FORT WORTH, Texas, 24 May 2005 — American Kenny Perry cruised to a seven-stroke victory at the $5.6 million PGA Colonial, but a double bogey on Sunday’s penultimate hole kept him from breaking his own tournament record.

Perry fired a one-under par 69 to match his 72-hole mark at 19-under 261 and join Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson as the only multiple winners on the US Tour this season. Perry also won the Bay Hill Invitational in March.

Perry began the final round with a seven-stroke edge after leading by three entering the weekend. Perry didn’t falter until the outcome was assured and no rival could make a run for the title. Perry opened with a birdie at the par-five first, added a birdie at the fifth and another at the par-five 11th. The double bogey at 17 took him over his record pace but he just missed right on a 35-foot birdie putt at 18 to lower his mark, three-strokes better than any rival has ever fired at Colonial Country Club.

The ninth career victory for Perry was worth $900,000. His three top rounds of the season were in the first three rounds, when he went 65-63-64. He had 22 birdies and just one bogey and the double bogey for the week.

American Billy Mayfair fired a 69 to finish second on 268, one stroke ahead of Australia’s Peter Lonard and Americans David Toms and Joe Durant. Seven others shared sixth on 270 including South Africans Rory Sabbatini and Rod Pampling, Germany’s Bernhard Langer, Aussies Scott Hend and Aaron Baddeley and Americans Tim Petrovic and Brandt Jobe.

Creamer Upstages Wie With Sybase Victory

In London, American schoolgirl Paula Creamer upstaged fellow teenage prodigy Michelle Wie by becoming the LPGA Tour’s second youngest winner at the Sybase Classic in New Rochelle, New York on Sunday.

The 18-year-old Creamer birdied the final hole at Wykagyl Country Club for a closing one-under-par 70 and a one-shot victory over South Koreans Gloria Park and Jeong Jang.

Although the 15-year-old Wie has been touted as the future Tiger Woods of the women’s game, the Hawaiian schoolgirl has not yet clinched a title on the LPGA Tour.

Creamer, who birdied three of the last five holes, holed out from 17 feet at the last to become the LPGA Tour’s youngest champion at a full event. At 18 years and nine months, she finished on a 72-hole total of six-under 278 to earn a winner’s cheque for $187,500.