SEOUL: Briton Lee Westwood clinched the Ballantine's Championship by a stroke Sunday with a scorching final round that secured his second consecutive title in Asia and consolidated his world No. 1 ranking. The 38-year old Englishman, who won the Indonesian Masters last week, hit a blemish-free five-under 67 at the Blackstone Golf Club near Seoul to finish with a 12-under total of 276, one better than Ryder Cup teammate Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain. Park Sang-hyun of South Korea finished third on 10-under in the European and Asian Tour co-sanctioned event after carding a final-round 69 with an eagle on the last hole. Westwood, who wrested back the top ranking with his win in Indonesia, trailed the leaders by three strokes after the weather-hit third round finished on Sunday morning. He holed two birdies on the front nine and finished with three more after the turn but had to endure an anxious wait in the clubhouse as overnight joint leader Jimenez finished his round. The pony-tailed Jimenez needed just one birdie in the closing holes to force a play-off with Westwood but could manage only pars on the back nine. Watson, Simpson in tie Bubba Watson got up and down from a greenside bunker to birdie the last and hold a share of the lead with fellow American Webb Simpson after Saturday's third round of the New Orleans Classic. Left-hander Watson, who had been one stroke ahead overnight, splashed out to five feet at the par-five 18th and coolly sank the putt for a two-under-par 70 at the TPC Louisiana. That gave the long-hitting American a 12-under total of 204, putting him level with Simpson who had reeled off five consecutive birdies from the par-three third on the way to a flawless 67. American John Rollins carded a 69 to finish alone in third at 11-under, a stroke better than six players including his compatriot Steve Stricker (68), Australian Matt Jones (69) and South Korea's K.J. Choi (67). Britain's Luke Donald, who could become world number one with victory this week, returned a 70 to end the third round five shots off the pace. Thompson shares lead Alexis Thompson, a 16-year-old US prodigy trying to become the youngest winner in the LPGA's 61-year history, fired a five-under par 67 on Saturday to share the lead at the Avnet Classic in Alabama. Thompson, who in 2007 became the youngest qualifier in US Women's Open history at age 12, was on seven-under 209 after 54 holes to match South Korean Song-Hee Kim at the top entering the last round of the $1.3 million event. The youngest LPGA winner to date is Marlene Hagge, an LPGA founding member and World Golf Hall of Famer who was 18 when she won the 1952 Sarasota Open. South Korean Amy Yang was one stroke off the pace on 210 with Britain's Karen Stupples, Sweden's Maria Hjorth and Norway's Suzann Pettersen another stroke adrift.
