SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Zimbabwe’s Denis Watson won the AT&T Champions Classic for his third Champions Tour title in two seasons, beating Loren Roberts with a birdie on the third hole of a playoff Sunday at Valencia.

Watson, the 2007 Senior PGA Championship and Boeing Classic winner, birdied the par-5 18th in regulation for a 7-under 65 and a share of the top spot with Roberts (70) and Brad Bryant (72) at 7-under 209. Bryant was eliminated on the second extra hole.

Watson, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, set up his winning putt with a 9-iron form 152 yards to 20 inches on the par-4 10th.

Last year, Tom Purtzer beat Roberts on the fourth hole of a playoff.

Watson, Roberts and Bryant opened the playoff with pars on No. 18. Watson and Roberts birdied the 18th on the second playoff hole to eliminate Bryant. Watson then won with the short birdie putt on the third extra hole.

Friberg holds off Tseng

HUXQUILUCAN, Mexico – Sweden’s Louise Friberg won her first LPGA Tour title in her fourth career start, closing with a 7-under 65 on Sunday for a one-stroke victory over Taiwan’s Yani Tseng in the MasterCard Classic.

Friberg, 10 strokes behind Ji-Young Oh at the start of play Sunday after opening rounds of 72 and 73, had an eagle, six birdies and a bogey in the 65 – the best score by three strokes in the final round.

Tseng finished with a 74.

Jane Park (70) and Jill McGill tied for third at 4 under, and Pat Hurst (72), Na Yeon Choi (73) and Eva Dahllof (74) followed at 3 under. Oh closed with a 79.

to match top-ranked Mexican star Lorena Ochoa (68) at 2 under.

Friberg, a winner in 2005 on the Swedish tour, birdied Nos. 3, 5 and 9 to make the turn at 2 under for the tournament. She also birdied the par-3 11th, eagled the par-5 12th and reached 7 under with birdies on Nos. 14-15 before bogeying the 16th.

AP-ES-03-16-08 2012EDT