Park In-bee earned her fifth LPGA Tour victory of the season on Sunday in Arkansas, tying the record for most wins by a South Korean LPGA pro in a season.Park, the world's No. 1-ranked female golfer, defeated fellow South Korean Ryu So-yeon with a birdie on the first playoff hole at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club in Arkansas. The tournament was a three-round affair.Park's fifth win of 2013 pulled her into a tie with Pak Se-ri for most LPGA wins in a season by a Sou

June 24, 2013

ROGERS, Arkansas (AFP) ― World No. 1 Park In-bee, rested after an exhausting major victory at the LPGA Championship two weeks ago, tunes up for her next major test at this week’s Northwest Arkansas Championship.The $2 million LPGA event, a 54-hole showdown with 144 players seeking the $300,000 top prize at 6,389-yard Pinnacle Country Club, is the final event before next week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Southampton, New York.And with Park having won the year’s first two majors at the Kraft Nabisco Cha

June 20, 2013

ARDMORE, Pennsylvania (AP) ― Phil Mickelson began his week with a flight back-and-forth across the country. Even longer might be the 18 holes that now stand between him and that U.S. Open title he has been chasing his entire career.And he’s never had a better opportunity than this one.Despite a bogey on the final hole of a taxing Saturday afternoon, Mickelson was the sole survivor to par at Merion with an even-par 70 that gave him a one-shot lead over Hunter Mahan, Charl Schwartzel and Steve Str

June 16, 2013

ARDMORE, Pennsylvania (AP) ― Even for Phil Mickelson, his path to the top of the leaderboard Thursday in the U.S. Open was unconventional.He traveled about 2,400 miles in the air and 7,000 yards on the ground. He took a short nap on his private jet from San Diego and another one during a rain delay when he found a secluded corner of the library room in the Merion clubhouse. He carried five wedges but no driver.Some 17 hours later, Mickelson had a 3-under 67 to match his best opening round in the

June 14, 2013

ARDMORE, Pennsylvania (AP) ― Unable to arrange a private meeting, Sergio Garcia left Tiger Woods a note in his locker Tuesday at the U.S. Open with hopes of moving on from his racially charged comment and getting back to playing golf.“I did leave him a note ― a handwritten note,” Garcia said. “And hopefully, he can take a look at it. It’s a big week and I understand that it’s difficult to meet up and stuff. So hopefully, I’ll be able to do it. If not, at least he has read the note and he’s happy

June 12, 2013

Park In-bee captured the Wegmans LPGA Championship for her second straight major title in New York on Sunday.The world No. 1-ranked female golfer defeated Catriona Matthew of Scotland in the sudden death playoff at the Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York.On the third playoff hole, the par-4 18th, Park scored a birdie to beat Matthew for her seventh career LPGA win and her third major overall. Park claimed US$337,500 in the winner's check.On the decisive hole, Park found the fairway o

June 10, 2013

PITTSFORD, New York (AP) ― Morgan Pressel slogged through rain and muck to take the lead Saturday after two rounds in the LPGA Championship. Next up is a 36-hole marathon Sunday.“I run a lot,” Pressel said, laughing. “I’m in plenty good of enough shape to get through 36 holes tomorrow.”She shot a 2-under 70 on Saturday at Locust Hill to reach 6-under 138 ― two shots ahead of the top-ranked Park In-bee and Chella Choi in the second LPGA Tour major of the season.Park had a 68 to give herself an op

June 9, 2013

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) ― Phil Mickelson is playing the week before the U.S. Open to make sure his game is sharp as possible, particularly after not playing very well at the Masters after taking off before that major.“I know that for me to be sharp mentally especially into a tournament where the penalty for missing is so great like the U.S. Open, it’s important that I’m sharp and I’m ready to play,” Mickelson said Wednesday after finishing a practice round.He’s got plenty of company at the St. J

June 6, 2013

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) ― Matt Kuchar was in a good spot Sunday at the Memorial. He had his first multiple-win season, and an audience with tournament host Jack Nicklaus.Needing two putts from 20 feet to hold off a late charge from Kevin Chappell, Kuchar punctuated a remarkably steady final round by making the birdie putt for a 4-under 68 and a two-shot victory at Muirfield Village. He joined Tiger Woods as the only players with more than one win this year on the PGA Tour.Kuchar, who goes to a career-

June 3, 2013

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (AP) ― Shanshan Feng beat the wind and now has a good chance of beating everyone else in the ShopRite LPGA Classic.Feng, who last year became the first Chinese player to win an LPGA Tour title and a major event in capturing the LPGA Championship, shot a marvelous 4-under 67 before the wind picked up Saturday and grabbed a three-shot lead heading into the final round.The round matched the day’s best and gave the eighth-ranked Feng a 6-under 136 total on the wind-whip

June 2, 2013

Korea’s Park In-bee returns to the event where she began her march to world No. 1 at this week’s $1.5 million ShopRite Classic, the last tuneup for next week’s LPGA Championship.Park’s lone LPGA title when she arrived at the 54-hole event last year had come at the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open. She had gone a year without managing a top-10 finish but found her putting form at the layout near Atlantic City, New Jersey.“Last year at this point, I had never finished top-10 in the last year and I already h

May 31, 2013

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) ― A week like no other on the LPGA Tour ended in a most appropriate manner Sunday when Lee Il-hee won for the first time.Lee made a clutch par putt on the second-to-last hole in a raging wind to keep a one-shot lead, and then she drilled a fairway metal out of light rough and onto the par-5 18th green to set up a two-putt birdie. That gave her a 5-under 42 for a two-shot win over Irene Cho in the Bahamas LPGA Classic.It was only fitting that she finished in a downpo

May 27, 2013