NEW DELHI (AP)—Jbe Kruger of South Africa won his first European Tour title on
Sunday, protecting his overnight lead by shooting a 3-under 69 for a two-shot
victory at the Avantha Masters.

The 25-year-old Kruger made four birdies and overcame a bogey on the 17th to
finish with 14-under total of 274.

Jorge Campillo of Spain and Marcel Siem of Germany were two shots back in a
tie for second.

Jose Manuel Lara of Spain and Australian Marcus Fraser finished joint fourth
at 11 under.

Kruger finished second on the Asian Tour three times in 2010, while his best
previous result on the European Tour was third at the Africa Open the same year.

His best on this year’s European Tour has been ninth at the Joburg Open in
South Africa.

* Mickelson claims 40th career PGA Tour title

* Outclasses Woods with a closing eight-under 64

* Woods putts poorly to finish joint 15th

(Adds detail, quotes)

Feb 12 (Reuters) – Phil Mickelson totally upstaged
playing partner Tiger Woods while charging past overnight leader
Charlie Wi to win the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in
spectacular fashion by two shots on Sunday.

Six strokes behind South Korean Wi going into the final
round at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Mickelson fired a flawless
eight-under-par 64 to clinch his 40th victory on the PGA Tour.

The American left-hander took control of the tournament with
a stunning outward nine of five-under 31 and holed two monster
par putts after the turn on the way to a 17-under total of 269.

“It feels awesome,” a beaming Mickelson told the Golf
Channel. “Hopefully it’s just one of a few this year because I
am starting to feel pretty good.”

While Mickelson won the pro-am celebrity event for a fourth
time, Woods had to settle for joint 15th place after closing
with a five-bogey 75 in his bid for a first PGA Tour win in more
than two years.

Wi, hunting a maiden title on the U.S. circuit, dropped four
shots in the first six holes but recovered well, a
birdie-birdie-birdie finish giving him a 72 and outright second
place at 15 under.

Woods had been poised for a last-day charge after shooting a
67 on Saturday but missed several putts from inside six feet to
tumble out of contention at the same venue where he won the 2000
U.S. Open by a record 15 shots.

“I didn’t hit it as bad as the score indicated but I putted
awful,” the former world number one said. “As good as I felt on
the greens yesterday was as bad as I felt bad today.

“I just could not see my lines, I couldn’t get comfortable,
I couldn’t get the blade to swing. Anything that I tried to do
wasn’t working and consequently I made a ton of mistakes on the
greens.”

TOOK ADVANTAGE

Mickelson, who had previously won the Pebble Beach National
Pro-Am in 1998, 2005 and 2007, took full advantage of a poor
front nine by the pacesetting Wi.

Three strokes ahead of the chasing pack overnight, the
Korean made the worst possible start with a four-putt
double-bogey on the opening hole.

He also stumbled with a bogey at the tricky par-three fifth
after missing the green to the left off the tee, to drop back
into a tie for the lead at 12 under.

Mickelson had charged to the top with birdies at the second,
fourth and fifth, where he struck a superb mid-iron to just one
foot.

He then rammed in a 21-footer to eagle the par-five sixth
and vault two strokes clear with Woods, Kevin Streelman and
Kevin Na tied for second place.

Out in 31, Mickelson did well to save par at the short 12th,
where he rolled in a 30-footer and Woods holed out from a
greenside bunker for birdie.

With huge galleries following the two biggest names in U.S.
golf, Mickelson conjured an exquisite bouncing approach to just
two feet at the par-four 13th, knocking in the birdie putt to
regain a two-shot cushion.

Another birdie followed at the par-five 14th and he finished
with yet another at the final hole to seal the win.

As he made his way to the scorer’s tent, his wife Amy hugged
him and said: “I am so happy for you. Oh my gosh! What a round.
Are you kidding me?”

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by
Julian Linden)

JOHANNESBURG (AP)—South Africa’s Branden Grace won his first European Tour
title Sunday with a par 72 for a one-shot victory at the Joburg Open.

