Haas wins Senior Players Championship by a stroke

TIMONIUM, Md. -- Jay Haas charged past Tom Watson to win the Senior Players Championship by a stroke, birdieing the 18th hole yesterday to match the course record with a 6-under 64 in the final Champions Tour major of the season.

Watson, 60, was tying to become the oldest major winner on the 50-and-over tour. But after making only one bogey in the first three rounds at Baltimore Country Club, he had three in the final round en route to a 70.

Haas finished at 13-under 267 for his third senior major title. He has 14 career Champions Tour victories, also winning the Greater Hickory Classic two weeks ago.

Haas took advantage of a well-placed 6-iron from 185 yards on his second shot on the par-4 18th hole. His shot dropped on the right side of the green, then rolled within 3 feet of the cup for a birdie.

Watson missed the fairway on 18, ending any hopes he could catch Haas. Mark Wiebe (71) and Loren Roberts (71) tied for third at 7 under, and Bernhard Langer (68) and John Cook (72) followed at 6 under.

Watson pulled ahead by a stroke with a masterly, downhill birdie putt on No. 15. With 30 feet to the hole, he sent a slow roller that briefly broke right before curling left and dropping in to put him at 12 under. But Haas birdied 17, converting a 12-foot putt for his 20th birdie of the tournament, to force a tie atop the leader board.

LPGA TOUR

Ochoa keeps title

PRATTVILLE, Ala. -- Lorena Ochoa successfully defended her Navistar LPGA Classic title, overcoming early troubles to shoot a 2-under 70 for a four-stroke victory over Michelle Wie and Brittany Lang.

Ochoa finished at 18-under 270 on The Senator course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail's Capitol Hill complex to snap an 11-start winless streak dating to the Corona Championship in late April. The top-ranked Mexican star has three victories this year and 27 overall on the LPGA Tour.

Ochoa wiped out her three-stroke lead coming into the day with a bogey and double bogey in the first five holes. She erased any drama with a birdie on No. 17.

Wie overcame a gimpy left ankle to close with a 66, and Lang had a 70.

Alexis Thompson, 14, shot her second straight 74 to tie for 27th at 6 under. She opened with rounds of 65 and 69 to share the second-round lead.

PGA TOUR

Kuchar, Taylor tied

VERONA, N.Y. -- Matt Kuchar and Vaughn Taylor were still tied after two holes in a sudden-death playoff at the Turning Stone Resort Championship when play was suspended because of darkness, forcing a finish today.

They birdied the first extra hole and parred the second. They will resume play at 8:30 a.m. on the 13th tee.

Taylor, the second-round leader, began the day three shots off the lead and shot a 6-under 66 to match Kuchar (69) at 17-under 271.

Rookie Leif Olson (69) tied for third with Tim Petrovic (67) at 16 under. The two shared the first-round lead.

Jimmy Walker (66) and John Senden (67) tied for fifth, another shot back.

At the first extra hole, the par-5 18th, Taylor hit his third shot from the left rough inside 3 feet for an easy birdie. Kuchar responded by hitting to 9 feet and sinking the birdie putt.

Both found trouble on the next hole, the par-5 12th. Taylor drove way left and his second shot bounded down a cart path near a television tower. Kuchar's second shot also landed near the tower, necessitating a free drop, but both saved par in fading light.

Australian Peter Lonard established a course record with a 63, his only round of the weekend in the 60s.