MEMPHIS — Harris English overcame a shaky start, then took advantage of a late collapse by fellow American Scott Stallings to clinch his maiden PGA Tour title with a two-shot victory at the St Jude Classic in Tennessee Sunday. The 23-year-old English birdied two of the last three holes at the TPC Southwind to close with a one-under-par 69, ending a roller-coaster final round where he and Stallings had duelled back and forth for the lead. Stallings and four-time major champion Phil Mickelson tied for second, two strokes back. A curling 17-foot birdie putt at the 17th put English two strokes clear and he safely parred the tricky final hole to post a 12-under total of 268 in the final PGA Tour event before next week's US Open. “I was feeling very good with my striking all week,” a beaming English told CBS Sports greenside after two-putting for par on the 18th green, then pumping his right fist in delight. Stallings had been two ahead when he hit his wedge approach into water at the 15th en route to a damaging double-bogey six and had to settle for a share of second place after bogeying the 18th for a 68. Level with Stallings at 10-under was Mickelson, who thrilled the crowd when he nearly holed out his approach at the par-four last for a tap-in birdie and a 67. “I hit some good wedges coming in and I thought that one on 18 might even go (in),” Mickelson said after a five-birdie display on Sunday. “I hit a lot of good iron shots.” Park bags LPGA title In Pittsford, Park Inbee of South Korea won the LPGA Championship in a sudden death playoff against Catriona Matthew of Britain Sunday, giving her victories in the first two women's major championships of the year. World No. 1 Park won on the third hole of the playoff at Locust Hill Country Club outside Rochester, New York, with a birdie on the par-four 18th hole after both parred the first two sudden-death holes. The two golfers, who tied at five-under-par 283 after regulation, played 39 holes in a marathon finishing day at the weather-delayed championship, getting in the entire third and fourth rounds Sunday and then the three-hole playoff. “It was one of the toughest days out there,” Park, 24, said in a television interview on the green after her winning putt. Tied for third place on four-under-par 284 were American Morgan Pressel (75) and Norway's Suzann Pettersen, who fired a seven-under 65 in the final round, the best score of the tournament. — Agencies
