Associated Press
Monday, July 14, 2008

Kenny Perry beat Brad Adamonis and Jay Williamson in a playoff to win the John Deere Classic and escape with his third victory in five starts after bogeying the 18th hole yesterday in Silvis, Ill.

Perry had a one-stroke lead at 17 under par through 17 holes only to lose it thanks to some poor shots from the fringe on the final hole of regulation. He and Williamson then watched as Adamonis, the PGA Tour's oldest rookie at 35, missed an 18-foot putt for birdie that would have won it in regulation and given him his first victory.

The ball stopped three feet short and Adamonis was at 16-under 268 with the others.

While Adamonis and Williamson both hit approach shots into the pond on No. 18, Perry tapped in from 16 inches for par and the victory after his 24-footer stopped just short.

He picked the ball out of the cup and raised both arms, an ear-to-ear grin crossing his face. He's enjoying the best stretch of his career and collected $756,000 with his 12th victory.

"I don't want to live in a fishbowl," he said. "I don't want Tiger status."

Perry (1-under 70), Adamonis (70) and Williamson (69) were one stroke ahead of Charlie Wi (69), Will MacKenzie (70) and Eric Axley (69) after 72 holes.

Williamson earned an invitation to the British Open and, unlike Perry, accepted it.

Second in the FedEx Cup standings behind Tiger Woods, Perry might have been a threat there had he not decided to honor a commitment to play in the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee instead. He's focusing on the Ryder Cup and on playing courses he thinks suit his game.

· LPGA TOUR: Paula Creamer shot a 2-over 73 and did just enough to make a big lead stand, going wire-to-wire to win the Jamie Farr Classic by two strokes in Sylvania, Ohio.

Creamer, who captured her seventh career win and her third this season, had worse scores every day after breaking the tournament record with an 11-under 60 in the first round. She followed that with a 65 and a 70 to finish at 16-under 268, two shots better than Nicole Castrale, who closed fast with a 64.

"I learned you have to stay in your own world," Creamer said. "It doesn't matter what other people do until you're walking down the 18th fairway."

Two weeks ago, while near the top of the leader board at the U.S. Women's Open, she sagged to a 78 to finish in a tie for sixth. Last week at the tour stop in Arkansas, she had a 74 the final day to fall out of contention.

The 21-year-old Californian saw her lead drop to a shot when rookie Shanshan Feng -- the first exempt player from China to play on the LPGA Tour -- pushed her with five birdies through the first 11 holes. But Feng fell back with three straight bogeys down the stretch.

· EUROPEAN PGA TOUR: Graeme McDowell won the Scottish Open with three straight birdies on the back nine for a 3-under 68 and a two-stroke victory at Loch Lomond in Luss, Scotland.

McDowell trailed Simon Khan by two shots until Khan double bogeyed the 12th. McDowell then birdied the next three holes to move ahead and went on to win with a total of 13-under 271.

Phil Mickelson, who had a 73 and finished 11 shots off the lead in a tie for 38th, said he knows he has work to do before the British Open.

"I had a great week this week even though I didn't play the way I wanted to," Mickelson said. "So this gives me the opportunity to look at some of the strengths I had here as well as the weaknesses, and see if I can put it all together for this week."