PROFESSIONAL GOLF
Villegas saves first victory for FedExCup playoffs
The Colombian wins for the first time but Singh wraps up the FedExCup
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS » For three years, Camilo Villegas managed to make a name for himself without winning.
He was the young Colombian with model good looks and chic clothing, limber enough to strike a pretzel-shaped pose on the green to read putts, earning him the nickname "Spider-Man." Trouble was, not many of those putts went in.
That changed yesterday at the BMW Championship.
Clinging to a one-shot lead on the back nine at Bellerive, Villegas saved par with a 12-foot putt, followed that with two birdie putts and finished off a 2-under 68 for a wire-to-wire victory and his first PGA Tour title.
"It was a pretty good little stretch there that just tested my nerves and showed myself that I was good enough to stay out there," Villegas said.
Villegas pulled away from Jim Furyk, held off Anthony Kim and wound up winning by two shots over Dudley Hart, who birdied his final two holes for a 65. It was Hart's best finish in four years and it earned him two trips to Georgia - the Tour Championship in two weeks and the Masters next April.
With one playoff event remaining, the FedEx Cup essentially is over.
Vijay Singh, who won the first two events, tied for 44th and earned enough points that all he has to do is complete four rounds at the Tour Championship in two weeks to collect the $10 million payoff.
But the surly Singh didn't seem terribly grateful.
In a move that took some shine off the tour's new prize, Singh refused to speak to NBC Sports and walked briskly past a group of other media after finishing his round.
A marketing dream, Villegas gave golf fans a real reason to pay attention to him.
The 26-year-old from Medellin turned his fortunes Saturday after four-putting for double bogey that cost him the lead in the middle of the second round. He didn't have another three-putt the rest of the tournament.
"It rattled me in a good way, because I had been putting so good all week, and all of a sudden I four-putt," Villegas said. "But I looked at my caddie and said, 'Listen, man, let's don't let those two bad strokes get in our way.'"
And he didn't.
Villegas finished at 15-under 265 and collected $1.26 million.
"It's awesome to be here," said Villegas, who wore a solid white outfit accented by a yellow belt and painter's cap. "Hopefully, it's the first of many."
Villegas went over $3 million in earnings for the year and likely will move into the top 20 in the world ranking.
And he still has a mathematical chance for the FedEx Cup.
He moved up to No. 2 in the standings, but even if he wins the Tour Championship and Singh finishes last, Villegas still would finish 101 points behind. His only hope is to win at East Lake and for Singh to withdraw or get disqualified.
The volatile points system introduced this year brought some fresh faces to East Lake for what once was the tour's All-Star game for the top 30 players on the money list. Among those who advanced to the final round of the playoffs were Kevin Sutherland, Ken Duke, Tim Clark, Bubba Watson and Hart, who moved up 53 spots to No. 14.
Kaneohe's Dean Wilson shot an even-par 70 yesterday to finish the tournament in 22nd place. He finished the playoffs in 39th place, 1,099 away from advancing to the final tournament.
The final spot went to Chad Campbell, who got no points this week after withdrawing Saturday to fly home to Dallas after learning his wife went into labor.
Sorenstam finishes with third
HELSINGOER, Denmark » Annika Sorenstam ended her pro career in Europe by finishing third in the Nykredit Masters.
The 37-year-old Hall of Famer from Sweden closed with a 2-under 71, leaving her five shots behind winner Martina Eberl of Germany. Eberl closed with a 66 for a 14-under 205 total.
Lucquin beats McIlroy
CRANS-SUR-SIERRE, Switzerland » France's Jean-Francois Lucquin won the European Masters, beating Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy with a birdie on the second hole of a playoff.
The 19-year-old McIlroy held a four-stroke lead going into the final round, but bogeyed two of the first three holes and then missed a 5-foot putt for victory on No. 18 to settle for a 71.