Kuehne, Sluman take win
Hank Kuehne and Jeff Sluman birdied four of the last five holes and beat Justin Leonard and Steve Flesch by two strokes at the Franklin Templeton Shootout on Sunday in Naples, Fla.
Kuehne and Sluman joined Brad Faxon and Scott McCarron (2000, 2001) as the only repeat winners of the event.
Kuehne and Sluman combined for an 11-under 61 in the final round scramble at Tiburon Golf Club and finished at 29-under 187. That total was six shots better than last year, when they prevailed in a three-way playoff.
“We came in, I think, the same way we came in last year, just kind of loose, carefree,” Sluman said.
Leonard and Flesch birdied the 18th to get to 27-under 189.
Mark Calcavecchia and Loren Roberts also closed with a 61 and finished third at 190. The father-and-son team of Jay and Bill Haas (61) made a run before faltering on the back nine and tying for fourth with host Greg Norman and Scott McCarron (62).
Daly-Donofrio wins by 4 strokes
Heather Daly-Donofrio holed out her second shot for eagle on the third hole and cruised to a four-stroke victory in the LPGA Tournament of Champions at Mobile, Ala.
Daly-Donofrio closed with a 2-under-par 70. A bogey on the final hole gave her a 72-hole total of 19-under 269, causing her to miss tying the tournament record of 20 under set by Se Ri Pak in 2002.
The 35-year-old Daly-Donofrio started the day with a three-stroke lead over Sophie Gustafson, and no one was able to put a dent in that margin. The lead jumped to five strokes when Daly-Donofrio holed out a 9-iron approach from 123 yards.
“I had a perfect yardage and it was the best swing I’ve ever made,” Daly-Donofrio said. “I can still feel that swing. It hit about 8 feet in front of the pin, then everybody started cheering, so I knew it went in.
“That made me relax a little. That was the good start I needed.”
The $130,000 payday surpasses the $113,745 she had earned in 22 previous tournaments this year, moving her from No. 84 on the money list to No. 48. She also earns a three-year exemption on the LPGA Tour.
Wendy Ward, from Edwall, Wash., shot a 1-over-par 73 for a three-day total of 283, 5-under par. She finished tied for sixteenth.
Montgomerie collects Skins
Colin Montgomerie held off Tiger Woods to win a one-day Skins event in Jeju, South Korea.
Montgomerie finished with nine skins worth $75,000 while Woods had five skins totaling $51,000. South Korea’s K.J. Choi also collected $51,000. South Korea’s Se Ri Pak, the only woman competing, missed several chances and ended with no skins.
The prize money was donated to charity.
Clarke takes Taiheiyo Masters
Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke won the Taiheiyo Masters at Gotemba, Japan, closing with 4-under 68 for a six-stroke victory.
The European Ryder Cup star had a tournament-record 22-under 266 total on the Taiheiyo Club course for his second career victory in Japan.