Loren Roberts made a 6-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Sunday to win the Greater Milwaukee Open, the tournament that will be remembered as the one where Tiger Woods made his professional debut.
Although Woods finished tied for 60th, he did thrill the crowd Sunday with a hole-in-one.Roberts' victory came over local hero Jerry Kelly after both had finished with 19-under-par 265s.
Roberts, who closed with a 3-under 68, made a 4 on the par-5 18th that served as the playoff hole and won $216,000. Kelly, of Madison, Wis., closed with a 64 on the Brown Deer Park golf course and earned $129,600.
Jesper Parnevik, who held a one-stroke lead entering the final round, bogeyed the last hole for a 1-over 71 and tied for third with Steve Stricker, also of Madison, who had a 67, Andrew Magee, 63, and Nolan Henke, the leader after the first two rounds, who closed with a 71.
The 20-year-old Woods finished 12 strokes back after shooting a final-round 68 for a 277 total.
"It was a frustrating day, because I couldn't make a putt," Woods said. "I hit the ball extremely well, I hit it very solid, I went after a lot of pins. I knew I had to make a run today and I played very aggressive."
The NCAA champion grabbed the spotlight in a whirlwind week that included winning his unprecedented third straight U.S. Amateur title, announcing he was dropping out of Stanford and turning pro, and signing an endorsement deal with Nike reportedly worth $40 million.
He heads to this week's Canadian Open with $2,544 towards the $155,000 to $160,000 in prize money he needs to earn a PGA Tour card and avoid qualifying school.
RAIL CLASSIC
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - LPGA Hall of Famer Betsy King led the surge Sunday as seven players were tied for the lead after the second round of the Rail Classic.
The tournament's 36-hole cut of 1-under-par 143 ties the LPGA record and 81 players will tee it up for Monday's final round of the 54-hole event.
King, who is looking for her first win since being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995, shot a 5-under 67 Sunday and was one of the huge group at 134 for 36 holes at the 6,403-yard Rail Golf Club course.
Joining King at the top of the leaderboard were Alice Miller, Michelle McGann, Barb Whitehead, Denise Killeen, Tracy Kerdyk and Mayumi Hirase.
Miller and McGann each had a 65 Sunday, while Whitehead had a 66, Kerdyk and Hirase 68s and Killeen a 70.
First-round leader Kris Tschetter bogeyed the last three holes and finished with a 75, 12 strokes off her career-best opening round.
"I missed a few fairways early and didn't putt that well," King said. "I think you will see a lot of low scores tomorrow."
King had 11 birdies en route to her share of the lead.
"Kris did not play as well as yesterday and that brought a lot of people back into the tournament," King said. "I think 15 or 16 under will win."
Kerdyk made a 45-footer on the par-3 5th hole for the longest birdie putt of the day.
"I looked at the leaderboard several times today," Kerdyk said. "I definitely wanted to get to 10 under."
Miller, who is bothered by muscle spasms in her left shoulder, was happy with the tie.
"This is how Alice Miller used to play," said Miller, who has been in the money only seven times this year. "I haven't been in contention all year."
Laurel Kean and Pat Bradley were at 135 after a 67 and 68, respectively.
PGA CUP
PERTHSHIRE, Scotland (AP) - Jeff Roth rallied from a two-hole deficit to win the final four holes Sunday and give the United States a 13-13 tie with Great Britain-Ireland in the 18th PGA Cup Matches.
Roth, a 38-year-old PGA head professional at Flint Golf Club in Michigan, trailed England's Bill Longmuir by two holes on the Monarch's Course at Gleneagles before parring the final four holes for a 2-up victory.
The day's 10 singles matches in the premier international event for PGA golf professionals were played in rain, wind and 58-degree temperatures.
"It was a surreal feeling playing those final holes," said Roth, the 1993 PGA Club Professional Champion. "Any one of our 10 guys could have done what I had to do. I feel fortunate to have answered the bell. When I made the final putt (a 5-footer for par), I looked at Gary (Schaal, U.S. Captain) and he was crying and then I lost it and began crying. There were no losers today; I think golf won and these PGA Cup Matches won."
The U.S. Team was buoyed by the singles victory of 1994 PGA Club Professional Champion Sammy Rachels of Defuniak Springs, Fla., who had suffered back spasms throughout the week. Rachels defeated Fraser Mann of Scotland, 1-up.
The United States, which last lost in 1984, is 11-4-3 overall. For the first time in PGA Cup history, every session of the event ended in a tie. The PGA of America announced that the 19th PGA Cup Matches will be played Sept. 5-11, 1998, at The Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Colo.