Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — GOLF

Park wins; Lewis second

Inbee Park of South Korea shot a 6-under-par 66 on Sunday to win the LPGA Evian Masters for the first time, beating veteran Karrie Webb and overnight co-leader Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) by two shots in Evianles-Bains, France. It was Park’s second LPGA Tour title and the first since the U.S. Open in 2008.She finished with a 17-under 271. Park, 24, made birdies on the last three holes to coast home. Lewis, who shared the overnight lead with Park, made a run at the end, but her long putt for eagle on the 18th came too late. China’s Shanshan Feng made a late charge as well, shooting a 66 that also included an eagle on the 18th. She finished tied for fourth at 14 under with South Korean amateur Hyo Joo Kim (68) and American Natalie Gulbis (68). Feng’s shot of the day drew a roar from the grandstand on No. 18 when she chipped out of the bunker, and the ball looped around in a semi-circle from right to left then dropped in for an eagle. The pressure was on Park to respond, and she did, sinking a birdie on No. 16 to move to 15 under. Lewis, who had been seeking her third LPGA Tour title of the year, fell behind with a poor run in the middle of her round - she went eight holes without a birdie, including a bogey on No. 14. This is the last Evian Masters before the event becomes the Evian Championship and the fifth women’s major in September 2013. Lewis, who tied the course record with a 63 on Friday, missed a birdie on the fourth hole as her shot drifted left. After missing a good birdie chance on the fifth, she hunched forward in frustration with hands on her thighs. Park birdied the ninth to take the lead at the turn and then moved to 14 under with another birdie on No. 10.

Four consecutive birdies put Scott Piercy into the mix early. One big par at the end made him a winner at the PGA Canadian Open in Ancaster, Ontario. Piercy won for the second time in his career when he closed with a 3-under 67, and William McGirt and Robert Garrigus stumbled on the closing stretch at Hamilton Golf & Country Club to finish a stroke back. McGirt, atop the leaderboard for much of the final round, had his first three-putt bogey of the week on the 15th hole when he ran a 45-foot putt some 15 feet by the hole. Tied for the lead playing the 18th, he put his approach into the bunker and blasted out to 18 feet, missing the par putt that would have forced a playoff. McGirt closed with a 69. Garrigus, the 54-hole leader, missed six putts inside 8 feet. The last one was the most costly. He three-putted from long range just off the green on the 16th, missing an 8-footer for par that left him one shot behind.He missed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th to force a playoff and had to settle for a 70. It was the second time Piercy has won on the PGA Tour in the last year. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) shot a final-round 70 and finished 8-under 272. He earned $54,716. John Daly (Dardanelle, Razorbacks) shot a 66 and finished 3-under 277. He earned $12,805.

Fred Couples won the Champions Senior British Open, birdieing the final two holes for a two-stroke victory over Gary Hallberg on the Ailsa Course in Turnberry, Scotland. Couples, making his first start in the event, closed with a 3-under 67 for a 9-under 271 total. Hallberg finished with a 66. Couples, 52, won the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic in March and has eight Champions Tour titles. He won 15 times on the PGA Tour, including the 1992 Masters.

Ben Kohles won the Web.com Tour’s Children’s Hospital Invitational in his first professional start, beating Luke Guthrie with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff in Columbus, Ohio. Kohles closed with a 1-under 70 to match Guthrie at 12-under 272 on Ohio State’s Scarlet Course. Guthrie birdied three of the final five holes in regulation for a 66. One of 12 college All-Americans invited to the event, Kohles turned pro after finishing his amateur career last week in the Porter Cup. The 22-year-old former University of Virginia player earned $144,000. David Lingmerth (Razorbacks) shot a final-round 71 and finished with a 6-under 278, earning $13,200. Glen Day (Little Rock) had a 72, finishing 2-under 282. He earned $4,560.

BASEBALL

Arizona acquires Johnson

The Houston Astros traded starting third baseman Chris Johnson to the Arizona Diamondbacks for two minor leaguers on Sunday. Houston acquired infielder Bobby Borchering and outfielder Marc Krauss in the deal. Johnson was batting .279 with 8 home runs and 41 RBI in 92 games for the Astros this season. He has spent his entire four-year career with the Astros, batting .274 with 26 home runs and 136 RBI. Borchering has hit 20 home runs and 68 RBI combined this season in the Diamondbacks’ Class A Visalia and Class AA Mobile affiliates. He was Arizona’s first pick in the 2009 draft and was rated by Baseball America as the best power hitter in the Diamondbacks organization in 2012. Krauss was batting .283 with 15 home runs and 61 RBI at Mobile.

The Oakland Athletics obtained catcher George Kottaras from the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league reliever Fautino De Los Santos. The deal was announced shortly before the Athletics faced the Baltimore Orioles in the finale of a three-game series. Kottaras, 29, will join the A’s in Oakland today. Kottaras hit .209 with 3 home runs and 12 RBI in 58 games with Milwaukee this season. The left handed hitter was designated for assignment on Thursday to make room for catcher Jonathan Lucroy. De Los Santos, 26, spent most of the year at Class AAA Sacramento, where he was 1-3 with a 7.25 ERA in 28 relief appearances.

HORSE RACING

Paynter wins Haskell

Paynter stormed into the lead entering the far turn and pulled away from the field to win the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J ., giving trainer Bob Baffert his third consecutive victory in the race and sixth overall. Gemologist took the lead in the 1 1/8-mile race, with Paynter on his flank through the backstretch. When they moved into the far turn, Paynter surged ahead under Rafael Bejarano and was never threatened in winning easily by 3 3/4 lengths. Nonios was second and Stealcase third in the field of six 3-year-old colts. Paynter, who did not race as a 2-year-old, finished second by a neck to Union Rags in the Belmont Stakes in his previous start. Baffert wasn’t in attendance, leaving assistant Jimmy Barnes in charge of Paynter. Baffert won the Haskell with Coil last year, and with Lookin At Lucky in 2010. His other Haskell winners were Point Given in 2001, War Emblem in 2002 and Roman Ruler in 2005.Paynter, the even money favorite, finished in 1:48.4 and paid $4, $2.60 and $2.40. Nonios returned $5.20 and $3.80, and Stealcase paid $5 to show. Gemologist, the second choice at 9-5, faded to finish last in the field of six. In the $100,000 Majestic Light Stakes, Gourmet Dinner ($16.20), ridden by Javier Castellano, rallied to beat Ponzi Scheme by a neck. In the $100,000 Teddy Drone Stakes, favorite Royal Currier took the lead at the top of the stretch and held off a late surge from Travelin Man to win by a nose. Royal Currier, with Joe Bravo aboard, paid $6.80 to win. Laughing, an Irish-bred horse who had been out of action since May, made a triumphant return to take the $150,000 Taylor Made Matchmaker Stakes. Laughing ($4.40), ridden by Bejarano, took the lead early and stormed home on the turf course to win by a length over Shimmering Moment. Long-shot Brushed By A Star, ridden by Corey Nakatani, broke in the stretch to take the $200,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes, paying $21.20. Brushed By AStar, a $10,000 purchase two years ago by trainer Grant Forster’s family, has earned more than $250,000 this year. Another long shot, Tune Me In ($53.60), won the $150,000 Oceanport Stakes. Tune Me In, ridden by Paco Lopez, pulled away in the final strides to edge odds-on favorite Queen’splatekitten.