Grace had a bogey and birdie on the East Course at Royal Johannesburg and
Kensington Golf Club to edge Englishman Jamie Elson, finishing at 17-under 270.

The 23-year-old Grace had his three-shot, third-round lead cut to one when
Elson made a 30-foot putt for eagle on No. 18. But Grace, one of 27 players to
complete his third round in the morning because of rain delays, held on with
nine straight pars coming home for his second professional win.

Scottish pair David Drysdale and Marc Warren were part of a six-way tie for
third. Retief Goosen finished 16th, seven shots behind the leader.

By Jason Humphries

EAST LONDON, South Africa, Jan 8 (Reuters) – South
African Louis Oosthuizen retained his Africa Open title, holding
his nerve at the decisive 17th to complete a two-stroke win on
Sunday.

Oosthuizen carded a final round six-under par 67 to end on
27-under par for the co-sanctioned tournament just ahead of his
countryman Tjaart van der Walt who completed a final round 69.

The 29-year-old Oosthuizen, who won the 2011 edition of the
Africa Open after a three-man playoff, made a mixed start to his
final round with an eagle, a birdie and two dropped shots in his
first five holes.

But he made three birdies between the sixth and ninth holes
to reach the turn in 25-under and a share for the lead with Van
der Walt before grabbing another birdie on the par-five 11th.

The first three days of the tournament had seen sunny skies
and barely a breath of wind but day four provided overcast
conditions and a blustery wind which made scoring slightly more
difficult than it had been on the coastal course, especially for
the late starters.

By the 17th Van der Walt and Oosthuizen, who began the day
as co-leaders, were locked in an enthralling struggle both on
26-under.

But Van der Walt bogeyed the 164-yard hole after his tee
shot failed to find the green while Oosthuizen, the 2010 British
Open Champion, showed all his experience to sink a 35-foot
birdie putt.

“The 17th was playing really tough today with the wind
blowing off the right,” Oosthuizen told reporters.

“When Tjaart hit it short I aimed for the middle of the
green. I had been leaving my putts short all day but I hit it
firmly and it rolled really nicely.”

The two-shot swing effectively signalled the end of Van der
Walt’s challenge leaving the 37-year-old journeyman still
searching for his first professional win after 10 second-place
finishes.

Oosthuizen said: “It was great to see Tjaart play to his
potential. He is one of those players that won’t go away. He is
too consistent for that.”

The victory was Oosthuizen’s fourth on the European Tour and
made him the early front-runner in this year’s Race to Dubai as
he pocketed the winner’s cheque of 158,500 euros.

South African Retief Goosen finished in third place, three
shots off the pace, after a final round of 69.

(Editing by Dave Thompson; To comment on this story email
sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com;
dave.thompson@thomsonreuters.com +44 207 542 7933; Reuters
messenger: dave.thompson.reuters.com@reuters.net; Please double
click on the newslink for more golf)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—If ever an award in golf needed an asterisk, it would
be for Ai Miyazato winning the Ladies European Tour money list.

She played in only two tournaments—both part of the LPGA Tour schedule—
winning the Evian Masters and missing the cut at the Women’s British Open.
Because the Evian Masters purse dwarfs everything else on the LET, the Japanese
star earned $487,500, which easily beat out Melissa Reid and Carolina Hedwall.

Reid won twice in 19 starts on the European tour, while Hedwall won four
times in her 20 tournaments.

“To be honest I have mixed feelings because I’m receiving the award from
just winning one event on the LET,” Miyazato said. “But I’ve never won the
money title on any tour, so I’m really happy.”

The LET does not require a minimum number of tournaments to be a member, and
that’s where it gets really curious.

Yani Tseng chose not to become an LET member this year, or she would have
easily won the money title. Tseng, the No. 1 player in women’s golf, won four of
the five tournaments she played on the European schedule.

