PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Inbee Park successfully defended her title in the LPGA Championship, beating Brittany Lincicome with a par on the first hole of a playoff Sunday to end the United States’ major streak at three.

On the playoff hole on Monroe Golf Club’s par-4 18th, Park hit her second into the rough behind the hole. Lincicome hit her approach to the left fringe, nearly identical to her position on the final hole of regulation when she made a bogey to fall in the playoff.

Lincicome chipped 6 feet past the hole and failed to convert for bogey. Park, the winner last year at Locust Hill in a playoff with Catriona Matthew, chipped to 3 feet and calmly sank her par putt for her fifth major title and fourth in the last two seasons.

Park finished with a 2-under 70 to match Lincicome at 11-under 276. Lincicome had a 71.

Americans had won the first three majors of the LPGA Tour season for the first time since 1999. Lexi Thompson began the run at Kraft Nabisco, Michelle Wie won the U.S. Women’s Open and Mo Martin the Women’s British Open.

The 26-year-old Park, from South Korea, was coming off a playoff loss to Mirim Lee last week in Michigan. Park also won this season in Canada and has 11 LPGA Tour victories.

She’s projected to jump from third to second in the world, passing 17-year-old Lydia Ko of New Zealand. Ko, trying to become the youngest major winner in LPGA history, shot a 70 to finish third at 8 under.

Spain’s Azahara Munoz (70) and Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist (71) tied for fourth at 6 under.

Lincicome squandered the lead she had held all day on the final hole of regulation. She hit her second shot to the left fringe and was in a good spot, but a long delay for a ruling on a shot by Suzann Pettersen only heightened the tension, and it showed.

With top-ranked Stacy Lewis among the gallery clapping, Lincicome left her first putt 8 feet short and failed to make par, forcing the playoff.

Pettersen, a two-time major winner, started the day a shot behind as she chased her first win this year. But her day went badly at the start and she shot 4-over 76. She tied for sixth at 5 under with Lewis (68), Julieta Granada (71), Shanshan Feng (72) and Lee (74).

Park’s clutch birdie putt at No. 17 put her in position to challenge and her par save at 18 was crucial. Her approach on the closing hole landed in the rough to the right of the green and she botched her shot out. Her 12-foot putt left no margin for error and the crowd roared when it rolled in.

Lincicome had held the 54-hole lead at a major only once before, at the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open, but she faltered with a closing 78 and finished seventh. This time, she shook off the nerves until the end as the chance to win her second major ended in disappointment. Lincicome won the 2009 Kraft Nabisco.

Leading by two shots at the turn and with two generous par 5s ahead, Lincicome, who admitted a serious case of the nerves Saturday, birdied the par-4 11th to offset Park’s birdie at No. 12.

Park, who had made a bogey and two pars at the hole the previous rounds, got a huge reprieve when Lincicome faltered at the 12th.

Lincicome hit her second shot into rough on a severe slant above a greenside bunker, barely made it up to the edge of the fringe, then botched her third shot, nearly double-hitting it, and made bogey as her lead dwindled to one shot. It was her first bogey on a par 5 in the tournament.

Lincicome saved par at the par-3 13th hole with a nice putt that caught the lip and dropped.

Park’s bid to tie failed when her 8-foot birdie putt slid by the right side of the hole.

Lincicome rebounded with a birdie at the par-5 14th hole for some breathing room, and it wasn’t easy. Her second shot landed in the rough, but she made a brilliant pitch that stopped a foot from the hole.

The tour made the switch this year to Monroe after 37 years at nearby Locust Hill. The Donald Ross-designed course is about 300 yards longer at 6,717 yards and does not have a single water hazard, but it does feature 106 bunkers, more than double the number at Locust Hill, and the wider fairways favor long hitters.

Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont. was the lone Canadian to make the 36 hole cut. She finished tied for 53rd at 5-over 293.

ENDICOTT, N.Y. – Bernhard Langer rallied to win the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open on Sunday for his fifth Champions Tour victory of the year, while Kevin Sutherland followed his tour-record 59 with a 74 to drop into a tie for seventh.

The 56-year-old Langer closed with a bogey-free 66 for a one-stroke victory over Woody Austin and Mark O’Meara. Langer did not make a bogey in the event and finished at 16-under 200 at En-Joie for his 23rd career victory on the 50-and-over tour

“It doesn’t happen very often you go through a tournament without a bogey,” Langer said.

Sutherland, the second-round leader, had five bogeys – four on the first 10 holes – and three birdies in the final round. Playing his third Champions Tour event since turning 50 in June, he finished at 12 under.

Sutherland said he was pressing too much early.

“So, I made some dumb bogeys,” Sutherland said. “Just got myself behind early. I was surprised I didn’t play better today. A lot of energy was expended (Saturday) and I think I had a hard time just getting into the round.”

Langer said he really wasn’t watching the leaderboard.

“I knew I was close,” Langer said. “I just tried to keep my head down and make quality shots. When I looked at 16, I saw I was one up on someone who had already finished the round and figured I would be OK if I just parred out.”

That he did, and won for the first time with his daughter, Christina, serving as his caddie.

“I was more nervous for her than for me,” Langer said. “We hadn’t won a tournament with her caddying, though I’ve won a couple with my son. It’s always special when your kids are caddying.”

Christina is a junior at Florida Atlantic University.

Austin had a 65, and O’Meara shot 66.

Langer, tied for fifth with Bob Charles on the tour victory list, earned $277,500 to increase his tour-leading total to $2,652,520. The German has three victories in his last five starts.

Steve Lowery had a 72 to tie for fourth at 13 under. After challenging Langer for most of the round he hit into the pond on the par-3 14th en route to a double bogey and dropped another stroke on the par-4 15th.

Lowery birdied Nos. 7, 8, 9 and 11 to take a one-stroke lead at 15 under.

On the 14th, Langer made a 20-foot birdie putt for a three-stroke swing.

Canada’s Rod Spittle tied for 22nd at 7-under 209.

RICHMOND, Va. – Marissa Steen won the Eagle Classic on Sunday for her third Symetra Tour title of the year, earning $15,000 to jump from second to first on the money list with $75,348.

Steen, the 24-year-old former University of Memphis player from West Chester, Ohio, closed with a bogey-free 6-under 66 for a four-stroke victory. She finished at 14-under 202 at Richmond Country Club.

“It feels just as good as the first two,” Steen said. “Being tied for the lead going into Sunday and then putting up a solid round was great. I just wanted to stay within myself today and feel like I did that very well. … It feels really good to go out and have my lowest round of the week on Sunday.”

Steen had already wrapped up a spot next year on the LPGA Tour, with the top 10 on the money list after the final three events earning cards. As a three-time winner, she also has the option to play on the LPGA Tour for the remainder of this season.

“I talked with one of the officials after the round and it sounds like I can get into the tournament in Portland so I’m going to definitely think about that and talk it over with my family,” Steen said. “I haven’t made any decisions yet but I do plan on playing in Daytona for the last Symetra Tour event of the year.”

Steen also won in April in Sarasota, Florida, and May in Asheville, North Carolina.

Demi Rumas was second. She finished with a 67.

Runas jumped from 20th to 12th on the money list.

“It takes a little bit of weight off the shoulders but not much,” Runas said. “Everyone is kind of bunched up there so you’ve got to keep doing the same thing for the last three events.”

Madison Pressell followed at 9 under after a 67.

Overnight leader, Nicole Vandermade of Brantford, Ont., carded a 76 Sunday to fall into a tie for 15th at 4-under 212.

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – Team Canada’s Corey Conners lost the 36-hole final match of the U.S. Amateur to South Korea’s Gunn Yang, 2 & 1.

Yang jumped out to an early 2 up lead after the first two holes, but Conners continued to fight in the back-and-forth affair, winning four holes on the first 18 to sit 1 down heading into the afternoon lunch break.

Conners, a recent Kent State graduate, took advantage of a bogey by Yang to open the second round to make the match all square. They stayed even for the next four holes, until Yang birdied the par-4 6^th, and followed that up with a par on the 7^th, to earn a quick two-hole advantage.

As raindrops began to fall, Conners buried a 10-footer on the par-4 10^th to cut the lead back to one. The rain began to pour heavily on the 11^th, forcing officials to suspend play. Suspense continued to mount during the delay that lasted over an hour.

After play resumed, they remained all square until Yang birdied the par-4 14^th (32^nd hole) to earn his two-hole advantage back. Yang missed a short birdie putt to win on the 16^th, giving Conners one last chance to make a run. That was it, however, as Yang closed out Conners on the 17^th to win, 2 & 1.

Yang, a virtual unknown, joins the company of past champions Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. With the win, the San Diego state sophomore will surely improve on his no. 776 World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

Caddying for Conners was Team Canada and Kent State teammate, Taylor Pendrith (Richmond Hill, Ont.). The 2014 Monroe Invitational champion was on the bag for Conners since being eliminated in the round of 64.

Sunday’s finish marks both a female and male Canadian reaching the U.S. Amateur final in the same year, as Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.) placed runner-up earlier this month. That had not happened since 1966 with Gary Cowan and Marlene Streit.

Both Yang and Conners will receive exemptions into the 2015 U.S. Open and a likely invitation to the Masters – provided they remain amateurs. Additionally, Yang earned an exemption into the British Open.

Yang become the second South Korean winner of the title, following Byeong-Hun An in 2009.

Click here for full scoring.

Click here to listen to a our media teleconference with Conners.

LONDON, Ont. (Golf Canada) – The final four spots into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open field will be determined Monday as the Final Qualifier is set for Sunningdale Golf and Country Club in London, Ont.

A total of 32 competitors will challenge for one of four spots into the field for Canada’s National Women’s Open Golf Championship.

The Final Qualifier features 18 holes of stroke play with the low four competitors receiving an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open field.  If necessary, a hole-by-hole playoff will be conducted immediately following the conclusion of play.

Click here for pairings, start times and results for Canadian Pacific Women’s Open Final Qualifying on Monday, August 18. Results will be available as players complete their rounds.

Tournament week for the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open kicks off Monday, August 18 at London Hunt and Country Club. In addition to practice rounds in the morning, the Golf Canada Foundation Pro-Am gets underway at 12:30pm. Nineteen teams will tee it up alongside notable Canadian professional and Team Canada amateur golfers along with Olympic gold medalists Tessa Virtue (Ice Dance) and Becky Kellar (Women’s Hockey).

LONDON, Ont. (Golf Canada) – The final four spots into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open field will be determined Monday as the Final Qualifier is set for Sunningdale Golf and Country Club in London, Ont.

A total of 32 competitors will challenge for one of four spots into the field for Canada’s National Women’s Open Golf Championship.

The Final Qualifier features 18 holes of stroke play with the low four competitors receiving an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open field.  If necessary, a hole-by-hole playoff will be conducted immediately following the conclusion of play.

Click here for pairings, start times and results for Canadian Pacific Women’s Open Final Qualifying on Monday, August 18. Results will be available as players complete their rounds.

Tournament week for the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open kicks off Monday, August 18 at London Hunt and Country Club. In addition to practice rounds in the morning, the Golf Canada Foundation Pro-Am gets underway at 12:30pm. Nineteen teams will tee it up alongside notable Canadian professional and Team Canada amateur golfers along with Olympic gold medalists Tessa Virtue (Ice Dance) and Becky Kellar (Women’s Hockey).

AALBORG, Denmark — Scotland’s Marc Warren held off Bradley Dredge to win Made in Denmark by two shots Sunday, shooting a 3-under 68 in the last round to secure his third European Tour title.

Warren and Dredge were tied atop the leaderboard overnight but Warren surged ahead of the Welshman with three birdies on his first eight holes to open up a four-shot lead. Warren made two more birdies coming home and could afford his second bogey on the day on the 18th hole for a 9-under 275 total.

It was Warren’s first title since winning the 2007 Johnnie Walker Championship, after several recent near misses.

“It feels incredible,” Warren said. “Today I kept telling myself I was swinging the club really well and I was confident in what I was doing.”

Dredge finished with a 70 after mixing six birdies with five bogeys, ending with a 7-under 277 total.

Warren and Dredge were well clear of the rest, with England’s Phillip Archer (69) finishing third with an overall 4-under 280.

More than 80,000 fans watched during the four days at Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, at times braving gusty winds and rain.

“The crowds have been amazing,” Warren said. “Coming down those last four holes, the crowds were so big.”

On Sunday, play was delayed about 90 minutes by rain but Warren took advantage of the slightly lighter winds at the first European Tour event in Denmark since 2003.

Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn was tied for fourth on 3-under 281 alongside Englishmen Oliver Fisher and Eddie Pepperell. All three shot 69 on Sunday.

AALBORG, Denmark — Scotland’s Marc Warren held off Bradley Dredge to win Made in Denmark by two shots Sunday, shooting a 3-under 68 in the last round to secure his third European Tour title.

Warren and Dredge were tied atop the leaderboard overnight but Warren surged ahead of the Welshman with three birdies on his first eight holes to open up a four-shot lead. Warren made two more birdies coming home and could afford his second bogey on the day on the 18th hole for a 9-under 275 total.

It was Warren’s first title since winning the 2007 Johnnie Walker Championship, after several recent near misses.

“It feels incredible,” Warren said. “Today I kept telling myself I was swinging the club really well and I was confident in what I was doing.”

Dredge finished with a 70 after mixing six birdies with five bogeys, ending with a 7-under 277 total.

Warren and Dredge were well clear of the rest, with England’s Phillip Archer (69) finishing third with an overall 4-under 280.

More than 80,000 fans watched during the four days at Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, at times braving gusty winds and rain.

“The crowds have been amazing,” Warren said. “Coming down those last four holes, the crowds were so big.”

On Sunday, play was delayed about 90 minutes by rain but Warren took advantage of the slightly lighter winds at the first European Tour event in Denmark since 2003.

Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn was tied for fourth on 3-under 281 alongside Englishmen Oliver Fisher and Eddie Pepperell. All three shot 69 on Sunday.

The first Atlantic Golf Championship will be remembered as a successful event as the last round came to an end Sunday at Bell Bay Golf Club. The championship, the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada, brought together 73 golfers from all four Atlantic Provinces with male and female competitors in four divisions, amateur, mid-master, senior, and super senior.

The talk amongst the players was overwhelmingly positive as many are already making plans if they are to qualify for next year’s Atlantic Championship which will take place at Terra Nova Golf Club in Newfoundland. One of those players was Jean E. Boudreau who won the women’s super senior division and said she was pleased with how the weekend went.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming, but I was pleasantly surprised everything was well organized and I think it’s great by the provinces to have both the men and women here,” said the Hartlen Point Golf Club member.

On the course, players competed for individual placing in their respective categories, below are the winners from each division who have earned exemptions into their respective divisions at next year’s Canadian amateur championships.

Women’s Super Senior
Jean E. Boudreau won the division, however ,it did not come easily as both her and New Brunswick’s Kathy Meagher finished the 54 hole event with identical scores of 257. In the playoff, it only took one hole for the championship to be decided as Boudreau wins the first super senior Atlantic Championship.

Men’s Super Senior
David McDonald was the wire-to-wire winner in the men’s super senior division, winning by 21 strokes over his nearest competitor. McDonald, an Ashburn Golf Club member, had solid rounds of 75-78-77.

“I enjoyed the course it’s very challenging you can’t spray the ball, I thought I drove the ball well, my irons were ok, and I thought I putted very well. Overall I was very happy with how I played,” said McDonald who had to forfeit playing in his club championship to attend.

Women’s Senior
Sherry White of Belvedere Golf Club was the inaugural senior women’s champion besting Newfoundland’s Kathleen Jean by 8 strokes for the victory. White, who has won the women’s senior and amateur the last two years with the PEIGA, said she was very excited about the event when she heard about it last year.

“I was really excited last year, and it was a great tournament, Bell Bay was incredible the staff were great, the meals were great, it was a lot of fun,” said White.

Men’s Senior
Hometown favourite Ernie Sheaves was the wire-to-wire winner in the men’s senior after firing an even par 72 on Sunday. Sheaves, who is a Bell Bay member, was impressive all weekend and finished with a comfortable lead over PEI’s Ron Garrett.

“Well, obviously to win here at Bell Bay is great, but just to play consistent golf is what is really satisfying,” explained Sheaves on his weekend experience. ” I think the event is great, the format with a smaller field and combining both men and women is a good idea.”

Women’s Mid-Master
Sandy Comeau of Country Meadows Golf Club in New Brunswick took top honours in the mid-master women’s division shooting rounds of 83-86-88 to best Theresa Breen of Brightwood Golf Club by six strokes. Comeau explained she feels the Atlantic Championship is an opportunity for the region’s best players to better prepare for Canada’s National Championships.

“I like it because it allows players to play other good golfers from around the region,” she explained. “That should help in preparation for nationals.”

Outside of golf, Comeau has a winning track record in curling as well attending multiple Scotties National Curling Championships.

Men’s Mid-Master
Tim Yorke of Anderson’s Creek Golf Club continued his excellent play firing a 2-under 70, to finish 3-under-par for the event. Yorke, an accomplished golfer in Prince Edward Island, won by six strokes over New Brunswick’s Stu Musgrave who outside of a poor first round shot 72-69 on the final two days.

Yorke said he was happy with the tournament overall and said the exemption to next year’s Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship is a great reward.

“Having the exemption is great for me,” he said. “It will allow me to perhaps adjust my schedule next year and it’s nice knowing you have it,” said the Kensington resident.

Women’s Amateur
Cristal Fitzpatrick was simply in a league of her own this weekend at Bell Bay. The Eaglequest Grandview member shot a 77 today along with back-to-back scores of 75 on day 1 and 2. Fitzpatrick would lead the Nova Scotia contingent which finished in the top three as Jennifer Comeau of Oakfield and Cathy Donald of Ashburn would finish second and third respectively.

Fitzpatrick said after a disappointing Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship winning the Atlantic Championship was a great way to end her competitive season.

