Merion, here they come

SIMON KHAN bounced back from losing the BMW PGA Championship in a playoff to qualify for the U.S. Open.

The Englishman, who lost a four-hole playoff to Matteo Manassero at Wentworth on Sunday, qualified in first place yesterday by shooting a 5-under 67 on the Old Course and 2-under 70 on the New Course in Walton Heath, England.

"[Sunday] I did everything I could to try and win. I don't think I could have done anything differently," said Khan, who has reached the U.S. Open three times in 8 straight years of qualifying. "I only slept for about a half-an-hour last night [with the loss] going over in my head. And I even thought about pulling out, but this is my job.

"But it's just brilliant I'm going to Merion. I don't know much about the course. All I know is [Ben] Hogan's famous picture at the last [hole in 1950], which is iconic."

Three-time Ryder Cup player Paul Casey and Jaco Van Zyl are also through to the second major of the year after qualifying a stroke back to tie for second.

Jose Maria Olazabal, Europe's victorious Ryder Cup captain last year, was among the other qualifiers.

It's the first time Casey has competed in qualifying for a major in his 13-year pro career, but the Englishman has slipped to 157th in the world rankings. He will make his 10th U.S. Open appearance.

"To qualify for the U.S. Open is great because, for me, it's right up there as one of the two most important golf tournaments we play in the world," Casey said. "And while I am putting the [British] Open championship up there on top, America's national Open championship is right up there.

"I don't know much about Merion, so I will have to do my homework - and I'm just ecstatic. But now that I have got through the qualifier there is no reason why you can't compete in the U.S. Open, and Michael Campbell showed that when he qualified here in 2005 and then won at Pinehurst."

Australia's Marcus Fraser, England's Eddie Pepperell, Sweden's Peter Hedblom and Denmark's Morten Orum Madsen qualified next.

There were six players tied for the five remaining spots, forcing a playoff. Olazabal, David Howell and John Parry made birdies on the first extra hole to take three berths.

Scotland's Chris Doak and Argentina's Estanislao Goya took the last two slots after three more playoff holes, with Sweden's Rikard Karlberg missing out.

At Fort Worth, Texas, Boo Weekley made three consecutive birdies in the middle of his round and finished with a 4-under 66 on Sunday to win the Colonial, his first PGA Tour victory in 5 years.

Weekley never trailed after those birdies on Nos. 8-10, which came about the same time Scott Stallings made double bogey at No. 15 to drop out of the lead.

At 14-under 266, Weekley finished a stroke ahead of Matt Kuchar, the second- and third-round leader who closed with a 68.

* At St. Louis, Kohki Idoki erased a five-stroke deficit against a fading Kenny Perry with room to spare, charging to a two-stroke victory in the Senior PGA Championship.

* At Paradise Island, Bahamas, South Korea's Ilhee Lee won the Bahamas LPGA Classic for her first title, finishing with a 5-under 42 for a two-shot win over Irene Cho in the 36-hole tournament.