HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) - Matt Kuchar overcame a four-stroke deficit to finally finish on top, his stunning chip-in on the 18th hole giving him a 64 and a victory at the RBC Heritage on Sunday.
Kuchar was four shots behind Luke Donald at the start but had seven birdies on his first 10 holes. He had a birdie putt of less than 8 feet at the par-3 17th, but three-putted for bogey to fall into a tie for first.
Kuchar was in more trouble in a bunker at Harbour Town Golf Links’ closing lighthouse hole. That’s when he blasted out and watched the ball rattle in for birdie. Kuchar punched the air and raised his arms in celebration of what would be his seventh career PGA Tour win.
Donald had two holes to catch Kuchar after the chip but couldn’t do it. He missed a 28-foot birdie putt at the 17th, then saw his own try at a chip-in birdie slide past the cup at the last.
Kuchar finished at 11-under 273 to win $1.044 million and his first trophy since the Memorial last June.
EUROPEAN TOUR
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Lee Westwood ended a two-year winless drought with a seven-shot victory at the Malaysian Open.
After a four-hour delay due to the threat of lightning in the middle of the final round, Westwood went on to shoot a 4-under par 68 to complete an 18-under 270 at the Kuala Lumpur Country Club course for his 36th career victory.
Westwood led from start to finish in the co-sanctioned European and Asian Tour event that he also won in 1997.
South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen (68), the 2012 champion, along with Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts (70) and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger (67) shared a distant second place at 11 under.
The win will improve Westwood’s ranking and help him move up from 20th place in the European Ryder Cup standings.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) - Miguel Angel Jimenez held off Bernhard Langer to win the Greater Gwinnett Championship, becoming only the third player to lead from start to finish in his Champions Tour debut.
Jimenez was coming off a fourth-place finish in the Masters and closed with a 67 to finish two strokes ahead of Langer. Jimenez finished the tournament with 32 consecutive holes without a bogey at TPC Sugarloaf.
Langer, the defending champion, shot his third-straight 68. Jimenez and Langer were tied at 10 under before a two-shot swing on No. 8. Jimenez needed only a short putt for a birdie, and Langer fell two strokes behind with his bogey.
Jay Haas shot 67 and was third, four shots off the lead. Fred Couples shot 70 and was fourth.
JAPAN LPGA TOUR
TOKYO (AP) - Japanese 15-year-old Minami Katsu became the youngest winner in the history of the Japan LPGA Tour by shooting a 4-under 68 to capture the Vantelin Ladies Open.
The amateur had five birdies against a lone bogey at Kumamoto Airport Country Club to finish at 11-under 205, one stroke ahead of South Korean Lee Bo-mee.
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