Perry outduels field to win 3rd Memorial

DUBLIN, Ohio — Kenny Perry joined Tiger Woods as the only three-time winner of the Memorial on Sunday, taking a big step toward joining the No. 1 player in the world on the Ryder Cup team this fall.

With every contender in full retreat on the back nine, the 47-year-old Perry surged ahead with pars and one timely birdie, coasting home to a 3-under 69 and a two-shot victory that could not have come at a better time.

He became the oldest winner at the tournament Jack Nicklaus built, and as he walked off the green to warm handshake from the tournament host, Perry soon was surrounded by his wife and three children. It was the first time in his two decades on the PGA Tour all of them had been at a tournament he won.

Bigger still was his answer to U.S. captain Paul Azinger's statement earlier in the week, that anyone making his Ryder Cup team would almost certainly have to win on tour this year.

Perry, who squandered two chances in the previous three weeks, delivered his best golf of the year.

He finished at 8-under 280, the highest winning score at the Memorial in 23 years. Perry earned $1.08 million for his 10th career victory, which translates to 1,080 points toward the Ryder Cup, moving him up to No. 5 in the standings.

Third-round leader Mathew Goggin lost his three-shot advantage in three holes and stumbled home to a 74, tied for second with former Masters champion Mike Weir, Justin Rose and Jerry Kelly, all of whom closed with a 71.

All of them had their chances until dropping shots somewhere along the back nine.

The Ryder Cup will be held at Valhalla in his native Kentucky, and Perry is so desperate to make the team that he won't even bother qualifying for the U.S. Open. He does not like Torrey Pines, and figures he should devote his energy to tournaments where he has a better chance of earning points, such as Memphis next week and Hartford the week after the U.S. Open.

LPGA TOUR: At Mount Pleasant, S.C., Sophie Gustafson's stunning collapse, and Karrie Webb's short playoff miss opened the way for Seon Hwa Lee to come from nine shots back and win the Ginn Tribute. South Korea's Lee two-putted from about 45 feet for par on the lone playoff hole, the 18th, then watched LPGA Hall of Famer Webb miss a 3-footer that would've extended things at RiverTowne Country Club. Lee shot a 67 for her third LPGA title. She earned $390,000, one of the richest prizes in women's golf.