Goosen survives long final day to win International

At this tournament, a big number on a Sunday was something to savor for Retief Goosen.

The Goose overcame Brandt Jobe down the stretch and outlasted the rest of the field over 36 grueling holes to win the International in Castle Rock, Colo., and become the last of the Big Five to make it into the win column this season.

Goosen scored 15 points over the final two rounds to finish with 32, one better than Jobe, in the modified Stableford scoring system, which awards five points for eagles, two for birdies, none for pars and deducts one for bogeys.

Goosen earned $900,000 for the win and got the perfect boost into next week's PGA Championship, the season's final major.

"I'm feeling great, but I'm tired," Goosen said. "We started limping on the back nine and the last couple holes, I just told myself to make some good swings."

Jeff Brehaut opened the final round with four straight birdies to get in contention and finished third with 29 points.

Although Goosen has played well enough to stay ranked fifth in the world, his year so far has been defined by final-round failures in the majors.

First, there was the 81 at Pinehurst that turned what looked like a coronation for his third U.S. Open title into an 11th-place finish. Four weeks later, he shot 74 in the final round of the British Open, hardly challenging Tiger Woods in his march to that title.

The competition was nowhere near as stiff in this one -- Phil Mickelson was the only other member of the Big Five who played -- but there was nothing easy about this day.

The first 36-hole finish on tour since September 2003 -- this one played at mile-high altitude on the hilly, 7,619-yard Castle Pines course -- really did turn into a complete mental and physical test.

As the day wore on, the shotmaking suffered.

Champions Tour

Tom Purtzer finally closed the deal at the 3M Championship in Blaine, Minn., holing a 7-foot par putt on No. 18 Sunday for a one-stroke victory in the tournament he twice led into the final round.

The win was Purtzer's first on the Champions Tour since March 2004. It didn't come without thoughts about the last two years, when he was the leader entering the final round but shot 74 both times.

Purtzer's lead after this second round was three shots, but it was down to one as he went to the 18th tee at the TPC of the Twin Cities.

Purtzer left his 20-foot birdie putt on No. 18 short by 7 feet, but he made the par save to close a 3-under 69 and avoid a playoff with a 15-under 201 total.

Lonnie Nielsen and Craig Stadler tied for second at 14 under.

Nielsen eagled No. 18 with a long putt for a 67 that gave him his best finish on either tour. He didn't finish in the top four in six years on the PGA Tour (1978-83) and didn't finish that high in 32 starts on the Champions Tour.

Stadler shot a 67 and finished second for the second straight year.

Purtzer's previous final-round problems left him 10th in 2003, and third last year.

Scandinavian TPC

Annika Sorenstam made a birdie putt of about 27 feet on the last hole Sunday to win the Scandinavian TPC in Loddekopinge, Sweden, by one stroke over Natalie Gulbis.

Sorenstam, the tournament host, closed with a par-72 for a total of 4-under 284 at the Barseback course, second in length to the U.S. Open on the women's tour. It was the 75th win of her career and seventh this year.

Sweden's Carin Koch (71) and France's Patricia Meunier-Lebouc (71) and Gwladys Nocera (74) shared third place at 288. Norway's Suzann Pettersen, who trailed Sorenstam by a stroke after three rounds, had a 76 for a 289.

"It was a wonderful finish," said Sorenstam, who was hugged by her parents after the victory. "It wasn't the world's best tee shot, but then I got the ball on the green and rolled in the putt."

Gulbis, a 22-year-old American, was seeking her first pro title.

-- From wire reports