Reavie's accuracy plays a factor in first tour win

By FROM WIRE SERVICES

Last update: July 28, 2008 - 12:45 AM

The Small Unit came up big in the Canadian Open.

Chez Reavie, proudly sporting an Arizona Diamondbacks logo on his light blue shirt, won the national championship Sunday in Oakville, Ont., for his first PGA Tour title, closing with a 1-under-par 70 in near-perfect conditions for a three-stroke victory over Billy Mayfair.

At a generously listed 5-9, the former Arizona State player, 26, picked up the Small Unit moniker in a joking reference to Randy Johnson, the 6-10 Diamondbacks pitcher known as the Big Unit.

The short hitter was on the mark all week at rain-softened Glen Abbey, hitting 44 of 56 fairways in regulation and 54 of 72 greens. His accurate play was a big factor, with the players allowed to use preferred lies in the fairways all four days.

Playing his sixth consecutive week on the tour, Reavie finished at 17-under 267. He earned $900,000 and spots the next two weeks in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship.

Mayfair, also a former Arizona State player, shot a 68. Sean O'Hair (68) and Steve Marino (70) tied for third at 13 under, and Canadian star Mike Weir (69) was another stroke back along with Nicholas Thompson (69) and Scott McCarron (71).

LPGA

Helen Alfredsson won her first LPGA Tour title in five years, defeating rookie Na Yeon Choi in a playoff at the Evian Masters in Evian-Les-Bains, France.

The Swede made a 3-foot birdie in the third round of the playoff at the par-5 18th, while Choi, 20, of South Korea, parred the hole.

Alfredsson, 43, had a 67 in the final round, Choi shot a 66 and overnight leader Angela Park closed with a 71 as all finished at 15-under 273.

The 19-year-old Park was eliminated in the first round of the playoff at No. 18 when her birdie attempt rolled around the lip of the cup and stayed out.

Elsewhere

• Bruce Vaughan won the Senior British Open in Troon, Scotland, on the first playoff hole by sinking a 20-foot putt to beat John Cook.

• Sweden's Mikael Lundberg carded a final-round 68 to hold off a challenge from Jose Manuel Lara and win golf's Russian Open for a second time in four years. Lundberg, 34, finished 21 under par at Le Meridien Moscow Country Club.