Late Charge Is Beneficial for Campbell

Playing with Arnold Palmer for two days at Bay Hill was a thrill for Chad Campbell. Even better was meeting him on the 18th green Sunday for the trophy presentation.

With a final-round charge that would have made Palmer proud, Campbell rallied from a four-shot deficit by closing with a six-under-par 66 to surge past mistake-prone Stuart Appleby and win the Bay Hill Invitational at Orlando, Fla.

Campbell, 29, was four shots behind with 12 holes to play. By the time he walked onto the 18th green, he could have seven-putted and won the tournament.

Appleby lost the lead for good with a three-putt on the 14th hole, and his finish was ugly. He missed a three-foot par putt on the 17th, then drove into a hedge and hit into the water on the 18th, lucky to escape with a double bogey for a four-over 76 to finish six shots behind.

“I never counted him out, even though Appleby had a pretty good lead on him,” Palmer said.

Campbell won for the second time with the kind of golf that shows why he’s one of the rising stars in golf. He finished at 18-under 270 and earned $900,000.

“Playing with him was so awesome,” Campbell said of Palmer. “It was really an inspiration.”

Without Tiger Woods going for a record fifth consecutive victory at Bay Hill -- he shot 73 and tied for 46th at even-par 288, his worst finish in five years -- the tournament was missing some of the buzz.

That changed with Campbell’s great charge, and the theatrics of John Daly.

Daly was poised to finish third and secure a spot in the Masters until a wild ride on the final four holes -- double bogey, eagle, bogey, triple bogey that knocked him down into a tie for 10th.

“There’s not many guys who could make five doubles and a triple and still finish in the top 10,” Daly said, although his math was a little off -- he made only four double bogeys and a triple bogey this week.

Still, it was costly. A tie for third would have moved him well into the top 50 and secured a tee time at Augusta National.

He still is No. 9 on the PGA Tour money list, and the top 10 after next week qualify for the Masters.

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Annika Sorenstam battled hot, windy conditions at Superstition Mountain, Ariz., to shoot a two-under 70 and win the Safeway International at 18-under 270 in her LPGA Tour season debut. She finished four shots ahead of Cristie Kerr.

It was the 49th victory for Sorenstam, who earned $180,000 to increase her career earnings to $13.38 million.

Kerr, who began the round three shots back, shot a 71. Lorena Ochoa and Grace Park each shot a 72 to tie for third at 11-under 277.

Michelle Wie, 14, struggled to a four-over 77 to finish at two-under 286.