Webb Sets an LPGA Record: 26-Under

Karrie Webb, playing in her home country, set a record in women’s golf Sunday when she won the Australian Ladies Masters in 26-under par, finishing 10 strokes ahead of her nearest rival.

Webb closed with a 68 after previous rounds of 63-67-64 for a 262 total at Royal Pines Resort in Gold Coast.

“The hole started to look as big as a bucket,” Webb said. “If I knocked it 15 feet it was like a gimmie putt. I don’t think I could putt any better.”

She broke the LPGA record of 23-under held by South Korea’s Se Ri Pak (1998) and American Wendy Ward (1997) and Canadian Lisa Walters (1998).

It also surpassed Laura Davies’ European Tour record of 25-under, set at the 1995 Irish Open in Dublin.

The PGA Tour record is 28-under by John Huston in last year’s Hawaiian Open.

In second place was Scotland’s Janice Moodie, who closed with a 71 for a 272. Becky Iverson of the United States was at 274, followed by Canada’s Lorie Kane at 275.

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Gabriel Hjertstedt’s 25-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole gave him the Tucson Open title, the second title of his young PGA career. The victory over Tommy Armour III was even sweeter because it came on the green of the treacherous 18th hole at Tucson National, one of the toughest closing holes on the PGA Tour because of its length (465 yards), water on both sides of the fairway and tri-level green.

Mike Reid and Kirk Triplett tied for third at 277, with Brent Geiberger and third-round co-leader Barry Cheesman at 278.

Hjertstedt birdied No. 18 in the first round and parred it twice, but he double-bogeyed the hole to close with a four-under-par 68 and a 72-hole total of 12-under 276.

Armour got into the playoff with a six-inch birdie putt on the 17th hole and then two-putting No. 18 for par to complete a three-stroke swing in the last two holes. He reached the green in regulation on the playoff hole, but knocked his 30-foot first putt five feet past.

He never got a chance to save par as Hjertstedt, who became the first Swede to win on tour when he capped his rookie year by winning the 1997 B.C. Open, sent the winner up over a small ridge and into the cup.

The $495,000 first prize was more than Hjertstedt, who occasionally slept in his car to save expenses while getting started on the European tour, had won in two previous seasons.

The tournament offered a record purse of $2.75 million this year after acquiring a new sponsor, Touchstone Energy.

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Senior PGA Tour rookie Allen Doyle used his low-trajectory shot to overcome gusty wins for a three-under-par 69, capping a wire-to-wire effort for his first Senior win at the $1.2 million Ace Group Classic at Naples, Fla.

Doyle, last December’s medalist at Senior PGA qualifying school, finished at 13-under 203 at the Bay Colony Golf Club, five shots ahead of second-place Vicente Fernandez.

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Final Scores

AUSTRALIAN LADIES MASTERS--Par 72

Karrie Webb: 262 (-26)--$112,500

Janice Moodie: 272 (-16)--$71,154

Becky Iverson: 274 (-13)--$51,923

Lorie Kane: 274 (-13)--$51,923

TUCSON OPEN--Par 72

G.Hjertstedt: 276 (-12)--$495,000

Tommy Armour: III 276 (-12)--$297,000

Mike Reid 277: (-11)--$159,500

Kirk Triplett: 277 (-11)--$159,500

Brent Geiberger: 278 (-10)--$104,500

Barry Cheesman: 278 (-10)--$104,500

ACE GROUP CLASSIC--Par 72

Allen Doyle: 203 (-13)--$180,000

V.Fernandez: 208 (-8)--$105,600

* Complete Scores, D10