Immelman holds off chasing pack for first victory on American soil

Digest/US TOUR: South African Trevor Immelman won the Cialis Western Open in Illinois by two shots from the fast finishing Tiger…

Digest/US TOUR: South African Trevor Immelman won the Cialis Western Open in Illinois by two shots from the fast finishing Tiger Woods, Matthew Goggin and overnight leader Vijay Singh.

Immelman shot a final, round of 67 for a 13-under-par total of 271 that included three birdies in the last four and a dropped shot at the 17th and a two-shots over the chasing trio.

With Woods in the clubhouse at 11 under par Immelman, after birdies at the 15th and 16th, dropped a shot at the 17th but hit back immediately with a 30 foot birdie at the last to secure his first win on American soil.

South African Tim Clark, Australian Stephen Leaney, Stewart Cink and Jim Furyk share fifth place on 275.

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Luke Donald had improved from from 21st to 14th on six under, but bogeyed the last two for a one over 72 which left him joint 23rd.

CHAMPIONS TOUR: Allan Doyle shot a final round of two-under-par 68 to edge out overnight leader, Tom Watson, to win the US Seniors Open Championship at Prairie Dunes Country Club, in Hutchinson, Kansas. Allen's eight-under-par total of 272 gave him a two-shot winning margin over Watson, who finished with a 72, with Bruce Lietzke and Peter Jacobsen sharing third place on five-under-par 275.

Mark McNulty closed with a 71 for 281, the same score as Mark James, who faded with a final round of 75. Des Smyth shot his best round of the weekend - a 69 - for 285.

LPGA TOUR: Brittany Lincicome picked up her first LPGA title when she comfortably defeated fellow-American Juli Inkster by 3 & 2 to claim the HSBC Women's World Matchplay Championship at Hamilton Farm in Gladstone, New Jersey.

The 20-year-old picked up more than $500,000 (0,000) as she completed a memorable week. Seeded 39th of the 64 players, Lincicome defeated second seed 16-year-old Michelle Wie in the quarter-finals and ousted the number three seed Lorena Ochoa with a long birdie putt at the first extra hole in the morning semi-final.

In the final, Lincicome always held the upper hand against 46-year-old veteran Inkster, who was the number eight seed. She was five up after eight holes and a couple of wins for Inkster on the back nine was too little and too late.

CHALLENGE TOUR: England's Sam Walker put the seal on a magnificent performance with a final round of six under par 65 to run away with the inaugural Scottish Challenge title by five shots from Welshman Gareth Wright at Murcar Links Golf Club.

Walker, who had registered four second-place finishes on the tour before this maiden victory, proved unstoppable on Scotland's northeast coast and took home the €32,000 first prize.

The Englishman closed out his victory with a birdie on the 17th and a par on the 18th to post the winning score of 18 under par.

David Jones was best of the Irish on two over after a 69, while Damian Mooney closed with a 72 to be eight over par.

"I'm over the moon," said the 28-year-old Walker. "I played so well over the weekend - in fact I don't think that I could have played any better than I did on those last two rounds, and to have my first Challenge tour win in Scotland is an unbelievable feeling."

As Walker was presented with his trophy and winner's cheque, Scotland's Ritchie Ramsay stood next to him at the prize-giving as the leading amateur in the field, having produced a wonderful final round of nine under par 62 to reset the course record he himself had established during the second round and to take fourth place overall in the tournament.

Ramsay, who represented Great Britain and Ireland in the 2005 Walker Cup, could have been challenging Walker for first place had he not opened the tournament with a 77, but his nine under par total was still a remarkable feat given the Challenge Tour's extremely high standard of golf, which Walker exemplified best of all.