Tseng won the Women’s Australian Open and the Australian Masters to start
the year. She captured her second straight Women’s British Open at Carnoustie,
and then won a fourth LET event at the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open in China. Had
she been an LET member, she would have won the money title by about $160,000.

Tseng won the LPGA Tour money list with $2.9 million, more than the next two
players behind her.

Ernie Huang, her agent in California, said Tseng was automatically eligible
to become an LET member when she won the Women’s British Open last year.

“She elected not to be a member,” he said. “Somehow, she feels she
doesn’t want to be a member there. Maybe down the road she will.”

Luke Donald became the first male to win the money title on the European and
American tours in the same season, though both tours require a minimum number of
starts—15 for the PGA Tour, 13 for the European Tour.

If not for the minimum requirement in Europe, Tiger Woods would have won its
money list five times.

That the LET does not require a minimum for its members makes the money
title somewhat of a farce. Making it worse is that the Evian Masters purse,
along with the Women’s British Open purse, is significantly higher than
everything else.

The money Hedwall earned for her four victories would not even be the
equivalent of third-place money from the Evian Masters.

“It’s a shame it works like that because you should have to play a certain
amount of events to be on this,” Laura Davies said before the season-ending
Dubai Ladies Championship. “I know Ai has only played two events, and she is
going to win the money list. But it’s a bit ridiculous. If one of the regular
European tour players wins it and plays 20 events, 15 events, then it has more
behind it.

“But it’s just a shame that one tournament can dominate the money list like
that.”

The LPGA Tour does not count the U.S. Women’s Open—its biggest event—
toward the money list for non-members because the prize money is so skewed.
That’s why Stacy Lewis did not automatically earn her card when she tied for
third at the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open.

There is no greater disparity in prize money than on the LET.

The schedule released Tuesday has 15 regular LET events with combined prize
money of just over $6 million. Three other tournaments that are co-sanctioned by
the LPGA Tour—the Women’s Australian Open, the Evian Masters and the Women’s
British Open—have a combined purse of nearly $7 million.

———

DONALD AWARD: Luke Donald made it a hat trick of awards Tuesday when he won
the Golf Writers Trophy from the British-based Association of Golf Writers.
Donald previously was named European Tour golfer of the year and PGA Tour player
of the year.

Padraig Harrington, a double major winner in 2008, is the only other player
to sweep the three honors.

British Open champion Darren Clarke and U.S. Open winner Rory McIlroy tied
for second in the voting of golf writers, while Europe’s winning Solheim Cup
team placed fourth.

“Any award you win gives you a great amount of pleasure, and for the golf
writers to consider me as their player of the year means a lot, it really
does,” Donald said. “These are the people who really understand golf and
appreciate all that I have achieved this year.”

Donald won four times around the world, became the first player to capture
the money title on the U.S. and European tours and held the No. 1 world ranking
for the final 31 weeks of the year.

———

BATTLE IN THE BOOTH: The first PGA Tour event of the year at least will
sound like a big tournament.

The Tournament of Champions at Kapalua will be hosted on the Golf Channel by
Dan Hicks of NBC Sports, and for the first time will feature the dual commentary
of Nick Faldo and Johnny Miller. Faldo, the main analyst for CBS Sports, also
works for the Golf Channel. Miller is with NBC Sports, which along with the Golf
Channel is under the new Comcast ownership.

Miller and Faldo one year were in the booth together briefly at The Players
Championship. For the tour’s season opener, they will be together all four days.

“It’s great repartee when Nick and I are together,” Miller said. “It’s
kind of an older brother-younger brother dynamic. We’re not afraid to challenge
each other.”

Faldo has six majors. Miller is the only player to shoot 63 in the final
round to win the U.S. Open.

“I was really looking forward to a stress-free start to the new season,”
Faldo said. “Now this news. Oh well, never mind. At least I’ve got two weeks in
Hawaii watching the PGA Tour, and let just say some lively debate. Should be
fun.”

