Justin Rose staked a claim to being the world's hottest golfer when he won the $6.2 million AT&T National Sunday. Rose recovered from consecutive three-putts early on the back nine, parring the final seven holes to secure a hard-fought one-stroke victory over American Ryan Moore on a sizzling hot day at Aronimink. The 29-year-old Englishman tapped in from two feet at the final hole to clinch his second victory in three starts, after winning the Memorial tournament last month. Rose also led into the final round in Hartford last week, so he quite easily could have posted a hat trick of victories. He received 1,116,000 first prize, along with a late exemption into next week's British Open at St. Andrews, where he was the first alternate five years ago but did not get to play. “Having not closed out for me last week, it was important for me to do it today,” Rose said after carding 70 to finish at 10-under-par 270, while fast-finishing Moore shot 65 for nine-under, sinking a 12-footer at the last that kept the pressure on his rival. Tiger Woods finished 14 strokes behind, equal 46th, failing to break par in all four rounds for the first time in a regular PGA Tour event since 1999. Rose, who began the day with a four-shot lead, made a nervous start with a soft bogey at the par-four first, where he yanked his second shot into rough and failed to get up-and-down. But he settled down and seemed to put the tournament away with a brilliant eagle at the par-five ninth, where his five-wood second shot trickled up for a three-foot tap-in and a five-shot lead. He needed only to avoid disaster after that, but gave his chasers hope with two quick bogeys and it was a battle after that on a firm, fiery course that played much like a typical US Open. By time Rose got to the green at the par-three 17th, Moore had finished, so Rose knew a couple of pars would do it. He sank a clutch five-footer at the penultimate hole to preserve his lead and then got a little lucky at the last when his drive landed in the first cut of rough but bounced forward into the fairway, from where he hit a wedge to 25 feet and two-putted. “A lot's changed in a few weeks,” Rose said before jumping on a charter jet to Ireland for a celebrity pro-am. After that, he plans to spend Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at St. Andrews preparing for the Open, before enjoying the weekend in London. Choi wins Farr in playoff In Ohio, Choi Na-yeon has made a 2½-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to win the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. Choi converted a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole to join fellow South Koreans Kim In-kyung and Kim Song-hee and American Christina Kim in Sunday's playoff. After all four missed birdie putts on the first playoff hole, Choi hit her third shot close and rolled in the putt for her third career LPGA victory. Choi had rounds of 64, 67, 68 and 71 to finish at 270. Christina Kim had a 12-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to win, but missed it.
