Monday, November 18, 2013

Weekend Sports In Brief

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Back on top with only two NASCAR greats left to catch, Jimmie Johnson won his sixth championship in eight years and staked his claim as one of the most dominant competitors in sports history.

Johnson, needing only to finish 23rd or better to spoil Matt Kenseth's career season, was on cruise control most of the day at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Johnson's lone hiccup came when traffic stacked-up on a restart and he and Kenseth made slight contact, causing Johnson to plunge 15 spots in the field with damage to his fender.

He rallied to finish ninth and beat Kenseth for the title by 19 points.

Now looming large in Johnson's windshield is the mark of seven titles held by Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt.

AUSTIN, Texas - Sebastian Vettel climbed out of his Red Bull car, pumped his right first then held up eight fingers, one for each of his consecutive victories.

Formula One's baby-faced German dominator just keeps on rolling.

The four-time world champion won the U.S. Grand Prix in easy fashion Sunday, setting an F1 season record with his eighth straight victory behind another blistering drive that gave the field no chance to catch him.

Vettel started from the pole position he snagged from teammate Mark Webber of Australia in the finals seconds of Saturday's qualifying.
---
GOLF

MELBOURNE, Australia - Australian golfer Jason Day paused several times to compose himself when he spoke about the deaths of eight of his relatives, including his grandmother, in Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

''They found, I think, eight of our relatives. Six of them were children, and my grandma, and a couple more,'' Day said after practicing at Royal Melbourne, where he's scheduled to play in the World Cup as part of Australia's team with Adam Scott. ''It's such a tragedy. I feel for my mother.''

Day said the most difficult part was not being able to contact his relatives, many of whom lived in the area around Tacloban, the capital of hardest-hit Leyte province. The typhoon has killed nearly 4,000 people and left more than a thousand missing.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Henrik Stenson won the season-ending World Tour Championship to become the first player to sweep the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup and European Tour's Race to Dubai.

The Swede closed with an 8-under 64 to finish at 25-under 263, six strokes ahead of second-place Ian Poulter on Jumeriah's Earth Course. Poulter shot a 66, and also finished second in the Race to Dubai.

Stenson earned $1,333,300 for the tournament victory and $1 million for winning the Race to Dubai.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico - Harris English won the rain-delayed OHL Classic for his second PGA Tour title, pulling away for a four-stroke victory in a 29-hole finish at Mayakoba.

English closed with a 6-under 65 after completing the third round in the morning with a 68. He moved into contention Saturday morning in the second round, matching the lowest round of his tour career with a 62.

The 24-year-old former University of Georgia star finished at a tournament-record 21-under 263. He won the FedEx St. Jude Classic in June in Tennessee for his first PGA Tour victory.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico - Lexi Thompson won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational for her second victory in her last four starts, birdieing the final hole to beat Stacy Lewis by a stroke.

The 18-year-old Thompson made a 5-foot putt on the par-5 18th, then won when Lewis missed her 5-foot try.

Thompson closed with a 3-under 69 to finish at 16-under 272 at Guadalajara Country Club. She won the 2011 LPGA Navistar Classic at 16, and took the LPGA Malaysia last month for her second tour title.

The third-ranked Lewis, a three-time winner this year, had a 68.

So Yeon Ryu was third at 13 under after a 69.

Top-ranked Inbee Park finished fourth at 11 under to wrap up the points-based player of the year award with one event left. She is the first South Korean player to win the award.

MELBOURNE, Australia - Adam Scott successfully defended his Australian Masters title for his second victory in two weeks, scrambling for an even-par 71 and a two-shot victory at wind-swept Royal Melbourne.

Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. He finished at 14-under 270.

American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. Kuchar had a 68 to finish second.

Vijay Singh, one of four players tied for second at the start of play, finished third after a 71, four behind playing partner Scott. The 50-year-old Fijian was attempting to win for the first time since 2008.

0 comments:

Post a Comment