GOLF ROUNDUP \ Sunday’s events

April 6, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Kraft Nabisco Championship

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif.— Her heart racing and her hands shaking, Brittany Lincicome did whatever she could to kept it together on the final holes of the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She breathed deep. She and her caddie sang country songs, mostly Sugarland and Kenny Chesney. Then she hit two brilliant shots on 18 to set up a 4-foot eagle putt that she rolled in to win her first major. “I can’t even describe it,” Lincicome said. “It’s surreal, really.” Never worse than three strokes behind in the final round, Lincicome stayed close as her good friend Kristy McPherson and Cristie Kerr traded the lead back and forth on a perfect day at Mission Hills. Trailing McPherson by one stroke, the 23-year-old Lincicome broke through with an amazing sequence of shots on the par-5, 485-yard 18th. It was the third career victory for Lincicome, whose previous best finish in a major was a tie for second at this tournament in 2007. She became the first American winner in the last six women’s majors.

Shell Houston Open

HUMBLE, Texas — Paul Casey finally considers himself one of the world’s top golfers, just in time for the Masters. Casey won the Shell Houston Open for his first PGA Tour victory, beating J.B. Holmes with a bogey on the first playoff hole. The 31-year-old Englishman has nine international victories since 2001, but had never won in the United States. The victory boosted Casey from No. 12 to No. 6 in the world rankings, a career high. “It’s time to start believing I can be a top 10 player in the world and maybe I can be in the top five,” Casey said. “We’ll see when we get there. Clearly, I just took a little while to sort of get used to things and feel comfortable. Now, I feel comfortable out here.” Holmes needed a win to earn a trip to next week’s Masters, and is the only player from last year’s Ryder Cup who failed to qualify. Casey bogeyed the 18th hole in regulation to complete a 72 and tie Holmes at 11 under par.

Associated Press