KUTZTOWN, Pa. — Candie Kung was falling apart.
Four bogeys on the first seven holes had erased her lead and Kung needed to turn it around quickly if she wanted to win the LPGA Wachovia Classic.
"Wrong clubs, bad shots, I couldn't get up and down," Kung said. "I had no idea what was happening."
Kung figured it out. She birdied 8, 9 and 10 before claiming the lead for good with a birdie on 13 and went on to earn a two-stroke victory over defending champion Se Ri Pak and Meg Mallon on Sunday at Berkleigh Country Club.
Kung finished at 14-under 288 after shooting a 2-under 70. Mallon, one stroke off the lead entering the day, barely missed an eagle chip at the par-5 18th and finished two back with Pak. Carin Koch was alone in fourth at 11-under.
For Kung, who fell behind Mallon, Karin Koch and the hard-charging Pak, it was a matter of looking ahead rather than focusing on her poor early play.
"I told myself that there still were 11 holes to go," Kung said. "I might birdie all the way in. You never know."
A 5-foot birdie putt on 8, a 15-footer on 9 and a 12-footer on 10 gave her a one stroke lead. Mallon pulled even again with a birdie on 11, but Kung's birdie on 13 got her to 13-under, gave Kung a one-stroke lead over Mallon and a two-stroke advantage over Koch and Pak.
"I tip my hat to her," Mallon said. "She may have struggled a little bit early, but she hung in there and found her game."
Early on, it looked like Pak might duplicate her scintillating final round last year, when she shot a 63 to come from behind and win the tournament. She birdied four holes on the front nine to take a brief lead, but bogeys on 15 and 17 did Pak in. Pak birdied 18 to fall two strokes short.
Mallon stayed within one of Kung through most of the back nine until a bogey on 17 dropped her two strokes back.
Kung claimed her second career LPGA victory. She won the Takefuji Classic in Las Vegas in April. Pak was shooting her fourth victory of the season.
ALLIANZ CHAMPIONSHIP: At West Des Moines, Iowa, Don Pooley pulled away from a six-man scramble with an eagle on No. 11 and went on to shoot a 4-under 67 to win the Allianz Championship by three strokes.
It was the second Champions Tour victory for Pooley, who won the 2002 U.S. Senior Open but was laid up the first five months of this year after shoulder surgery on Jan. 3. Starting the day with a one-stroke lead, Pooley finished at 13-under 200 and with a more comfortable margin than the early play might have indicated.
Jim Thorpe, Bruce Fleisher and Bruce Lietzke each closed with a 69 to finish 10 under. Former major league pitcher Rick Rhoden also shot a 69 to tie Tom Kite (68) and Doug Tewell (66) at 9 under.
Pooley earned $225,000 as the 22nd different winner in 23 Champions Tour events this year. Only Lietzke has won twice.
RENO-TAHOE OPEN: At Reno, Nev., Kirk Triplett shot a 9-under-par 63 to win the Reno-Tahoe Open at 17-under par, tying both the course and tournament records with a three-stroke victory over Tim Herron.
Triplett, who played his college golf at the University of Nevada, Reno, charged from behind with nine birdies — four in a row on the front nine — to claim only his second victory in 14 years on the PGA Tour.
Herron shot a 71 to finish second at 14-under 274.
The $540,000 first-place check pushes Triplett's career winnings past the $10 million mark. He tied the course record of 63 that Notah Begay III set in winning the inaugural Reno Tahoe-Open in 1999 — the record was tied by Brian Henninger the following year.
His total of 17-under 271 for the tourney tied the mark John Cook set in 2001 — that record was equaled last year by Chris Riley and Jonathan Kaye before Riley won in a playoff.
Triplett's first PGA win was at the Nissan Open in 2000.
WICHITA OPEN: At Wichita, Kan., Jeff Klauk won his first Nationwide Tour title Sunday, closing with a 5-under 66 for a one-stroke victory over Mike Brisky and Mark Hensby in the Wichita Open.
Klauk, the son of TPC at Sawgrass superintendent Fred Klauk, finished with a 19-under 265 total. He earned $85,500 to jump from 118th to 26th on the money list with $105,593.
"This is what I've worked so hard for all my life," Klauk said. "Getting my first win is awesome. Knowing that you can do it changes everything."
Brisky closed with a 64 and Hensby shot a 69. Blaine McCallister (67) and Wil Collins (65) tied for fourth at 267.