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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Michelle Wie reacted to a missed birdie putt on the third hole on Sunday.
WATERLOO, Ontario » A week after losing the No. 1 ranking, Inbee Park found her putting touch.
Park won the Manulife Financial Classic on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour title in more than 11 months, matching the course record with a 10-under 61 for a three-stroke victory over Cristie Kerr.
"Definitely, the putter is definitely the key," Park said. "I’ve been hitting the ball consistently all year, just my putter’s just not been wanting to do its job. This week, obviously, it did its job."
Hawaii’s Michelle Wie began the day tied with Park for second place, but slipped into a tie for sixth after shooting a 69. Wie finished at 15 under.
Park finished at 23-under 261 at Grey Silo for her 10th tour title and first since the U.S. Women’s Open. Last week, Park’s 59-week run at No. 1 ended when Stacy Lewis won in New Jersey to take the top spot.
"I’ve got to say, definitely a little bit pressure off of me," Park said. "At the same time, I think I needed a little bit of motivation. I just didn’t have any wins after the U.S. Open. I was playing good but not great. So yeah, I think last week was a very good motivation and inspiration for me. So this week, I thought I needed to step it up a little bit."
The 25-year-old South Korean player had only one bogey in 72 holes — on the fourth hole in the first round. On Sunday, she played the front nine in 5-under 31 and added birdies on Nos. 10, 12-14 and 18.
Park ended a 20-event tour winless streak. Last year, she swept the first three majors and finished the season with six victories. She also won a Ladies European Tour event three months ago in China.
After a week off, the tour will resume play June 19-22 with the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst.
Kerr finished with a 63.
China’s Shanshan Feng, two strokes ahead of Park and Wie entering the round, had a 68 to finish third at 18 under.
Lydia Ko and Belen Mozo tied for fourth at 16 under.
Crane takes St. Jude title
MEMPHIS, Tenn. » Ben Crane won the St. Jude Classic for his first PGA Tour title since 2011, closing with a 3-over 73 for a one-stroke victory.
Crane went wire to wire for his fifth career victory. He played 30 holes on the last day because of rain delays at TPC Southwind, finishing the final 12 holes of his third-round 69 in the morning to take a three-shot lead into the final round.
He two-putted for bogey on the final hole to finish at 10-under 270.
Troy Merritt was second after a 71.
Sluman, Funk win Legends
RIDGEDALE, Mo. » Jeff Sluman and Fred Funk teamed to win the Champions Tour’s Legends of Golf, and Jim Colbert and Jim Thorpe topped the Legends Division for players 65 and older.
Sluman and Funk finished with a 6-under 48 at Top of the Rock to beat Jay Haas and Peter Jacobsen by a stroke. The winners finished at 20-under 159.
In the nine-hole Legends finale, Colbert and Thorpe had a 4-under 23 in better-ball play for a three-stroke victory over Bruce Fleisher and Larry Nelson.
U.S. caps Curtis Cup win
ST. LOUIS » Alabama’s Emma Talley wrapped up the United States’ Curtis Cup victory, beating Britain and Ireland’s Bronte Law 4 and 3 in the opening singles match at St. Louis Country Club.
The United States won 13-7 to improve to 28-7-3 in the biennial competition, rebounding from a 101/2-91/2 loss in 2012 at Nairn in Scotland — the Americans’ only loss since 1996.
Lundberg wins Euro event
ATZENBRUGG, Austria » Sweden’s Mikael Lundberg won the Lyoness Open for his third European Tour title, beating Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger with a 40-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff.
