Golf: A fistful of dollars for Cat

NORTH BERWICK's Catriona Matthew took her earnings for a two-week trip to America to nearly $75,000 after securing a top-15 finish in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the opening major of the season.

After opening rounds of 73 and 74 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, the Ricoh Women's British Open champion catapulted herself up the leaderboard with a third-round 67 on Saturday.

She was unable to maintain the fireworks in the closing round but a 73 earned Matthew a share of 15th spot on 287 and a cheque for $26,971.

The previous week she he picked up $46,961 for sharing sixth in the Kia Championship at Carlsbad, making it a profitable trip for the Archerfield Links player.

Taiwan's Yani Tseng won the Kraft Nabisco, a closing 68 giving her a 13-under-par total of 275 and a one-shot win over Norway's Suzann Pettersen.

In Texas, US Ryder Cup star Anthony Kim hailed his third win on the PGA Tour as the hardest of his career and credited his new-found patience for helping him land the Shell Houston Open title at Redstone Golf Club.

The 24-year-old from Los Angeles needed a first play-off hole success over Vaughn Taylor to claim victory.

"This is definitely the hardest and most patient I've ever been," admitted Kim.