kristoffer Reitan (67).
Keita Nakajima and Eugenio Chacarra also earned spots in the PGA Championship for leading the Asian swing.
PGA Tour Champions
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Jerry Kelly won the Mitsubishi Electric Classic for his 13th PGA Tour Champions title, birdieing two of the last four holes for a one-stroke victory over Ernie Els.
The 58-year-old Kelly, tied with Els entering the round, closed with a 5-under 67 to finish at 20-under 196 at TPC Sugarloaf. He opened with a 62 on Friday and shot 67 on Saturday.
Els birdied the last for a 68. He opened with rounds of 65 and 64.
Steven Alker was third at 16 under after a 65.
Angel Cabrera had a 68 to finish fourth at 15 under. Vijay Singh followed at 13 under after a 70.
Korn Ferry Tour
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Johnny Keefer won the Veritex Bank Championship for his first Korn Ferry Tour title, closing with a 7-under 64 for a three-stroke victory over five players
Keefer finished at 30-under 254 at Texas Rangers Golf Club. The 24-year-old former Baylor player opened with rounds of 63, 61 and 66.
Joshua Creel (61), 17-year-old Blades Brown (63), Zach James (64), Julian Suri (64) and Tyson Alexander (65) tied for second.
Other tours
Takanori Konishi captured his first Japan Golf Tour title when he closed with a 3-under 67 and won the Maezawa Cup by one shot over Shugo Imahira, who bogeyed the 18th hole for a 68. … Minsun7 Kim closed with a 3-under 69 for a five-shot victory in the Dukshin EPC Championship on the Korea LPGA. … Briana Chacon won the IOA Championship in Beaumont, California, for her second career Epson Tour title. She closed with a 6-under 66 for a one-stroke victory over Megan Schofill. … Jay Card III won the Kia Open in Ecuador for his first PGA Tour Americas victory. Her close with a 1-under 71 to finish at 16-under 200, a stroke ahead of Ricardo Celia and Jake Staiano. … Scott Hend won the Barbados Legends, finishing with a 7-under 64 for a two-stroke victory. The Australian won for the second time on the Legends Tour title.
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