Golf roundup
Hoffman wins Hope Classic in playoff THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (AP) – Charley Hoffman rammed in a 4-foot birdie putt to beat John Rollins on the first hole of a playoff in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic on Sunday, wrapping up a wind-swept round that took its toll on most of the players.
Winning his first PGA Tour title, the 30-year-old Hoffman birdied No. 17, eagled the 18th in regulation, then birdied the 18th in the playoff.
He closed with a 1-under 71 to match Rollins (73) at 17 under.
Rollins’ shot into a fairway bunker on the extra hole cost him.
Hoffman, in the next-to-last group, put the pressure on the final threesome when he hit his second shot within 11 feet of the pin on the par-5, 564-yard 18th, then rolled in the putt for an eagle to reach 17 under.
Rollins, in the last threesome with Justin Rose and Lucas Glover, missed a long try for eagle but made the short birdie putt to force the playoff.
Rose, meanwhile, hit into a bunker off the tee on 18, then ran a long birdie try past the cup before sinking the par putt that left him at 16 under and a shot behind Hoffman and Rollins. Rose, tied with Glover at the top heading into the final 18 holes, was shaky on the greens and finished with a 76 over the Classic Club layout.
MasterCard
KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii – Hale Irwin won the Champions Tour’s season-opening MasterCard Championship, beating Jim Thorpe and Tom Kite by five strokes for his tour-record 45th victory and first in 15 months.
Coming off his first winless season in 12 years, the 61-year-old Irwin closed with a 7-under 65 for a 23-under 193 total to become the sixth-oldest player to win on the senior tour.
Thorpe closed with a 66 to match Kite (67) at 18 under. Defending champion Loren Roberts shot his second straight 67 to finish fourth at 17 under.
Women’s World Cup
SUN CITY, South Africa – Julieta Granada and Celeste Troche gave Paraguay its first Women’s World Cup of Golf title, combining for a 7-under 65 in best-ball play for a seven-stroke victory over the United States.
Pat Hurst and Juli Inkster shot a 67 for the United States. South Korea was third at 1 under, with Ji Yai Shin and Young Kim combining for a 67.
Abu Dhabi Championship
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – England’s Paul Casey won the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, closing with a 7-under 65 for a one-stroke victory over Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and Sweden’s Peter Hanson.
Casey finished at 17-under 271 for his eighth European tour title. Chris DiMarco, the 2006 winner, shot a 66 to finish fourth at 15 under. Third-round leader Padraig Harrington (71) was 14 under.
along with Retief Goosen (68) and Jean Francois (68).