———

DIVOTS: Brett Waldman, who gave up caddying for Camilo Villegas when he
earned his Nationwide Tour card, is returning to the caddie ranks. He said
Tuesday on Twitter that he would be working for Kyle Stanley. … For the first
time, the Nordea Masters in Sweden on the European Tour will have a Saturday
finish. It will be played June 6-9, giving players more time to get to San
Francisco for the U.S. Open the following week. … Tom Lewis won the Sir Henry
Cotton rookie of the year on the European Tour after the 20-year-old from
England won in his third pro start. … Emiliano Grillo has signed with IMG. The
19-year-old Argentine is the second-youngest player to have a European Tour
card, behind Matteo Manassero. He earned his card through Q-school.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Nineteen of the top 20 players in the world ranking will
be PGA Tour members next year. The exception is Martin Kaymer of Germany at No.
4.

———

FINAL WORD: “I could have been a hell of an engineer. And I would have had
to have been a hell of an engineer to live the lifestyle I’m living these
days.”—Graeme McDowell, who studied engineering in college.

* Englishman says win probably best-ever performance

* Westwood set to move up to second in rankings

(Adds details, quotes)

By Martin Petty

CHON BURI, Thailand, Dec 18 (Reuters) – Former world
number one Lee Westwood surged to a seven shot victory at the
Thailand Golf Championship on the back of the “best golf” of his
stellar career on Sunday.

The Briton capped off another sparkling performance with his
third win in Asia this season and is now set to move up one
place to second in the rankings behind English compatriot Luke
Donald.

Westwood maintained the chunky lead he held from day one and
put paid to South African Charl Schwartzel’s brief resurgence,
carding a final day three-under-par 69 to finish 22-under on a
notoriously tricky course.

As U.S. Masters champion Schwartzel faded to a level-par 72
to finish second, Westwood extended his four-stroke lead to
seven to win with ease at the Asian Tour’s $1 million
season-ending inaugural tournament and notch his 37th career
title.

Aside from his erratic 73 on the third day, the former world
number one was in superb form, flirting with golf’s exclusive 59
club with a 60 on day one followed by 64 to match the Asian
Tour’s lowest-ever 36-hole total.

“I’ve amazed myself really,” Westwood said after sinking his
final putt on the 18th. “It’s been staggering, it all came
together well. It’s probably the best I’ve ever played.”

The win follows victories in Indonesia, the Ballantine’s
Championship in South Korea and the Nedbank Golf Challenge in
South Africa and will see him second behind compatriot Luke
Donald when the official world rankings are published on Monday.

He has now won titles in six Asian countries – Thailand,
Japan, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia and South Korea.

POLISHED PERFORMANCE

Schwartzel’s four bogeys meant he was never in contention
and his first blunder at the eighth gave Westwood the chance to
stretch his lead with some polished putting on the back nine.

Westwood said his initial 11 shot lead had played on his
mind and he had to switch gear to cope with the testing Amata
Spring Country Club course and ensure the title stayed within
his grasp.

“It was special this week because of the difficulty of the
course. I’ve never had an 11 shot lead before and it was
difficult to come out and refocus and reset goals,” he said of
Saturday’s slump.

“At 20 under after two rounds, It’s yours to lose really
with an 11 shot lead. There was pressure involved. Yesterday, I
didn’t know how to approach it or handle it.”

With his four wins this year, the 38-year-old said he felt
in better form than he did when he topped the world rankings but
his failure to win a major would make it difficult to answer
critics.

“I’m in a tricky position because I’ve been so successful
but not won a major. Anytime I’ve gone a year without a major,
people are always going to say it’s been a disappointing year
for Lee Westwood,” he said.

“If I was to evaluate the way I’m playing now and a year
ago, I’m a better player.”

(Editing by Justin Palmer)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—Top-ranked Luke Donald is on the verge of
becoming the first golfer to win the European and American money titles,
shooting a 6-under 66 Saturday in the third round of the Dubai World
Championship.

