Karrie Webb wins Australian Ladies Masters title for eighth time, ties Sam Snead record

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Karrie Webb's eighth win in the Australian Ladies Masters matches the PGA Tour record of Sam Snead, who won the Greater Greensboro Open eight times.

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Associated Press 

Series: Other Tour

GOLD COAST, Australia -- Karrie Webb won her eighth Australian Ladies Masters title on Sunday, coming from two strokes behind in the final round with birdies on three of her last five holes for a 5-under-par 67 and a two-stroke victory.

The 38-year-old Webb birdied the 14th hole at Royal Pines to take the lead for the first time during the final round, and then tapped in for birdie after her eagle putt just missed on 15.

Webb finished with a 13-under-par total of 203 in the 54-hole tournament, the season-opening event on the Ladies European Tour. Her eighth win in the same tournament matched the PGA Tour record of Sam Snead, who won the Greater Greensboro Open eight times.

South Korea's Chella Choi finished tied for second after a 69, with second-round co-leaders Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, and Australian amateur Su-hyun Oh, who both shot final-round 71s.

American Jessica Korda, last year's Australian Open winner at Royal Melbourne, was fifth after a 71, three shots behind.

Webb took the momentum on the par-5 12th hole. Teenagers Oh and Ariya were tied for the lead but Oh walked off the green after a three-putt double bogey and Ariya a bogey, a three-shot swing that allowed Webb, who'd already birdied the hole, to join them at the top of the leaderboard.

Webb was coming off a winless 2012.

''I'm very happy, it never gets old to get a win here,'' said Webb. ''What a way to start the year.''

In addition to her eight wins, Webb has four seconds on the Gold Coast Resort course that was barely playable at the start of the tournament due to 24 inches of rain in the preceding week, the fallout from a tropical cyclone.

Webb played her first Ladies Masters as an amateur in 1993 and won the first of her titles in 1998 by five shots against a field that included then world No. 1 Annika Sorenstam. Her later victories came in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2010.

Webb was reminded that her previous three victories at Royal Pines – in 2005, 2007 and 2010 – were followed by winless seasons on the LPGA Tour.

''I don't want to raise my expectations too high,'' Webb said. ''I think it tends to backfire on me a little bit and I put a bit too much pressure on myself, but the one thing that feels really good to me is how comfortable I feel on the golf course.''

Jim Caldwell Hired As Detroit Lions Head Coach

Posted Jan 14, 2014

Ryan MinkBaltimoreRavens.com Staff Writer@Ravens All Ryan Mink Articles



Former Ravens Offensive Coordinator Jim Caldwell is departing, leaving Baltimore with a vacancy.



The Ravens need a new offensive coordinator.

Jim Caldwell has been hired by the Detroit Lions to be their next head coach. The Lions officially announced it late Tuesday afternoon.

Caldwell is the third of Harbaugh’s former coaches to land a head coaching job elsewhere, following Rex Ryan (Jets) and Chuck Pagano (Colts).

Caldwell interviewed with the Lions first on Jan. 3 after the Ravens’ season ended. He then went on to interview with the Washington Redskins and Tennessee Titans.

But with Ken Whisenhunt, the man rumored to be the Lions’ first choice, heading to Tennessee, Caldwell became Detroit’s man.

Caldwell, who was last a head coach in Indianapolis from 2009 to 2011, spent two years in Baltimore.



He took over calling plays from Cam Cameron near the end of the 2012 season and helped boost the Ravens offense to the next level en route to a Super Bowl XLVII victory. The Ravens averaged 27 points per game during his those seven games.

But Caldwell’s offensive unit plunged in the rankings in 2013. The Ravens averaged 20 points per game, and scored just 30 total points once all year against Houston, which included defensive and special teams touchdowns. The offense was 29th in the NFL in yards per game (307.4).

“I enjoyed my time with Jim greatly,” quarterback Joe Flacco said.

“He is a man that I will always respect as a football coach, leader and a friend. Through his calming influence and extensive knowledge of the game, he was an integral part of our success over the past few years. He will be missed by me and the Ravens. I wish him the best of luck in Detroit.”

Caldwell is widely-regarded as a coach with exceptionally high character, and he’ll bring that to a Lions team that has had discipline issues in recent years.

He’ll also bring his quarterback coaching expertise. Caldwell, who is well known for his work with quarterbacks and especially Peyton Manning, will now work with another young star in the Lions’ Matthew Stafford. Caldwell was Flacco’s quarterbacks coach in Baltimore before being promoted to offensive coordinator.

There are reports that Caldwell could also call the offensive plays in Detroit.

Caldwell is expected to take Ravens Secondary Coach Teryl Austin with him to Detroit to be his new defensive coordinator, according to multiple reports. Austin has worked with Baltimore’s cornerbacks and safeties for the past three seasons, helping groom young, successful players such as Jimmy Smith, Lardarius Webb and Cary Williams.

The Ravens will now turn their focus to finding a new offensive coordinator, and it is not known whether they will promote an internal candidate or look outside the organization.