Morgan Stumbles, but Wins

Gil Morgan gave away most of a five-stroke lead over the last three holes, but survived a bogey-bogey-double bogey finish to beat Hale Irwin by one shot in the Ameritech Senior Open at Long Grove, Ill.

Morgan’s lead was three strokes when he teed off on No. 18, but he put his second shot into the water near the green. He put his fourth shot on the putting surface and made a 6 to finish with a 74 and a 54-hole score of 210, 6-under-par.

Irwin bogeyed five holes in a row on the way to a 74 and got within one of the lead only because of Moran’s mistakes.

Morgan earned $180,000 for the third Senior tour win of his career and second of the season. He won The Tradition in April.

Irwin, the tour money leader, received $105,600 to boost his earnings this year to $891,231.

Bob Eastwood shot a 71 to finish third with a 212 total.

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Annika Sorenstam beat Hiromi Kobayashi in a final-round duel and won the Michelob Light Classic at St. Louis by three strokes. It was her fourth tournament victory of the year.

The LPGA’s leading money-winner took home $90,000 to increase her earnings this year to $696,079.

Sorenstam played steady, conservative golf with 16 pars, a birdie and a bogey for an even-par 72, a total of 11-under 277 and her 10th victory in less than four years on the tour.

Her total was one stroke off the tournament record set last year by Vicki Fergon and one stroke better than her own total in 1995.

Kobayashi, who led the tournament after two rounds, matched Sorenstam’s performance for a while but had three bogeys on the back nine and finished at 280 after a two-over-par 74.

Karrie Webb, the LPGA’s second-leading money-winner, shot a two-under 70 to finish third, seven strokes back.

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The Memorial Tournament was washed away once again Sunday.

With the course already saturated, the leaders with eight holes to go and more rain in the forecast, it’s far from certain that play can be completed when it resumes at 9 a.m today. The tournament will be reduced to 54 holes.

“The water table on this golf course must be about one-half inch under the ground,” Greg Norman said after the hardest downpour of the week stopped play at 4:23 p.m.

When play was suspended with the final group through 10 holes of the third round, Scott Hoch and Vijay Singh were tied for the lead at 12-under-par.

Norman birdied the last four holes he played and was a stroke back.