Kerr's birdie on playoff hole seals win for LPGA

ByABC News
April 21, 2017, 5:36 PM

— -- HENDERSON, Nev. -- Christie Kerr's five-foot birdie putt on the lone playoff hole Tuesday gave the LPGA Tour its fourth championship at the 16th annual Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge. Kerr converted her putt after Fred Funk of the Champions Tour was unable to make his six-foot birdie attempt on the par-4 18th hole. The LPGA and Champions threesomes went to the extra hole after tying for first place at 7-under 209. The PGA team placed third at 6-under for 18 holes at the Reflection Bay Golf Club after leading by two after nine. Funk and Kerr both got off to a sluggish start and picked it up on the back nine. Funk carded a 2-under 70 and Kerr shot a 71. Funk birdied No. 18 in regulation, and that helped him gain the first spot in the playoff-hole rotation. Kerr shot even par on the final hole and won her plea with teammates Natalie Gulbis and Morgan Pressel to go first for the LPGA. "I wanted another chance because my last shot was from the same spot and I pulled it," Kerr said. "I was just trying to breathe, slow down and get a sense for the situation [on the playoff hole]. I knew when it left my club, it was close." Individual champ Bubba Watson had an 8-under 64 for the PGA Tour. Camilo Villegas had a 72 and Chris DiMarco finished at 2-over. "If I am hitting my driver well like I did, yes, it's going to make the golf course play a lot easier," said Watson, who led the PGA Tour in driving yardage average this year. "I was hitting the ball good. There's perfect weather out here, so you don't have to worry about the wind," he said. Pressel bogeyed No. 18 in regulation but still led the LPGA team with a 68. Nick Price shot 3-under for the Champions Tour and Jay Haas carded a 70. The LPGA team picked up $400,000 in total team earnings for 18 holes while the PGA earned $330,000 and the Champions netted $270,000. The PGA earned more than the Champions because its team won $200,000 with its front-nine victory. The Challenge, which will air next month on ABC, raised $3.9 million for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.