Aberg claims European Masters; USA rallies to take Walker Cup; qualifier Wannasaen wins on LPGA Tour

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This article was published 03/09/2023 (1106 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Swedish rookie Ludvig Aberg surged to a two-shot win at the European Masters on Sunday and right into the Ryder Cup picture for Europe.

Aberg stunned former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick by reeling off four straight birdies through the 17th hole to close with a 6-under 64.

Fitzpatrick faded to a tie for third, three shots back, though he secured one of the six automatic spots for the Ryder Cup team. Captain Luke Donald will announce his six wild-card selections on Monday, and Aberg is likely to be one of them.

Fitzpatrick had led by three strokes when he birdied the par-5 14th, but just 30 minutes later — and back-to-back bogeys by the Englishman — a five-shot turnaround left Aberg clear by two.

He finished at 19-under 261, two ahead of Alexander Bjork (66).

Robert MacIntyre of Scotland finished 16 shots behind but still accrued enough points to earn a spot on his first Ryder Cup team. The other automatic qualifiers are Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton.

WALKER CUP

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Gordon Sargent lived up to his billing as the No. 1 amateur in the world by winning all four of his matches at St. Andrews as the United States rallied to win the Walker Cup on Sunday for the fourth straight time.

Great Britain & Ireland had a three-point lead going into the final two sessions on the Old Course. The Americans won three of the four morning foursomes, and won six of the 10 singles matches and halved two others to complete a rally in which they outscored GB&I 10-4.

They won by a final score of 14 1/2 to 11 1/2.

Sargent and John Gough of England were all square going to the 17th when Gough sent his drive too far right, just over the wall near the Old Course Hotel and out-of-bounds. That gave Sargent a 1-up lead. Sargent then drove the 18th green with a 3-wood and Gough conceded the match as Sargent’s eagle putt trickled to a stop near the hole.

Sargent, who won the NCAA title as a freshman at Vanderbilt, went 4-0 for the week.

The United States now has a 39-9-1 lead in the series. The Walker Cup next goes to Cypress Point Club on the Monterey Peninsula in California for the 2025 matches.

LPGA TOUR

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Teenager Chanettee Wannasaen played a five-hole stretch in 6 under early in the final round Sunday and closed with a 9-under 63 for a four-stroke victory at the Portland Classic to become the first Monday qualifier to win on the LPGA Tour since 2015.

Wannasaen arrived at Portland ranked 367th and having missed nine straight cuts in her rookie season. The 19-year-old from Thailand shattered the tournament scoring record by five strokes with a 26-under 262 total for her first LPGA Tour victory.

Wannasaen is just the third qualifier to win on tour. Canada’s Brooke Henderson was the last Monday qualifier to win, taking the same Portland event in 2015. The other qualifier to finish first was American Laurel Kean, who claimed the State Farm Classic in 2000.

Third-round leader Megan Khang failed in her bid to win consecutive events, closing with a 1-under 71 and finishing sixth.

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Xiyu Lin of China was second after a final round 64 for a 22-under 266. China’s Ruoning Yin (64), American Gina Kim (66) and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda (67) tied for third another stroke back.

OTHER TOURS

Maximilian Rottluff of Germany closed with a 6-under 65 for a three-shot victory in the Indoor Golf Group Challenge in Sweden. It was the second European Challenge Tour victory for Rottluff, who moved to No. 9 in the standings and is likely to secure a European tour card for next year. … Smilla Tarning Soenderby of Denmark shot a 10-under 62 and then defeated Lisa Pettersson and Anne Van Dam in a playoff to win the KPMG Women’s Irish Open. … Yi Cao shot a 5-under 65 for a 22-under 258 total and an eight-stroke win at the CRMC Championship, the largest margin of victory on PGA Tour Canada this season. The 32-year-old Cao had missed three straight cuts ahead of the event at Cragun’s Resort Legacy Course and overcame nagging neck pain for his first win. … Takumi Kanaya won for the third time this year when he closed with a 3-under 67 for a four-shot victory in the Fujisankei Classic. Kanaya now has two Japan Golf Tour titles this year and five for his career. He also won the International Series Oman on the Asian Tour. … Gerhard Pepler won his first Sunshine Tour victory when he shot 66 to overcome a four-shot deficit and win the Gary & Vivienne Player Challenge. … Kokona Sakurai closed with a 3-under 69 for a one-shot victory in the Golf5 Ladies on the Japan LPGA.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf