Bean wins tourney by 9; Haas clinches Charles Schwab Cup

Posted November 02, 2008 10:00 pm

Associated Press

Andy Bean breezed through 32 holes of play to win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, pulling away from the Champions Tour's best players for a 9-stroke victory over Gene Jones at Sonoma, Calif.

After finishing the last 14 holes of the rain-delayed third round, Bean then made 6 birdies in the first nine holes of a final-round 66 to finish at 20-under 268, blowing away the 29-man field.

Jay Haas also had reason to celebrate after the Champions Tour's final event of the year despite his 16th-place finish at 4-under 284. Haas claimed the Schwab Cup at Sonoma Golf Club for the second time in three years as the winner of the tour's season-long points competition.

Bean earned $442,000 from the $2.5 million purse for his second Champions Tour victory of the season.

Haas won the Schwab Cup despite getting no points Sunday after finishing out of the top 10. Fred Funk and Bernhard Langer, his main competition for the crown, also didn't earn any points.

Ginn sur Mer Classic: Ryan Palmer made a 10-foot birdie on the 18th hole Sunday to break out of a six-way tie for the lead and win the Ginn sur Mer Classic at Palm Coast, Fla., earning a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Palmer, who was at No. 143 on the money list with two tournaments remaining, had to call a penalty on himself and made bogey on the 10th hole, then took double bogey on the next hole with a tee shot into the water.

But he rebounded with a birdie he desperately needed on the final hole at Ginn Ocean Hammock Resort for his second career victory.

Volvo Masters: Robert Karlsson became the first Swede to win the European Tour's Order of Merit title when closest challenger Lee Westwood couldn't catch Soren Kjeldsen at the Volvo Masters in Sotogrande, Spain.

Westwood needed a victory at Valderrama to have any chance of claiming his second European money title, but shot a 1 over 72 to finish four shots behind winner Kjeldsen.

Karlsson lifted the Harry Vardon trophy despite finishing 32nd at Valderrama - 17 strokes behind Kjeldsen - after shooting a 75.

LPGA Kolon Championship: American Candie Kung shot a 3-under 69 on Sunday to win the LPGA Kolon Championship at Incheon, South Korea, by 1 shot over Australian Katherine Hull.