PATTAYA, Thailand - Suzann Pettersen needed all of her sevenstroke lead - and then some - in the Honda LPGA Thailand.
Tied for the lead with Laura Davies after a three-putt bogey on 17, the Norwegian star made up for all those lost strokes with an eagle on the Pattaya Old Course's 479-yard, par-5 finishing hole. She hit a "grip-down" 3-wood from 225 yards to 15 feet, then made the dramatic putt to beat Davies by a stroke Sunday.
"I think that was the best putt of my life," Pettersen said. "I was just like, 'Drop! Drop! Drop! Please drop!' It was really nice. It would've been really disappointing if I let it go away."
Pettersen's 1-under 71 left her at 21-under 267, not the number she had in mind a day earlier after a bogey-free 63 left her seven shots clear at 20 under, but good enough for her second consecutive LPGA Tour victory and third in four weeks.
"It's been three wins in October, so I can't complain," said Pettersen, ranked fourth in the world two years after a ruptured disk threatened her career. "I'll enjoy a week off, now, and try to sum it up and get ready for the last few."
Davies, paired with Pettersen, birdied the final two holes for a 65. The 44-year-old English player was trying to win her first LPGA Tour title since 2001. She won a European tour event in Austria last month for her 68th victory.
PGA TOUR Three share lead
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Just when it looked as if Daniel Chopra would roll to his first PGA Tour victory, things began to fall apart.
Shiegki Maruyama and Fredrik Jacobsen were thrilled to take advantage.
Maruyama eagled the par-5 16th to get into a three-way tie for the lead, Jacobsen moved steadily up the leaderboard all day, and Chopra simply unraveled on the back nine Sunday at the Ginn sur Mer Classic - setting the stage for a potentially wild finish this morning at Tesoro Club.
Play was suspended for the day by darkness with Maruyama, Jacobsen and Chopra all at 18 under, two shots ahead of clubhouse leader Dicky Pride.
Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) finished the fourth round with a 70 for a 13-under 279, Conway's Bryce Molder shot a 73 for a 9-under 283 and Craig Lile (Razorbacks) closed with a 77 fora 1-under 291.
John Daly (Dardanelle, Razorbacks) didn't stick around for the finish after completing his third round Sunday morning by bogeying three of the four holes he played.
He withdrew for the sixth time this season after a 6-over 79 in the third round, without citing a reason.
Daly was 4 over for the tournament, five shots worse than anyone else who made the cut.
The final round will resume at 7 a.m. today, with $810,000 going to the winner.
PGA EUROPEAN Bourdy wins first title
SON SERVERA, Mallorca - France's Gregory Bourdy won the Mallorca Classic for his first European tour title, closing with a 3-under 68 for a two-stroke victory over England's Sam Littke. Bourdy, the tour's record 18th first-time winner this season, had a 12-under 268 total on the Pula course.
CHAMPIONS TOUR Thorpe defends title
SONOMA, Calif. - Jim Thorpe successfully defended his title in the Charles Schwab Championship, birdieing the final four holes to win the Champion Tour's season-ending event for the third time in five years.
Thorpe, who edged Tom Jenkins by $4,079 for the 30th and last spot in the field, shot a 6-under 66 to finish at 20-under 268, three strokes ahead of Denis Watson and Fred Funk.
Sports, Pages 22 on 10/29/2007