Westwood hangs around, wins St. Jude

Lee Westwood came to the St. Jude Classic for the first time in his career to sharpen himself for the U.S. Open. He wound up putting in a little overtime.

Westwood won the St. Jude for his second career PGA Tour victory and first since 1998, beating Swede Robert Karlsson on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff yesterday, in Memphis, Tenn.

The Englishman became the first European to win the tour's third-longest event only after Robert Garrigus blew a three-stroke lead on the final hole of regulation with a triple bogey. He bogeyed the first playoff hole.

He wound up taking home the $1.008 million winner's check after the longest sudden-death playoff at Memphis with a 68-270 total.

In other tournaments:

* The final round of the weather-plagued LPGA State Farm Classic at Panther Creek Country Club, in Springfield, Ill., was pushed back until today.

Cristie Kerr and Anna Nordqvist held the tournament lead at 20 under. Na On Min, Jee Young Lee, Katie Futcher, Gwladys Nocera and Na Yeon Choi were three shots off the pace.

It was debated whether to award the title to Kerr, the leader after 54 holes, and cancel the fourth round but LPGA rules official Jim Haley said they will try to finish the 72-hole tournament today.

* The girls from the United States did Harriot and Margaret Curtis proud.

Playing at the Essex County Club, in Manchester-By-The-Sea, Mass., the home course of the two women who donated the trophy that began the Curtis Cup in 1932, the U.S. handily defeated Great Britain and Ireland 12.5-7.5 in the 36th biennial competition between teams of female amateur golfers.