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VERONA, N.Y. -- Rich Berberian Jr. rallied to win the PGA Professional Championship on Wednesday, holing a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory.The 28-year-old Berberian, a PGA assistant professional from Derry, New Hampshire, topped the 20 qualifiers for the PGA Championship next month at Baltusrol in New Jersey.Berberian shot a 3-under 69 at Turning Stones Atunyote Golf Club, overcoming a triple bogey on the par-5 12th with birdies on the par-4 13th, par-3 16th and the par-5 18th. He finished at 11-under 277.Former PGA Tour player Omar Uresti, the second- and third-round leader, had a chance to force a playoff, but missed a 15-foot birdie try. The 47-year-old Uresti, from Austin, Texas, had a 73 to tie for second with Mark Brown (71) of Oyster Bay, New York. Brown birdied the 18th.Berberian missed the green with his second shot on 18, and had to chip from thick rough on the left side. His ball slide down a ridge, leaving an uphill slider that he holed.I didnt think I threw it away, but knew I wasnt in the drivers seat, Berberian said. I knew Omar or Mark had just moved into a position to take me out. That was a putt I could probably three-putt more times than I could two-putt. Thats why Im spaced out because I cant believe it went in.Berberian earned $75,000 and became the second New England PGA Section Member to win the Walter Hagen Cup since Bob Lendzion in 1986. Berberian is the second-youngest winner, just 15 days older than Howell Fraser in his 1968 victory.Berberian pulled his tee shot into the deep rough on 12th, then hit a provisional ball into the water bordering the right side of the fairway. He had a double bogey on the hole Tuesday.I hit that shot so bad, so far left, I had to laugh Berberian said. I had to get over it. The next hardest shot was the two-putt from 70 feet. So, when I got to 13, I was a little frustrated. I knew it was playing long. I hit a good drive and that is what got me back in it. I thought, `My swing still works.Josh Speighht (65) of Locust Hill, Virginia, and 2013 winner Rod Perry (71) of Port Orange, Florida, tied for fourth at 7 under.Karen Paolozzi shot a 70 to tie for seventh at 9 under and break her own event record -- a tie for 49th in 2014 -- for the best finish by a female player. The 35-year-old Paolozzi elected to play at a shorter yardage than the men, making her ineligible for a spot in the PGA Championship.It feels good to finish with a couple of birdies there, said Paolozzi, a former Indiana University player who lives in Atlanta. I came into this week just wanting to make the cut. I had no expectations of finishing this high. This was just thrilling.Ashley Grier, the other female player in the field, missed the cut. . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. Whats in store for the tennis Olympians this season? We dont know yet, but if they do anything to match any of these top 10 moments from Olympics yore, well be in for a treat.1. Steffi Grafs Golden SlamWhen she arrived at the 1988 Seoul Games, Graf, a teenager from West Germany, didnt expect much from herself. She was still feeling weary from her triumph at the US Open, where she had completed the calendar-year Grand Slam. But Graf became inspired by other Olympians and would come through the draw to win the singles competition.In doing so, she became the first man or woman to achieve the Golden Slam of scoring four majors and the Olympic singles title in the same season. To me, this was bigger than a Grand Slam; it was more special, she told CNN at the time.2. Andy Murrays golden performance in front of home fansAll of Murrays eventual Grand Slam triumphs can be traced back to his win against Roger Federer in the 2012 Olympic final in London. On the grass of the All England Club, Murray was showing himself -- and others, too -- how he could beat the best in the world by playing positive, attacking tennis. Murray defeated Novak Djokovic in the semifinal and then Federer in the gold medal match -- in straight sets. At one point, Federer failed to win a game for an entire hour.3. Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potros epic encounterDid Federer have an excuse in the final against Murray? Perhaps when you consider the match before. Federer needed nearly three hours in the third set alone to beat del Potro, 19-17. In all, the Swiss was on the court for 4? hours in the semifinals before putting away the Argentine, the longest mens three-set match of the Open era.I definitely got a sense that it was something special, Federer told the press at the time. His victory guaranteed he would win a first Olympic singles medal (after winning a doubles gold with Stan Wawrinka in Beijing).4. Serena Williams crushes Maria Sharapova in the finalHas anyone ever won an Olympic silver medal and felt so far away from glory? The womens singles 2012 London final was 45 minutes old before Sharapova won a game. She would lose 6-0, 6-1 in the most one-sided womens final ever played at an Olympics. Williams was steadfast in her quest to win singles and complete the career Golden Slam.5. Nicolas Massu wins double goldTo win two gold medals, you might have to contend with sleep deprivation. Take Massu, for example, at the 2004 Athens Games, with the Chilean winning the first of his medals alongside Fernando Gonzalez in the doubles. That match finished so late that Massu didnt get to sleep until 4.30 a.m.Just 13 hours later, he started his singles gold medal match against Mardy Fish of the United States. Somehow, Massu got through it. I dont know how I did it, he told the press afterward. These are just the best two days of my life. Its just too much, two gold medals in one day, and its unbelievable for my country.6. James Blakes fury at Fernando GonzalezPlaying in the semifinals of the 2008 Beijing Games, Blake was sure one of his shots had brushed Gonzalezs rackett before being called out.dddddddddddd Blake was also certain that Gonzalez, who would win the match, should have admitted as much.Playing in the Olympics, in whats supposed to be considered a gentlemans sport, thats a time to call it on yourself, Blake told the press afterward. Fernando looked me square in the eye and didnt call it. If that happened the other way, I never would have finished the match, because my father would have pulled me off the court if I had acted that way. Thats a disappointing way to exit the tournament when you not only lose the match, but you lose a little faith in your fellow competitor.7. Andre Agassis Olympic swearingThere was a touching moment at the 1996 Atlanta Games when two generations of Olympians in the Agassi family, Andre, who had three Grand Slam titles at the time, and his father Mike, who boxed for Iran, embraced on the court. But Agassis run to the Olympic gold medal, which culminated with victory over Spains Sergi Bruguera, is often remembered for the coarse language he used during his quarterfinal against South Africas Wayne Ferreira.Agassi was given a point penalty for cussing and swearing (in breach of the rules and perhaps also the Olympic spirit), but Ferreira, who served for the match, thought that the Las Vegan should have had the greater punishment of being defaulted. That was about the only way he would have beaten me, Agassi told the press afterward. He said I should have been thrown out, and if I was him, I would have hoped for that, too.8. Jamie Murray bolts off the courtPlayers often speak of leaving everything on the court, and Murray did just that (literally) when playing a second-round doubles match at the 2008 Beijing Games alongside his younger brother, Andy. After a disappointing performance by the brothers, Jamie left the court at such speed that he didnt take his rackets or bag with him.It was a hugely disappointing Olympics for Andy, who had also lost in the first round of the singles competition. Later, he spoke of his unprofessional preparation, which included arriving late and not giving himself enough days to assimilate, as well as poor diet.9. Roger Federer kisses his future wife for the first timeIt was at the 2000 Sydney Olympics that Federer started a romance with Mirka Vavrinec, who was part of the Swiss Olympic team herself. Vavrinec had been wondering why Federer was spending so much with her. And then he kissed her. They married nine years later and have had two sets of twins.10. Rafael Nadals off-court imperfections Bradley Wiggins, a British cyclist, spotted Nadal in a laundry room in the Athletes Village in Beijing and was a little concerned: I didnt want to bother [Nadal,] but he was mixing up his whites and colors.Still, his washing foibles aside, Nadal went on to win the singles gold medal. He is the only man -- with Agassi being the other -- to have won all four Grand Slams, the Davis Cup and the Olympic singles gold medal. ' ' '
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