DU MAURIER CLASSIC : CONSISTENCY PAYS OFF FOR DAVIES.

Byline: Associated Press 

Karrie Webb needed only two rounds to reach 11-under in the du Maurier Classic. Laura Davis used every bit of the 72 holes to get there.

Avoiding the inconsistency that derailed front-runners Webb and Meg Mallon, Davies shot a 6-under-par 66 in windy conditions Sunday for a two-stroke victory in the final women's major championship of the year.

``The first three rounds I struggled with my putting. Today they went in,'' said the 32-year-old English star, who added the title to previous major victories in the 1987 U.S. Open and 1994 and 1996 LPGA Championships.

The long-hitting Davies had previous rounds of 71, 70 and 70 on the Edmonton Country Club course to maintain contact with the leaders.

``I knew I was five behind, but I thought if I could shoot 69 something might happen,'' said Davies, who earned $150,000 to take the lead on the money list with $626,491. ``I'm a great scoreboard watcher and no one was making many birdies out there.''

Webb shot a 72 and resurgent Nancy Lopez closed with a 71 to tie for second. Lopez had a chance to tie Davies on the par-5 18th but missed her eagle chip and ended up with a par.

``I thought Nancy would chip in on the 18th,'' Davies said. ``It's hard to be sitting and watching. You'd rather be out there fighting.''

Davies, who won the LPGA Skins Game and the Standard Register Ping earlier this year, holed out of a greenside bunker for a birdie on No. 3 and added birdies on the difficult par-4 seventh and reachable par-5 eighth.

After a bogey on No. 11, she chipped in from 15 feet on No. 12 for a birdie and made a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 13 to reach 9-under. She then birdied the closing par-5s, holing a 12-foot putt on No. 15 and two-putting on No. 18 after reaching the green in two with a 6-iron.

Lopez, winless since the 1993 Youngstown-Warren LPGA Classic, made a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 12 and a 20-footer on No. 15 to move within two strokes of Davies but managed only pars on the final two holes.

``I felt like the old Nancy Lopez,'' she said. ``I was making putts like I used to. This is very satisfying. I feel like I won within myself.

``Laura didn't take me by surprise - she can do that, especially on a course like this. With her length, she can shoot really well on this course.''

Webb, a 21-year-old Australian who has won two tournaments this year, held a four-stroke lead after two rounds but shot a 74 on Saturday to drop a stroke behind Meg Mallon.

``I shot 30 on the front on Thursday and then I don't know what happened on the weekend,'' Webb said. ``You can never say you don't want to be in the lead, but I suppose I play better when I come from behind.''

Mallon slipped in the final round, shooting a 74 to finish three back at 280. Pat Hurst was another stroke back after a 74, while Swedish stars Liselotte Neumann and Annika Sorenstam shot 73s to tie for sixth at 283.

Former Notre Dame High School star Emilee Klein tied for 12th at 2-under-par 286, nine strokes back of Davies. Klein included a third-round 68 in her four-day total.

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1-2) Laura Davies, above, hoists the championship trophy after holding off Nancy Lopez, below, to win the du Maurier Classic.

Associated Press