GOLF ROUNDUP : Ward Beats McGill for Women’s Amateur Title

Wendy Ward won the 94th U.S. Women’s Amateur when she birdied the toughest par five on the course and her opponent, defending champion Jill McGill, bogeyed the easiest par five.

Ward’s birdie on the 16th hole and McGill’s bogey on No. 17 added up to the decisive margin in a 2-and-1 victory Saturday at Hot Springs, Va.

They were even after Ward three-putted the 14th. Ward went back in front after sinking a 10-foot birdie putt on the 494-yard 16th and McGill missed a 12-footer.

On 17, a 450-yard dogleg left, McGill’s drive went left and ended up in the rough. Her second shot clipped some low-hanging branches, and she had to punch out her third shot. Her fourth shot landed on the front fringe, 25 feet away.

Ward, 21, of San Antonio, who will be a senior at Arizona State, lost in the semifinals last year.

McGill, 22, of Denver, who had an outstanding career at USC, said she is now ready to turn pro. McGill had won 23 of her previous 24 amateur matches.

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Alicia Dibos holed out a shot from a bunker to take a one-stroke lead in the first Children’s Medical Center LPGA Classic at Beavercreek, Ohio.

Rosie Jones held a two-stroke lead at the 13th but took a quadruple-bogey seven on the par-three hole. Twice she put six-iron shots into the lake fronting the green on the 135-yard hole.

Dibos, a native of Peru who started the day in second place at five-under, dropped to six shots back of Jones at the turn after bogeying four holes on the front side. But she regrouped with a string of three birdies at the 12th, the fateful 13th and the 14th to get back in it.

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The second round of the Senior PGA First of America Classic at Ada, Mich., was rained out.