GOLF ROUNDUP | Yang posts first PGA Tour win with victory in Honda Classic
Published 10:38 pm Sunday, March 8, 2009
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Y.E. Yang has his first PGA Tour win, closing out a one-shot victory Sunday over John Rollins at the Honda Classic.
The Korean took command with three straight birdies on the front side and wouldn’t fold, picking up a two-year exemption and a check for $1,008,000. With the win, he qualified for next week’s CA Championship at Doral, plus earned an invitation to next month’s Masters.
Best known for beating Tiger Woods at the HSBC Champions in 2006, Yang shot a 2-under 68 in the final round, finishing the tournament at 9-under 271.
Yang played last year’s final round at PGA National by himself, going off first, completing 18 holes in just under two hours and leaving long before any of the other 76 players.
Rollins (67) was alone in second and he, like Yang, qualified for the CA Championship by moving into the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings. Ben Crane (68) was third after finishing 6 under and Jeff Klauk (71, with 17 pars and one bogey) was alone in fourth, another shot back.
LPGA: Shin triumphs
SINGAPORE — South Korean star Jiyai Shin won the HSBC Women’s Champions for her fourth LPGA Tour victory in eight months.
Shin shot her second straight 6-under 66 for a two-stroke victory over Australia’s Katherine Hull.
The 20-year-old Shin, five strokes behind Hull at the start of the round and four back with nine holes to play, had an 11-under 277 total at Tanah Merah and earned $300,000 for her first victory as a member of the LPGA Tour.
Champions: Romero outlasts field
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Eduardo Romero shot a 3-under 68 to win the Toshiba Classic by one stroke over Joey Sindelar and Mark O’Meara.
Romero finished at 11-under 202 and Romero earned $255,000 for his fifth career Champions Tour victory. Romero made three consecutive birdies to start the back nine, while O’Meara, Denis Watson and Sindelar weren’t able to keep pace.
