Off the wire

GOLF Moore wins in a playoff

Ryan Moore birdied the first hole of a playoff with Gary Woodland this morning to win the CIMB Classic after an overnight wait caused by thunderstorms in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Moore made a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole after Woodland was short with his chip from just off the green. Woodland and Moore finished regulation at 14-under 274 on Sunday with darkness descending on the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, forcing the playoff to be postponed until Monday morning. The players endured about 3½ hours of delays Sunday. The tournament was an official PGA Tour event for the first time. Moore received a twoyear PGA Tour exemption and a spot in the Masters. Bryce Molder (Conway) shot and even-par 72, finished in a tie for 14th place and earned $129,500. David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) finished in a tie for 64th after a 1-under 71 to earn $14,630.

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano chipped in for birdie on the tough 17th hole that became more important than he realized in winning the BMW Masters in Shanghai. The 33-year-old Spaniard was flawless at Lake Malaren until it no longer mattered. The birdie gave him a three-shot lead going to the final hole, and Fernandez-Castano needed every one of them. He hit into two bunkers and had to make a 2-foot putt for double bogey to close with a 4-under 68 and win by a shot. The seventh victory of his career was one of the biggest for Fernandez-Castano. It got him into the HSBC Champions next week in Shanghai, and made him a contender in the Race to Dubai at No. 4 on the money list. Fernandez-Castano finished 11-under 277, one shot clear of Francesco Molinari (64) and Thongchai Jaidee (66). Luke Guthrie, the 23-year-old American making his first trip to Asia, lost the outright lead for the first time since Thursday when he missed a short par putt on the opening hole, and he never got it back. Guthrie closedwith a 71 to finish fourth, two shots behind.

Suzann Pettersen successfully defended her title in the LPGA Taiwan Championship for her fourth tour victory of the year and third in her last five starts. The Norwegian star closed with a 3-under 69 for a five-stroke victory over Solheim Cup teammate Azahara Munoz.Pettersen finished at 9-under 279 and earned $300,000 for her 14th LPGA Tour title. She has five LPGA Tour victories in Asia and won a Ladies European Tour event in China this year. Munoz, the former Arizona State player from Spain, shot a 70. She was within a stroke after Pettersen bogeyed the par-5 ninth, but fell back on the back nine. Pettersen birdied Nos. 13, 14 and 18, and Munoz birdied the 12th before dropping stokes on Nos. 13 and 16. The second-ranked Pettersen won the LPGA Lotte in Hawaii in April and had consecutive victories in September in the Safeway Classic in Oregon and the Evian Championship in France.

Kenny Perry made a 10-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff with Bernhard Langer to win the Champions Tour’s AT&T Championship. Perry and Langer each shot 5-under 67 to finish at 13-under 203 on TPC San Antonio’s AT&T Canyons Course. Perry saved par on the final hole of regulation with an 18-foot putt. Perry extended his lead in the Charles Schwab Cup from 494 to 612 points entering the season-ending Schwab Cup Championship next week in San Francisco. Fred Funk, Colin Montgomerie and Kirk Triplett tied for third, two shots back. Funk shot 67, Triplett had a 68 and Montgomerie a 69.

MOTOR SPORTS Force takes 16th title

John Force won his record 16th Funny Car title Sunday, beating daughter Courtney Force in the final round in the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas. The 64-year-old Force has won three consecutive events and four overall this season to push his record career total to 138. He won the final with a 4.062-second run at 310.63 mph. Matt Smith also won at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to wrap up the Pro Stock Motorcycle season title. Antron Brown won the Top Fuel event, and Shane Gray topped the Pro Stock field. Smith topped Jerry Savoie with a 6.991 at 192.08 on a Buell. Antron Brown edged Clay Millican at 3.782 and 324.51, and Gray beat V. Gaines with a 6.699 at 206.89 in a Chevy Camaro.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel claimed his fourth consecutive Formula One championship Sunday after turning in a trademark clinical performance to win the Indian Grand Prix in Greater Noida, India. Starting from pole, Vettel again dominated the Buddh International Circuit to join F1 greats Juan Miguel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as just the third driver to win four consecutive championships. Vettel finished almost 30 seconds ahead of second placed Nico Rosberg in a Mercedes, with Lotus driver Romain Grosjean taking his second consecutive third after starting from 17th on the grid.

