Jim Gallagher kept a piece of inspiration to himself until he won. Then he couldn't find the words to describe exactly how he felt.
While shooting a 17-under-par 267 to win the FedEx-St. Jude Classic Sunday, Gallagher thought of Lindsey Gilmer from his hometown of Greenwood, Miss. The 8-year-old girl was diagnosed with leukemia in May, but doctors at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital declared her in remission last week."It's a miracle. There's no question about it. . . . It makes golf kind of secondary," Gallagher said.
He finished a stroke ahead of Jay Delsing and Ken Green at 268. Gene Sauers started the round a stroke behind Gallagher, but shot a 73 to finish at 269.
Gallagher, who has two small children, first learned of Gilmer's diagnosis in early May. His wife Cissye transported some of Gilmer's family to the hospital here during Lindsey's treatments.
But he said nothing of the girl until he saved par on the final hole Sunday for the $225,000 winner's check. When he tried to tell the story, he choked up.
"I didn't want to make that a real public thing. That was kind of my own little deal. You really don't ever want to . . . not so much jinx yourself," Gallagher said.
Gallagher, who won his second title this year, parred the final five holes to finish a final round that included three birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey.
"Anytime it looked like it was getting a little rough out there, I just thought of Lindsey and thought about what I was going to say if I did win," Gallagher said.
The victory moved him from 20th to 11th place in the Ryder Cup standings. The top 10 Americans automatically qualify for the competition in September in Rochester, N.Y.
Gallagher had set course records through both the second and third rounds as the leader coming into Sunday's final round. His second-round total was the lowest on the PGA Tour this year and tied this year's tour mark through 54 holes.
He led by as many as four strokes after five holes Sunday, having opened with three birdies and going to 21-under for the tournament.
In Warren, Ohio, it was a bitter lesson for Katie Peterson-Parker. It was just confidence and perspective for Michelle McGann.
"I felt I was in control the whole day and it was mine to win or mine to lose," said Peterson-Parker, who has yet to win a tournament in her five years on the LPGA Tour. "I learned a lot today and I'll use it next time."
Peterson-Parker had a two-stroke lead with one hole to play in regulation, but sailed a chip shot 40 feet past the cup and settled for a bogey. When McGann sank a 2-foot birdie putt on 18, the two went into extra holes.
On the third hole of the sudden-death playoff Sunday, Peterson-Parker missed a 5-foot birdie attempt, making McGann the winner in the Youngstown-Warren LPGA Classic, her second tournament victory of the year.
McGann ended the playoff, the tournament's fifth in its six-year history, with a 3-foot birdie putt.
"It's just confidence," said McGann, who won the Sara Lee Classic in May for the first victory of her seven-year career. "I've never been in a playoff, so it was fun to win my first one."
McGann shot a 2-under-par 70 and Peterson-Parker had a 71 to finish regulation with 11-under 205 totals on the Avalon Lakes course.