GOLF ROUNDUP : McGovern and Albers Reach Winner’s Circle

Jim McGovern birdied the final hole of regulation to force a playoff and then birdied the second playoff hole to beat Jim Huston and gain his first PGA Tour victory, the $1.3-million Houston Open.

McGovern, who earned $234,000, charged into contention with an eagle on No. 15 and forced Huston into a playoff with an eight-foot birdie putt on the 54th hole of the rain-shortened tournament.

Rain and fog hampered play all four days of the tournament, forcing officials to reduce it to three rounds.

McGovern’s previous best finish was fourth at last year’s St. Jude Classic. He tied for sixth in this year’s Honda Classic.

McGovern and Huston shot four-under-par 68s in the final round and finished with 17-under 199 totals.

Huston had broken out of a five-way tie for the lead with a birdie putt on 17 for the one-shot lead McGovern erased with his birdie putt.

On the first playoff hole, the par-four, 445-yard 18th, Huston missed a six-foot birdie putt after McGovern had missed a much longer birdie putt. Both made par, forcing the decision to the 428-yard 10th.

Both faced 25-foot putts for birdies. Huston’s stopped about one inch from the hole.

Payne Stewart, Donnie Hammond and Blaine McCallister, who were part of the five-way tie, finished at 200 to tie for third.

McCallister started the final round with a two-shot lead over McGovern and Huston, and he shot a one-under 71.

It wasn’t easy for Kristi Albers either, but she won her first LPGA title.

The eight-year veteran had six birdies, six bogeys and six pars in an up-and-down, even-par finish that required a birdie on No. 18 to avoid a playoff with fast-closing Rosie Jones in the $1.2-million Sprint Classic at Tallahassee, Fla.

Albers, 29, made a five-foot putt for birdie on 18 after nearly giving away the richest tournament in women’s golf with bogeys on the three previous holes.

“It came in at the right time,” she said after the winning putt barely dropped after catching the left lip of the hole.

“I battled myself a lot, especially coming in,” said Albers, who hung on for the victory with her second consecutive par-72 round to finish at nine-under 279.

Albers, winless since turning pro in October 1985, collected $180,000, more money than she had made in any of her previous years on the tour. She also took over the top spot on the LPGA money list with $203,000.

Jones, who won a career-high $111,711 for second place, finished nearly two hours earlier after posting Sunday’s best round, a five-under 67.