TENNIS

Federer loses in hometown

Juan Martin del Potro denied Roger Federer his hometown Swiss Indoors title for the second consecutive year, winning the final 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-4 on Sunday in Basel, Switzerland. The top-seeded Argentine clinched the title when Federer could not return a tough forehand. Federer had hoped the raucous support at Basel, where he is a five-time champion, could help revive his difficult season. He’s won just one title in the past 14 months. Still, the sixthranked Swiss star edged closer to securing his place in the eight-man lineup at the ATP World Tour Finals in London starting Nov. 4. Del Potro earned his fourth title this season, all on his favored hard-court surface. He also won at Rotterdam in February, Washington D.C. in August and Tokyo this month. With this loss, Federer has only one victory against a top-10 opponent in 2013. That was back in January, against then-No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Though the 32-year-old Federer still holds a 13-5 record against del Potro, he has lost the last three including the 2012 Basel final.

Serena Williams ended her best season in style, rallying past Li Na 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 on Sunday for her second consecutive WTA Championship and 11th title of the year. Williams sank to her knees after firing a backhand winner on her second match point. She became the eighth woman to win 11 or more titles in a year and the first since Martina Hingis had 12 in 1997. It was Williams’ fourth WTA Championship.She also won the elite tournament, which features the eight top-ranked players, in 2001, 2009 and 2012. She is the first to successfully defend the WTA title since Justine Henin in 2007. Williams has won 78 of 82 matches this year. She will finish the year as the top-ranked player for the third time, the others in 2002 and 2009. Li, playing in her first WTA Championship final, will finish the year at a career-high No. 3. The final featured two players over 30 for the first time in the championships’ 43-year history. Williams is 32 and Li is 31.

Mikhail Youzhny claimed his 10th career title by beating top-seeded David Ferrer 6-3, 7-5 Sunday to win the Valencia Open. The 31-year-old Russian dominated the No. 3-ranked Ferrer throughout, breaking the defending champion and local favorite four times on the indoor hard court. Youzhny used well-placed ground strokes early on, breaking twice to take the first set. Ferrer appeared to have recovered with a break in the second, but Youzhny broke back and the Spaniard then started to berate himself after each miss. It was his second title of the season after winning at Gstaad in July. Youzhny finished runner-up here to Andy Murray in 2009.

RODEO Mauney PBR champion

J.B. Mauney won his first Professional Bull Riders championship Sunday in Las Vegas, earning $1 million for the season points title and another $250,000 for topping the six-round PBR World Finals. The Mooresville, N.C., rider wrapped up the season title by winning the fifth round with a 91-point ride on Harlem Shake. He finished the season with earnings of $1,810,711. Mauney was the lone rider to have six successful rides, the last a winning 93 on Wipeout in the championship round. Two-time defending world champion Silvano Alves of Brazil finished second in the world title race, 977.75 points behind Mauney. Alves also was second in the event aggregate.

RUNNING

Kenyan sweep in Frankfurt

Vincent Kipruto led a Kenyan sweep of the top five runners Sunday at the wet and windy Frankfurt Marathon. Caroline Kilel added to Kenya’s success by winning the women’s race. Kipruto edged Mark Kiptoo by a second to finish in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 16 seconds. “He was strong, so I had to watch him and decided to wait until the final moment with my attack,” Kipruto said. “The goal was to run sub 2:05, but I am still happy.” Elijah Kemboi was third in 2:07:34, followed by Jacob Chesari and Albert Matebor.