Mahan wins at Firestone; No. 1 Tiger near bottom

Hunter Mahan took a big step toward joining the elite in golf Sunday by winning his his first World Golf Championship title and locking up a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Four shots behind to start the final round of the Bridgestone Invitational, played at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, Mahan ran off five birdies on the front nine to take the lead, then had three clutch par saves down the stretch to finish off a 6-under-par 64 and a two-shot victory over Ryan Palmer.

It was the second victory this year for Mahan, and the $1.4 million he earned moved him to No. 2 in the Ryder Cup standings with only the PGA Championship remaining before the top eight Americans qualifying.

The battle for No. 1 was far less inspiring. Tiger Woods will remain atop the world ranking for the 270th consecutive week, despite the worst tournament of his career. Woods closed with a 77 to finish at 18-over 298 - his highest score ever on the PGA Tour - and finished one spot out of last place. "Shooting 18 over par is not fun," Woods said.

That cleared the way for Phil Mickelson to replace him at No. 1, provided Lefty finished in fourth place alone.

Mickelson was even worse. He shot 41 on the front nine, including a three-putt from 4 feet, and shot 78 to tie for 46th.

"It didn't feel like it was far off," Mickelson said. "But it turned out to be."

Mahan, who shot 65 in the final round to win the Phoenix Open in February, finished at 12-under 268. He became the third American with multiple victories on the PGA Tour this year.

The Ryder Cup was a big bonus. "That was my goal at the beginning of the year, to make the team on my own," Mahan said.

Lunde takes Turning Stone

Bill Lunde rallied with a 6-under 66 to finish at 17-under 271, holding off J.J. Henry by one stroke to win the Turning Stone Resort Championship in Verona, N.Y. The win is the first for Lunde in his second full season on the PGA Tour. He vaulted into the lead with six birdies on the front nine and played even par for the last nine holes. Lunde earned a spot in next week's PGA Championship at Whistling Straits with the victory. He also won $720,000 and picked up 250 FedEx Cup points.

Frost's 61 wraps up 3M

David Frost shot 11-under 61 on the way to a record-setting victory at the 3M Championship in Blaine, Minn. It was the first career Champions Tour win for Frost, whose 25-under 191 was two shots better than the previous tournament scoring record set by R.W. Eaks in 2008. His final-round score beat by one the tournament's previous lowest round set by Dana Quigley in 2008. Mark Calcavecchia, tied with Frost for the lead after 36 holes, shot a 4-under 68, and finished five shots behind. Frost shot 7-under 29 on the front side to pull away from the field. He birdied the first two holes and eagled the third. David Peoples (66), Tommy Armour III (65) and Nick Price (64) finished six shots back. - AP