GOLF

IMMELMAN HOLDS OF WOODS FOR WESTERN OPEN TITLE Trevor Immelman birdied the 18th hole and held off Tiger Woods and Matthew Goggin to win the Western Open yesterday for his first PGA Tour victory.

Immelman needed to par the 18th to win. Instead, he knocked in a 32-foot putt for a birdie, putting him at 13-under 271 for the tournament — two strokes ahead of Woods and Goggin.Vijay Singh, the leader through three rounds, was 2-over for the day to fall out of contention. Singh and defending champion Jim Furyk finished at 9-under, along with Tim Clark, Stephen Leaney, Stewart Cink, and Carl Pettersson. Phil Mickelson shot 71 and finished 3-over in his first tournament since the U.S. Open, where a double-bogey on the final hole cost him the championship.

Immelman birdied the 15th and 16th holes to go to 13 under. He let out a grin after hitting a 10-foot putt on 16. The South African, who has four European tour victories, bogeyed 17 but made up for it on the 18th and finished at 4-under-par 67 for the day.

Woods bogeyed the first hole yesterday and was 1-over through nine, but got it going after the turn. His tee shot on the par-3 12th landed within 2 feet of the hole, and Woods tapped it in for his second straight birdie. He was at 10 under and within a stroke of the lead after a birdie on the par-3 14th. His second shot on the par-5 15th sailed wide right into the crowd, but Woods managed to save par. A chip shot from the rough rolled past the hole, and he made a 15-foot putt.

Woods sank a 23-foot putt for birdie on no. 16, putting him at 11-under. The crowd roared, and he pumped his right arm after the ball fell into the cup. But it wasn’t enough to catch Immelman.Woods charged into contention with a good second round and a better third round after opening the tournament at 1-over. He shot 4-under on Friday and made a big jump with a 5-under Saturday.

DOYLE OUTDUELS WATSON FOR U.S. SENIOR OPEN TITLE Allen Doyle outdueled playing partner and gallery favorite Tom Watson with a steady 2-under 68 yesterday to win his second straight U.S. Senior Open. Watson had a two-stroke lead over Doyle heading into the final round. But Watson, the popular Kansas City native whom many in the crowd hoped would win, three-putted for bogey on two of the first three holes and never recovered. His 2-over 72 gave him a four-day total of 274, two shots behind Doyle, who finished at 8-under for the tournament.

Doyle is the first back-to-back U.S. Senior Open winner since Gary Player in 1987–88. A year ago, the 56-year-old Doyle came out of nowhere with a closinground 63 in Kettering, Ohio, to win his first U.S. Senior Open.

HORSE RACING

BARBARO COMPLICATIONS COULD BE SERIOUS Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro has developed “potentially serious” complications to his injured right hind leg, and underwent surgery to treat a new infection. Late Saturday, the 3-year-old colt, who shattered his leg at the start of the Preakness on May 20, had a titanium plate and a number of screws replaced after developing discomfort in the leg and a “consistently” high temperature.

In a statement released yesterday, Dr. Dean Richardson, who performed suergery on Barbaro, emphasized that the complications are “potentially serious.”

“Barbaro had developed some discomfort and a consistently elevated temperature so we believed it was in his best interest to remove the hardware and thoroughly clean the site of the infection,” Richardson said. “We also applied a longer cast on that leg for additional support.”

It is the third procedure in less than a week for Barbaro. Richardson said Barbaro’s main fracture is healing well, but the pastern joint — a joint above the hoof — continues to be a concern. The joint was stabilized with “new implants and a fresh bone graft.”

– Associated Press