Cristie Kerr claims one shot victory

Cristie Kerr took a moment from her victory celebration to do some cheerleading for the U.S. Solheim Cup team.

``Forget the win for a second,'' Kerr said after making clutch par putts on the final two holes to win the Wendy's Championship for Children on Sunday. ``I'm really excited about how our team is going into the Solheim. We're looking for each other on the leaderboards.''

Kerr could be found right at the top, persevering despite challenges from Pat Hurst, Annika Sorenstam and Paula Creamer.

``People don't realize how difficult it is to win,'' said Kerr, who picked up her second win of the year and the sixth of her career. ``Winning is a learned behavior. That's what I did today. I relied on my experience and my patience and I was able to hang on.''

Kerr finished at 18-under 270, one shot ahead of Creamer and Sorenstam. Creamer, the third-round leader, had a 71 and Sorenstam a 66, matching the day's low round.

Moments after clinching the win, Kerr was announced as No. 1 on the points list for the U.S. Solheim Cup team. She will be joined by Creamer and Hurst -- and will be playing against Sorenstam -- at the biennial competition with Europe on Sept. 9-11 at Crooked Stick in Carmel, Ind.

Kerr parred the 17th to remain in front, making a 10-foot putt after chipping past the pin from over the green.

``That's about as big a putt as you can make to save par,'' Kerr said.

She rolled in a 4-foot putt on the final hole.

``The putt on 18, I just trusted my line,'' she said.

Hurst shared the lead with Kerr as she stepped to the final tee. But her drive was far to the right and ended up in a ditch lined with trees. Taking an unplayable lie, she took four drops -- the first three were not within the allotted two club-lengths from where the ball went in the trees. Her fourth drop hit on the back edge of the wooden tee she stuck in the ground to mark the drop distance and caromed back deeper into the overhanging bushes and trees.

Hurst punched out into a trap and then hit her fourth shot to the right fringe on the par-4 18th, two-putting from 60 feet.

``I'm not going to dwell on it,'' Hurst said, her daughter standing nearby in a USA cheerleader outfit. ``I'll move on. What can I do? You can't go back.''

The U.S. Solheim team was taking a bus immediately after the tournament to go to Indiana for a practice round on Monday. Hurst said she might drown her sorrows with her teammates.

Kerr, playing in the group directly behind her, drove into the fairway on 18 and hit her iron approach about 30 feet from the pin. Her first putt came up 4 feet short, leaving her a slippery downhill putt to win the tournament. After nailing the putt, she pumped her fist.

Asked if she had staked a claim as America's top pro, Kerr said, ``I can tell you my mom probably thinks that, and my dad.''

Hurst's closing 70 left her at 272 and tied with Jeong Jang, who closed with a 67. Karrie Webb (70) and Soo-Yun Kang (72) were at 273, with Michele Redman alone at 274 after a 72. U.S. Women's Amateur champion Morgan Pressel finished with a 70 and was at 278.

Creamer, who clinched the LPGA rookie of the year award with her tie for second, began the day with a one-stroke lead over Kerr and Kang. Kerr pulled even by hitting a 5 1/2 -foot birdie putt on the par-4 second hole.

Kerr and Creamer, playing in the same threesome with Kang, continued in a stalemate for the next eight holes until Kerr strung together three straight birdies on Nos. 11-13.

``I never really got a rhythm going from the beginning,'' said Creamer, who had to overcome two bogeys. ``I gave myself chances to make birdie and it never really happened. It was just one of those days where the hole wasn't four inches -- it felt like two inches.''

Kerr played slowly, deliberating with her caddie and frequently backing off shots before resetting again. Kang and Creamer appeared to be upset with the pace, walking far ahead of Kerr while she took practice swings and analyzed her next shot.

``I wish we'd have been on the clock,'' Kang said. ``I wanted her (Kerr) to pick it up, but I didn't want to bother her because she was playing well. She is always slow. Everybody knows she's a slow player. I walked with Paula a lot and we talked about it. If the pace was better, I'd have had a better chance.''

Sorenstam began the day five shots off the lead but made things interesting. She had birdies at the 15th and 18th holes and came close to running in birdie putts on the two holes in between.

``I came from far behind today,'' Sorenstam said. ``I did not really expect anything, especially when you see people like Paula and Cristie up there. They're winners. They've done this before.''

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