Sung Kang wins Byron Nelson for first PGA Tour title
DALLAS (AP) — Sung Kang made a 23-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole to finally take the lead for good at the Byron Nelson and held on for his first PGA Tour victory on a 27-hole Sunday at Trinity Forest.
That was the second of three consecutive birdies for Kang, the 31-year-old South Korean who lives in North Texas. In his 159th career PGA Tour start, Kang closed with a 4-under 67 to finish at 23 under and beat Matt Every and Scott Piercy by two strokes.
Every finished with a 66. Piercy, also in the final threesome, finished a bogey-free tournament with a 64. Brooks Koepka, the world's No. 3-ranked player who now goes to Bethpage to defend his PGA Championship title, was fourth at 20 under after a 65.
Every and Kang played all four rounds together, including the extended day Sunday after the third round was delayed six hours by rain. A stroke behind Every when third-round play resumed, Kang completed a 68 to take a three-stroke lead over Every into the final round. Twice over the last two days, Every overcame deficits of at least four strokes and went ahead of Kang.
EUROPEAN TOUR
SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Marcus Kinhult of Sweden birdied the last two holes for a 2-under 70 for a one-shot victory in the British Masters and his first European Tour title.
Kinhult fell out of the lead at Hillside Golf Club with back-to-back bogeys, only to rally with a birdie on the par-5 17th that put him in a four-way tie for the lead with defending champion Eddie Pepperell, Matt Wallace and Robert MacIntyre. The Swede holed an 8-foot birdie putt to finish on 16-under 262.
Pepperell shot 66, MacIntrye had a 31 on the back nine for a 68, and Wallace settled for a 71. Tournament host Tommy Fleetwood closed with a 73 to finish six shots behind.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The final round of the Regions Tradition had barely started when it was suspended because of thunderstorms. After more than four hours of steady rain, the final round was delayed until Monday morning.
Steve Stricker had a two-stroke lead at 14-under 202. Two-time Tradition winner Bernhard Langer, David Toms and Billy Andrade were tied for second.
The course was deluged by nearly an inch of rain Sunday morning.
WEB .COM TOUR
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Michael Gellerman won the KC Golf Classic for his first Web .com Tour title, closing with a 3-under 69 for a one-stroke victory and a likely spot on the PGA Tour next season.
Gellerman finished at 11-under 277 at Blue Hills and earned $121,000. The 26-year-old former Oklahoma player jumped from 75th to eighth in the season standings, with the final top 25 earning PGA Tour cards.
Third-round leader Nelson Ledesma had a 73 to drop into a tie for second with Harry Higgs (68).
OTHER TOURS
Maria Parra of Spain won the IOA Invitational on Saturday in Milton, Georgia, for her first Symetra Tour title. She won with an eagle on the fifth hole of a playoff with Leona Maguire and Madison Pressel. Ssu-Chia Cheng was eliminated on the first extra hole. ... Yosuki Asaji won for the first time in his 141st start worldwide by closing with a 1-over 72 for a one-shot victory over amateur Ren Yonezawa and Micah Lauren Shin on the Asia-Pacific Open Diamond Cup, which was so-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour and the Asian Tour. ... Antoine Rozner closed with a 4-under 68 for a seven-shot victory in the Prague Golf Challenge, making him the first player in seven years to win back-to-back on the Challenge Tour. Rozner won last week in Spain. ... Richard Jung of Canada shot a 4-under 68 for a two-shot victory in the Beijing Championship on the PGA Tour China Series. ... Hye-jin Choi closed with a 7-under 65 for a three-shot victory in the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship on the Korean LPGA Tour. ... Hinako Shibuno shot a 1-under 71 for a one-shot victory in the World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup on the Japan LPGA.
