ASSOCIATED PRESS Jennifer Rosales shot a 1-over 73 in yesterday's final round, good enough for a two-stroke victory to earn the $150,000 winner's check at the SBS Open.

Rosales holds on
to win SBS title

Michelle Wie ties Cristie Kerr
for second place

If you were looking to send someone to seal the deal, Jennifer Rosales wouldn't have been your first choice.

Twice before -- at last year's U.S. Open and the 2002 British Open -- Rosales held the lead entering the final round, only to come undone when the spotlight was at its brightest.

She shot a 75 at last year's U.S. Open to fall to fourth. Three years ago, her fourth-round 73 at the British left her in a tie for fourth.

This penchant for letting things slip away was why no one was ready to hand the trophy to Rosales until her final putt found the hole at the 18th. But when it did, no one was happier than the first champion of the $1 million SBS Open played in howling conditions yesterday at the Turtle Bay Resort.

True, her 1-over 73 finish did little to inspire confidence, but thanks to conditions better-suited for sailing, Rosales was able to hold on for a two-shot victory over playing partner Cristie Kerr and local favorite Michelle Wie.

Kerr and Wie arrived at the same 54-hole total with final rounds of 72 and 70, respectively, for a 6-under 210 finish. Rosales was two shots removed at 8-under 208 to post her second victory on the LPGA Tour.

"It feels good," Rosales said. "It feels really good because at the end of the year I was really close, the Open, the Tour Championship, just kills me every time I give it away.

"Last night, before I went to sleep, I thought about what I was going to do today and what my game plan was. I wanted to take it one shot at a time, don't panic, keep breathing and that is was I did today."

Rosales did allow several strokes to leak from her bag, including a double bogey at the par-4 seventh, and a pair of bogeys at the par-3s on the back that kept the door open for the other golfers near the top of the leaderboard.

But on a day like this, no one was able to step through, including Wie, who was stuck on 70 for three consecutive days. Wie was the only golfer in the field to shoot under par all three rounds.

Kerr could have caught Rosales, but didn't have consistent iron play in this devilish breeze that got increasingly stronger as the inaugural tournament progressed.

Kerr had a pair of birdies on the front that led to a solid 34, but gave both of them back over the final nine holes to close with a 2-over 38. It was all the cushion Rosales would need as she parred the final three holes coming in.

At last year's Chick-fil-A, she had to wait 45 minutes before knowing she had secured her first win. This wire-to-wire accomplishment was a little different than that one.

"Yeah, I was expecting my first win to be in the last group and people throwing champagne at me," Rosales said. "I didn't get it that way. Today was my chance, I was in the last group, but didn't get any love. But wait until my family comes out and I will try to win for them."

Wie had plenty of family and friends around her as her gallery was clearly larger than anyone else's. She remained within shouting distance of the leaders with another steady performance in conditions that left most of the players in the black.

Only five other golfers -- Heather Bowie, Catriona Matthew, Dorothy Delasin, Hilary Lunke and Beth Daniel -- were able to equal the 2-under total in the windiest of the three rounds.

"This is the best finish I have had and it feels great to have it in my home state," Wie said. "It feels good. I thought, shoot a couple under par and hopefully they will fall back a little and try not to make any stupid mistakes. And I did that."

Reilley Rankin was partnered with Wie during her second-round 66, but the second-year tour player ballooned to a 3-over 75 yesterday after making several questionable shots. Still, it was good enough for fourth at 4-under 212 for the tournament. Rankin earned $66,409 for her best finish on tour.

Rounding out the top 5 were Bowie, Nicole Perrot and Hee-Won Han at 3-under 213. There were only eight golfers under par yesterday and 13 for the tournament on the difficult Arnold Palmer-designed course.

"This is a good course, a really good course for the LPGA," Kerr said. "It's interesting. All the holes are different. The course is in great condition. I really like the golf course because you have to pay attention."

Rosales was the best at doing that this week and has the $150,000 winner's check to prove it.

"No, not at all," said Rosales, when asked if she thought she would get a win here. "I was excited to start the year. It turned out to be a pretty good week for me."