SAN DIEGO - In a tournament that was up for grabs, Scott Stallings hit a 4-iron worthy of a winner Sunday in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Stallings was in a five-way tie for the lead when he hit his second shot on the par-5 18th hole as hard as he could. It was enough to barely clear the water, and he took two putts from 40 feet for birdie and a 4-under 68 at Torrey Pines.

That was enough for a one-shot victory when no one could catch him.

It was the third career PGA Tour victory for Stallings, who earned a return trip to the Masters and should move high enough in the world ranking to qualify for the Match Play Championship next month in Arizona.

K.J. Choi had the best score of the week on the South Course with a 66 and was among those who tied for second. The pins were set up in favorable positions for birdies, making the course play the easiest it had all week.

But that didn’t make it easy - not for Gary Woodland, Jordan Spieth, Pat Perez and so many others who squandered a good chance to win.

Woodland appeared to have the best chance to catch Stallings. He was one shot behind - with plenty of length to reach the 18th in two - until he chose fairway metal off the tee on No. 17 and hooked it into the canyon. He felt he had to make his 45-foot par putt to have any chance, and three-putted for double bogey. Woodland, who had a one-shot lead going into the final round, missed an easy birdie attempt on the 18th and closed with a 74.

“This will be hard to swallow,” Woodland said. “I felt like I kind of gave one away today.”

Marc Leishman of Australia had the last chance to force a playoff, but his drive on the 18th went well right and bounced off the cart path and a fan. He had no shot at the green in two, and his wedge for an eagle stopped a few feet to the side of the hole. His tap-in birdie gave him a 71 and a share of second.

Stallings finished at 9-under 279.

Jason Day (68) and Graham DeLaet of Canada (68) each made birdie on the last hole to tie for second. So did Perez, the San Diego native who grew up at Torrey Pines and whose father is the longtime starter on the first tee at the Farmers Insurance Open. Perez missed a 10-foot birdie chance on the 17th. He closed with a 70.

“It’s great and bad,” Perez said about his runner-up finish. “This is the one I want to win more than anything in the world, and I came up short. … I thought today would have been my day. I would like to be in that position again.”

Spieth didn’t make a birdie over the last 15 holes, and he fell back with back-to-back birdies late in the round.

The 20-year-old Texan made a meaningless bogey on the last hole that only cost him a spot in the top 10. By then, his day was over. He closed with a 75.

David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) made five birdies and five bogeys for an even-par 72 to finish in a tie for 47th place to earn $15,479.

Tag Ridings (Razorbacks) had a 2-over 74 and finished tied for 55th. He earned $13,847.

Bryce Molder received a $12,200 check after his 3-over 75 which left him in 70th place, 15 strokes behind Stallings.

LPGA

Korda holds off Lewis

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas - Jessica Korda won the season-opening Bahamas LPGA Classic on Sunday for her second tour title, holing a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole to beat Stacy Lewis by a stroke.

The 20-year-old Korda closed with a 7-under 66 for a 19-under 273 total on Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club course. Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) parred the final four holes - two of them par 5s - for a 66.

Korda tied Lewis for the lead with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th, then got up and down for birdie on the par-5 18th. Korda’s 4-iron approach on 18 scampered through the green to the fringe just short of the grandstand.

With an official and a TV announcer holding up cords that would have interfered with her stroke, she putted under the wires to set up the winning birdie.

“That was different,” Korda said. “It was like jump rope.”

She admitted she was nervous on the winning putt.

“Incredible!” Korda said. “I could barely put the golf ball down and line up.”

The 2012 Women’s Australian Open winner, Korda recently started working with swing coach Grant Price. She struggled with her swing last year and felt that it led to some injuries in her left shoulder and wrist.

“I’m really just trying to hit good golf shots and get that swing down,” Korda said.

Price, Hall of Famer Nick Price’s nephew, is fighting testicular cancer.

Korda’s father, Petr, won the 1998 Australian Open tennis tournament and her mother, Regina Raichrtova also was a professional tennis player. Korda earned $195,000 and is projected to jump from 40th to 26th in the world ranking.

Lewis birdied six of the first eight holes, then dropped a stroke on the par-4 ninth. She birdied the par-5 11th and par-4 14th to reach 18 under, but closed with four consecutive pars.

On the 18th, her flop shot from short of the green came up short and her 15-foot birdie try stopped inches from the cup.

The world’s third-ranked player earned $120,655 with her runner-up finish.

Paula Creamer, paired with Korda all four days, had a 69 to tie for third with Na Yeon Choi, Lizette Salas and Pornanong Phatlum at 16 under. Phatlum finished with a 67, Salas had a 71, and Choi shot 72.

Sports, Pages 13 on 01/27/2014