Rory McIlroy, who struggled with a 71, needs to win the tournament and
Donald needs to finish outside the top nine for any chance of overtaking him for
the European money title.

Leader Alvaro Quiros heads into the final round holding a two-stroke lead
over Paul Lawrie (66) of Scotland. The big-hitting Spaniard shot a 70 on the
Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates for a 14-under 202 total.

The 2010 British Open winner Louis Oosthuizien (66) is third, followed by
Donald. McIlroy is six shots behind the leader.

McIlroy, who had a bogey and a deflating double-bogey on the front nine,
conceded his bid to overtake Donald “was over.”

“Luke is in a great position and he’s played great the past couple of
days,” said McIlroy, whose tennis star girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki was in the
gallery. “I expect him to go out and shoot another very solid round tomorrow
and wrap things up.”

Donald wasn’t so sure.

“I would be foolish to think it’s over,” Donald said of the money title
race. “Tomorrow it will be just like any other day in terms of focus. I will be
trying to catch whomever is the leader and trying to win the tournament.”

But Donald was pleased with his round.

“Picked up the birdies when I had opportunities and really took full
advantage of all those opportunities,” he said. “Obviously, to score six
birdies with no dropped shots was just the round I was looking for.”

Donald said the key to his rise from 26th spot after the opening round was
his short game. He opened with a birdie on a hole he had bogeyed the first two
days, and then had three more birdies on the front nine. He slowed down on the
back nine but birdied two of the last four holes.

“In a certain way, there was a lot of grind out there,” Donald said. “It
was a solid round of golf but certainly wasn’t perfect. I hit a few loose shots,
but when I got into trouble I was able to really dig myself out of it with some
great short game.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—No. 1-ranked Luke Donald’s historic bid to
win the European and American money titles has improved by his rise up the
leaderboard in second round of the Dubai World Championship.

Donald, who was tied for 26th after an opening round of even par on
Thursday, shot into a clubhouse tie for 10th with a 4-under 68 with half the
field still playing on Friday.

He ran off three straight birdies on the back nine.

Donald leads the Race To Dubai and has the chance to become the first golfer
to win both the European and American money titles. He needs to finish in the
top nine and hope No. 2-ranked Rory McIlroy doesn’t win the $7.5 million
tournament. McIlroy is tied for second.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—If he makes history and wins the European
money title, No. 1-ranked Luke Donald says it would rank as one of his greatest
achievements.

It would also be a chance to thank his late father Colin, who introduced the
34-year-old Donald to the game and “taught him all he knew.” Donald’s father
died last month just days before the birth of Donald’s second daughter, Sophia
Ann.

Donald, who’s already won the American money title, is in a duel with No.
2-ranked Rory McIlroy for the European money title. He’d be the first golfer to
win both titles in a season.

McIlroy trails Donald by just under 790,000 euros ($1 million) and must win
the Dubai World Championship starting Thursday and hope that Donald finishes
outside the top nine in order to capture the title.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—After rallying to win the Hong Kong Open in
dramatic fashion Sunday, U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy brings plenty of
momentum into this week’s showdown with world No. 1 Luke Donald for the European
Tour money title.

The No. 2-ranked McIlroy knows it won’t be easy snatching the Race to Dubai
title from current leader Donald. The 22-year-old Northern Irishman trails
Donald by just under ?790,000 ($1 million) and must win the Dubai World
Championship starting Thursday, and hope that Donald finishes outside the top
nine—something the Englishman has done only three times on the European Tour
this year.

“Still got a slim chance of trying to win the Race To Dubai and so it’s
nice to just have that coming to the quick,” said McIlroy, whose Hong Kong win
ensured the Race would come down to the final tournament.

“It’s going to be a tough task but I’ll give my best and it would be great
to finish the year on a high.”

