Angela Stanford held off rookie Michelle Wie to win her fourth LPGA Tour title by three shots at the season-opening SBS Open in Hawaii on Saturday. Tied for the overnight lead with fellow American Wie, Stanford trailed by three strokes with eight holes remaining before taking control with a spectacular burst of three consecutive birdies from the 13th. Ice-cool over the closing stretch at Turtle Bay Resort Golf Club in Kahuku, Stanford parred the last three holes for a two-under-par 70 and a 10-under total of 206. Teenager Wie, making her first start as an LPGA member, saw her title chances fade with a double-bogey at the 11th and had to settle for second place after carding a 73. South Korea's Choi Na-yeon birdied three of the last six holes for a 69 and a tie for third with Brazil's Angela Park (75) at four under. Stanford said she had gained a confidence boost by sinking a 24-foot birdie putt on the 13th green. “I needed to see a ball go in so that was huge because I was starting to wonder if I was going to make another birdie,” she added. “Then I started to get back to what I am trying to do with the ball, just hitting the shot in front of me.” Kang wins in Malaysia American Anthony Kang won the $2 million Malaysian Open by one stroke after sinking a birdie putt at the final hole on Sunday. Kang shot a final-round 67 for a total of 17 under par, clinching his first European tour title and first victory in eight years after Thai Prayad Marksaeng missed a birdie attempt on the last hole. Marksaeng, India's Jyoti Randhawa and Britons David Horsey and Miles Tunnicliff finished tied for second place in the event co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours. American world number 11 Anthony Kim closed with a 67 to finish tied 33rd. Starting the day two strokes behind overnight leader Adam Blyth, the 36-year-old Kang fired five birdies to go two shots ahead of the field before dropping one on the 15th. Kang, whose previous tour title was the 2001 Myanmar Open, parred the next two holes to reach the 18th level with Marksaeng, Horsey and Randhawa at the top of the leaderboard. He reached the green in two shots although his eagle putt fell short, Kang secured the biggest victory of his career when Marksaeng missed his birdie attempt. Davies wins Open Laura Davies of England shot a 5-under-par 68 Sunday to win her second Australian Open and 29th Ladies European Tour event by a stroke, benefitting from her closest rival's confusion at who was leading late. Davies, 45, saved her best golf for the weekend, going 11-under-par over the final two rounds at the Metropolitan Golf Club. She finished with a 7-under total of 285, ahead of Spain's Tania Elosegui (70). Karrie Webb was tied for sixth after a 74, five strokes back. Australian Katherine Hull (70) finished tied for sixth with Webb, who was attempting to win her third Australian Open in a row and fifth overall.
