Hannah Green wins KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

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This article was published 23/06/2019 (2636 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CHASKA, Minn. – Hannah Green held her nerve and saved par from the bunker with a 5-foot putt on the final hole to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on Sunday for her first major championship, and the first by an Australian in 13 years.

Green closed with an even-par 72 at Hazeltine for a one-shot victory over defending champion Sung Hyun Park, whose 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole gave her a 68 and put the pressure on the 22-year-old Australian.

Green pulled a 4-iron into the bunker, blasted out to 5 feet and made the biggest putt of her life.

Among those to celebrate with her was Australia’s most prolific major champion, Karrie Webb, which was meaningful in many ways. Webb was the last Aussie to win an LPGA Tour major in 2006 at the Kraft Nabisco. She also supports junior girls in Australia, bringing two scholarship winners to America each year.

Green was one of those recipients four years ago. Now she’s a major champion.

“I’m speechless,” she said through the tears. “I was really nervous playing the last five holes.”

She finished at 9-under 279 and won $577,500.

In only her second full year on the LPGA Tour, Green became the first wire-to-wire winner of this major since Yani Tseng in 2011. She is the third player in the last five majors to make it her first LPGA Tour victory.

PGA TOUR

CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Chez Reavie won the Travelers Championship for his second PGA Tour title and first in 11 years, closing with a 1-under 69 for a four-stroke victory over Keegan Bradley and Zack Sucher.

The 37-year-old Reavie, also the 2008 Canadian Open winner, finished at 17-under 263 at TPC River Highlands a week after tying for third in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

Reavie took a six-stroke lead into the round after a shooting a 63 on Saturday. But Bradley chipped away and got within a stroke on the par-4 15th when he made a 7 1/2-foot birdie putt after Reavie missed an 11-footer.

Reavie put the tournament away on the par-4 17th, making a 14-foot birdie putt, while Bradley three-putted for a double bogey. Bradley and Sucher each shot 67, with Sucher playing the back nine in 5-under 30,

Vaughn Taylor birdied the final five holes for a 65 to finish fourth at 12 under.

EUROPEAN TOUR

MUNICH (AP) — Italy’s Andrea Pavan beat Matthew Fitzpatrick with a birdie on the second hole of a playoff in the BMW International Open for his second European Tour title.

Pavan finished with a bogey-free 6-under 66 to match Fitzpatrick at 15-under 273 at Munchen Eichenried.

Fitzpatrick, from England, closed with a 69.

KORN FERRY TOUR

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Henrik Norlander and Bryan Bigley were headed to the second hole of a playoff in the Wichita Open when darkness suspended play.

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Norlander and Bigley birdied the par-3 17th at Crestview Country Club, while two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton, Kevin Dougherty and Sebastian Cappelen were eliminated with pars.

They finished at 15-under 265 in the event that started 5 1/2 hours late Sunday because of rain. Cappelen shot a 5-under 65, Norlander, Bigley and Dougherty had 66s and third-round leader Compton closed with a birdie for a 67.

The tournament is the first since the circuit changed its name to the Korn Ferry Tour from the Web.con Tour.

OTHER TOURS

Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand closed with a 1-over 72 to win the Kolon Korean Open by one shot over Innchoon Hwang for his second Asian Tour title this year. He was the first non-South Korean winner since Rickie Fowler in 2011 to win the Korean Open. Hwang earned a spot in the British Open through its Open Qualifying Series. Also earning a spot at Royal Portrush was Dongkyu Jang. … Atthaya Thitikul, the 16-year-old amateur from Thailand, closed with a 5-under 67 to win the Thailand Championship for the second time in three years. Thitikul, at No. 5 in the women’s world amateur ranking, is the youngest player to win two Ladies European Tour titles. … Daniela Iacobelli won the Island Resort Championship in Harris, Michigan, for her third career Symetra Tour title, beating Cindy Ha with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff. Iocobelli closed with a 7-under 65 at Sweetgrass to match Ha (66) at 11 under. … South Korean-born Cecilia Cho of New Zealand closed with a 5-under 67 for a one-shot victory in the BC Card-Hankyung Ladies Cup on the Korean LPGA Tour. … Ai Suzuki won for the second straight week and third time this year on the Japan LPGA Tour. She closed with a 2-under 70 and beat Sayaka Takahashi in a playoff at the Nichirei Ladies. … Alex Chiarella won the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open for his first Mackenzie Tour. He finished at 20-under 264, closing with a 3-under 68 for a one-stroke victory over Travis Trace. … Zhengkai Bai of China shot 67 to rally for a two-shot victory in the Huangshan Championship on the PGA Tour China. … Garrett May shot 5-over 74 and held on for a two-shot victory over Stewart Hagestad and Scott Stevens in the Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett. … Eirik Tage Johansen of Norway won his first European Challenge Tour event with a 2-and-1 victory over Ugo Coussaud in the Andalucia-Costa Del Sol Match Play 9. … Jean-Francois Remesy shot 5-under 67 for a one-shot victory over Barry Lane in the Farmfood European Legends Links Championship on the European Staysure Tour.