Donald is not the only golfer McIlroy has to worry about. He must also
finish ahead of two of the hottest golfers on the European Tour right now—No.
3-ranked Lee Westwood, who won the Nedbank Golf Challenge on Sunday, and No. 4
Martin Kaymer, who had birdies on the final nine of 12 holes to win the HSBC
Championship last month to get his topsy-turvy season back on track.

And McIlroy has to overcome his own shaky fitness. He acknowledged he is
still feeling some of the fatigue that hurt his play in the second and third
rounds in Hong Kong. He said it might be the lingering effects of a virus he
picked up in the past few months, though he said blood tests taken Monday to
check his white blood cell count haven’t come back.

“I’m not energy wise where I want to be but I took a day off yesterday and
took it easy,” he said. “I’m not 100 percent but I’m still able to go out and
play 18 holes and try and give it my all.”

McIlroy said he took inspiration from his finish on Sunday—a
come-from—behind victory which he clinched with a greenside bunker shot on the
18th—as well as his previous experience on the Greg Norman-designed Earth
course at Jumeirah Golf Estates. He finished fifth last year and third in 2009,
though his 2009 finish cost him the Race to Dubai title when Westwood won the
tournament and the money title.

“Hopefully, it won’t come down to having to hole a bunker shot at the
last,” McIlroy joked. “But if it does, I know that I’ve done it before so I’m
really looking forward to this week. It’s a golf course that I’ve had some
success on the last couple of years with a third and fifth place.”

Donald said he wasn’t surprised that McIlroy had kept alive the Race To
Dubai that features 52 tournaments on the European Tour. It sets up a dramatic
finale at the $7.5 million Dubai World Championship, similar to the 2010
tournament in Dubai when Kaymer beat Graeme McDowell to the money title and a
year before that when Westwood blew away the field to win the title over
McIlroy.

“I didn’t expect anything less from Rory,” Donald said after finishing
seventh at the Nedbank Golf Challenge. “I knew he’d put the pressure on me and
make it tough going. But I’ve still got a nice comfortable lead—he’s going to
have to go out and win next week and beat a high quality field, and I think the
advantage is still in my court.”

The tournament normally features the tour’s 60 top money earners, but Justin
Rose pulled out as his wife is expecting their second child and Fredrik Jacobson
will not be playing because of injury. No players will replace them.

Donald, who has the chance to make history by adding the European money
title to the U.S. title he already has won, knows what it’s like to be in
McIlroy’s shoes. Donald’s scintillating finish to win Disney’s Children’s
Miracle Network Hospitals Classic snatched the U.S. money title from Webb
Simpson and put him on course for unprecedented success on both money lists.

“I turned on the scores and saw Rory was having a good day and some of the
other guys ahead of him weren’t putting too much pressure on him,” Donald said.
“So he did what he needed to do and won the tournament. It was the same in
Disney, except this time I have a lead, so I hope I can hold on to the lead.”

Arriving Tuesday in Dubai, Donald’s tweet indicated he may be starting to
feel the pressure. “Just got to Dubai, With Rory, Lee and Tiger winning,
feeling a bit ganged up on!!”

Kaymer said he felt it would be a good battle but he predicted that Donald
would come out ahead.

“With Rory and Luke, it’s exciting. It’s almost the same—almost the same
that we had last year with Graham and me,” Kaymer said. “But I don’t really
believe that Luke will have a bad week. The way he played golf the last few
months … So I think it would be very difficult for Rory but I’m sure he will
be aggressive and try and do everything to try and win, and then that puts a
little bit of pressure on Luke for the weekend.”

Westwood also favors Donald, though he welcomed the duel, saying it was a
great way to cap what has been “a very good year” for the European Tour.

“All the top players have played pretty well this year, been successful in
the major championships,” Westwood said. “So yeah, I think it has been a very
good year. I think that’s part of the reason why the money has not dropped. I
don’t want to say we give value for money because we are playing for a lot of
money. But it’s certainly a good brand and a good product, the European Tour, at
the moment.”

Follow Michael Casey on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mcasey1