“I didn’t play that well at nationals, but it was a great way to end the season,” adding she hopes to be in Newfoundland next year. “I would love to have the chance to be a part of this next year.”

Men’s Amateur
Edward Reevey of The Riverside Golf and Country Club took the men’s amateur division with a four stroke victory over Trevor Chow – an Ashburn and Bell Bay member. Reevey opened with a 77 on day 1, followed by an even par 72 on day 2. Today, Reevey continued his sharp play firing a 1-under 71 to take the inaugural division championship. Heading into the final round only two strokes separated PEI’s Cody MacKay, Reevey, and Chow. MacKay would end up having a rough day shooting an 83, while Chow could simply not catch Reevey.

“I have a history of starting off bad, I did it at this year’s amateur in New Brunswick and did it here this weekend, but it was nice I could turn it around,” said Reevey on his bounce back from day 1.

For full results and information on the 2014 Atlantic Golf Championships, please click here.

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Brittany Lincicome beamed. She had fought off the jitters while leading an LPGA Tour major and it felt oh-so-good.

Lincicome, who hadn’t held a second-round lead since 2009 and never in a major, shot a 1-under 71 on Saturday at the LPGA Championship to finish the third round at 10-under 206. That was one shot better than Suzann Pettersen (67) of Norway and defending champion Inbee Park (69) of South Korea as the fourth major championship of the season heads to the final round.

“Nervous is probably an understatement. My stomach was in knots,” Lincicome said. “When it came time to eat lunch, it just wasn’t happening because I haven’t been in this position in a while. Hopefully, going into tomorrow it’s out of my system.”

Mirim Lee of South Korea was alone in fourth at 7 under after a 69, while 17-year-old Lydia Ko (71) of New Zealand was another shot back along with South Korea’s Meena Lee (71) and Gerina Piller (69).

The long-hitting Lincicome began the day at Monroe Golf Club with a three-shot advantage over Park and Lexi Thompson, who finished with a 74 and was at 4 under.

Lincicome won the 2009 Kraft Nabisco for her lone major title and has five LPGA Tour victories. The United States is seeking to win its fourth straight major.

Lincicome is 11 under on the generous par-5s at Monroe Golf Club, a distinct advantage over most of her challengers and surely the reason Park wasn’t looking down from the top of the leaderboard.

“I hate talking about it. I feel like I’m going to jinx myself,” Lincicome said. “If I can hit it on the fairway, get it on the green and two-putt, it’s stress-free. I feel like my tempo the last couple of days has been really, really good. We’re going to be more aggressive (Sunday).”

Lincicome birdied all four par 5s on the opening round and added two more to go with an eagle on Friday.

“This golf course is not exactly for short hitters,” said Park, who won three majors last year. “She was probably 50 yards ahead of me. I haven’t really played that well on the par-5s. I only made one today, none the first day. That’s a big difference. If I had made a couple I’d be up. It feels like a little bit of a disadvantage. It’s an easy birdie for her.”

Pettersen has five top-5s in her last eight majors, including a victory last year in the Evian Championship, and she continued her solid play when it matters most, reeling off four birdies on the back nine.

“I seem to like the back nine. I like what I see,” Pettersen said. “I managed to make a move. It’s nice to make a charge. I actually could have had a couple more.”

Pettersen birdied Nos. 10 and 11 and had a chance to forge a tie at the par-5 14th hole, but her eagle try slid just past the cup and she settled for a birdie that moved her into a tie with Park at 8 under.

Moments later, Lincicome recovered from an errant second shot that landed in the rough on the par-5 12th hole, pitching to 5 feet and making birdie to regain a two-shot lead.

Pettersen continued her rush, nearly holing a fairway shot at No. 15 and reached 9 under with a tap-in birdie. When Lincicome lipped her par putt at No. 13, the two were tied at 9 under.

Lincicome regained the lead with a birdie at the par-5 14th hole and nearly made it a two-shot advantage, but her long birdie try at No. 15 stopped at the lip.

The closing three holes at Monroe rank among the four most difficult on the course and Pettersen parred all three to keep the pressure on.

Lincicome saved par at the par-3 16th hole after driving a fairway bunker. Her tough 12-foot par putt broke ever-so-slightly right to left and barely dropped in, eliciting a big smile from the American, who parred the final two holes to maintain her slim lead.

Lincicome got some breathing room early when Thompson started badly. Thompson had a three-putt bogey at the opening hole, lipping out a short putt for par, and followed with another bogey at No. 2 to drop five shots behind.

A gusting 25 mph wind strafed the course all day Friday, sending leaves and bits of bark onto some greens. There was only a slight breeze with a light rain on Saturday.