Choi's 65 gives him Memorial title

Golf Betting Lines

06/03/2007 - Dublin, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - K.J. Choi converted a five-foot par save at the 72nd hole on Sunday to ward off Ryan Moore and win the Memorial.

Choi fired a final-round, seven-under 65 to finish at 17-under-par 271. The win was Choi's fifth on the PGA Tour and his first since last year's Chrysler Championship.

Moore birdied five in a row on the back nine to fly up the leaderboard. He shot a six-under 66 on Sunday to post a 16-under-par 272 and had to watch to see if Choi would bogey the last at Muirfield Village.

Choi found the fairway off the 18th tee, but landed in a front greenside bunker. He blasted out to five feet, then holed the clutch par save to secure the victory.

For Moore, it was as close as he got to a win on the PGA Tour. He finished as a runner-up twice before, at last year's Buick Championship and the 2005 Canadian Open, but in those instances J.J. Henry cruised to a three-shot win and Mark Calcavecchia needed two putts from four feet on the last to secure the victory.

"I like the fact that I have put up a number that made him have to think about it coming down the stretch," said Moore. "Obviously he performed and he made the putt he had to make."

Third-round leader Rod Pampling and Adam Scott both had chances to match Choi at 17-under par. Both needed a birdie at one of the final two holes, but Pampling and Scott both bogeyed 17 and Scott bogeyed No. 18 to boot.

Pampling only managed an even-par 72 to tie for third place with two-time former champion Kenny Perry, who fired a nine-under 63 on Sunday to threaten the lead. The pair finished at 15-under-par 273.

Scott carded a two-under 70 and shared fifth place with Fredrik Jacobson (68), Stewart Cink (69) and Sean O'Hair (70). The group finished at 14-under-par 274.

Tiger Woods played his best round of the tournament on Sunday with a five- under 67. He tied for 15th place at nine-under-par 279, but missed a short putt at the last that would have moved him up the leaderboard.

"That was a bad putt," acknowledged Woods, who is off to Oakmont for a practice round on Monday. "I didn't really hit too many bad putts today. I hit a lot of good ones, which is nice. I also made some."

Choi made his share on the front side and he needed to. He began the final round five shots behind Pampling, but got things going with a 15-foot birdie putt at the first.

He added birdies at three and collected four in a row from the sixth. Choi's 12-foot birdie putt at eight moved him into the lead at 15-under par, but with several players close to first, Choi's nine-footer for birdie at nine kept him one ahead.

Choi padded the lead with a four-foot birdie at the 11th. He gave it back at 13 when he could not save par after a poor drive landed in the rough. Choi two-putted for birdie at the par-five 15th to reclaim a two-stroke advantage.

Two things conspired against Choi down the stretch - his own poor play and the amazing play of Moore.

Moore was one-under through 12 holes, but collected three birdies in a row from the 13th. He drained another birdie putt, this time from 17 feet at the 16th to suddenly emerge within two of first.

At the par-three 16th, Choi landed in a bunker and could only get his ball to seven feet. He sank the clutch putt and needed it because Moore knocked his approach to two feet to set up birdie at 17.

Choi was one ahead but did not reach the 17th green until his third shot and even then, he had 17 feet. He made yet another clutch par save, but the best was yet to come at 18.

His five-footer at the last eliminated Moore, but Pampling and Scott were both in the mix. Each was one behind at 16-under par and Pampling left himself with 35 feet for par. He did not make it and Scott three-putted for a bogey, so Choi was two ahead of them.

Neither holed their second shots for eagle at 18 so the trophy was Choi's.

Reigning U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogivly (70) and this year's FBR Open winner Aaron Baddeley (71) shared ninth place at 12-under-par 276.