Oh, baby: Crane brings home unlikely win

Ben Crane knew he was going home today to be with his wife for the birth of their third child. He had no reason to believe he would be bringing the McGladrey Classic trophy with him.
Seven shots behind with 11 holes to play, Crane ran off seven birdies to close with a 7-under-par 63 in St. Simons Island, Ga., then won the playoff when Webb Simpson missed a short par putt on the second extra hole.

Crane nearly holed his approach on the 14th to start a string of four straight birdies. He had a long two-putt on the par-5 15th, followed by a pair of birdie putts from about 20 feet.

Simpson closed with a 66, despite not making a birdie over his last seven holes.

They finished at 15-under 265 and extended the PGA Tour’s record with the 18th playoff this year. It looked as if it might last more than two holes when Crane made a 5-foot comeback putt for par, and Simpson had a par putt just over 3 feet. But it caught the right lip and spun away, giving Crane his first win of the year.

Simpson was trying to become the only three-time winner on tour this season, which might have made him a favorite in the wide-open race for PGA Tour player of the year.

With his runner-up finish, Simpson moved to the top of the money list by $363,029 over Luke Donald, the No. 1 player in the world ranking. Both players have entered the season-ending tournament this week.

“Finishing second is going to make it a lot harder for Luke,’’ Simpson said. “But I’m sure he’s going to play well. He’s played well most every week this year. I still wouldn’t be surprised if I have a little work to do next week.’’

Going into the final tournament, James Driscoll of Brookline is at No. 125 on the money list by $6,287 over Bill Lunde. The top 125 at season’s end earn tour cards for 2012.

Champions - Fred Couples ran away with the AT&T Championship in San Antonio, shooting a bogey-free, 6-under 66 for a seven-stroke victory over Mark Calcavecchia - the largest margin on the 50-and-over tour this year.

LPGA - South Korea’s Na Yeon Choi won the LPGA Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur for her first victory of the season, beating top-ranked Yani Tseng by one stroke. Choi closed with a 3-under 69 to finish at 15-under 269.

European - England’s Tom Lewis, a 20-year-old making his third start as a professional, rallied to win the Portugal Masters in Vilamoura, birdieing five of the last seven holes for a 7-under 65 and a two-stroke victory over Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello.

Nationwide - Jason Kokrak won the Miccosukee Championship for his second victory in five weeks, closing with a 5-under 66 in Miami to beat Mark Anderson by seven strokes.

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