Off the wire

BASEBALL Yankees, Gardner agree

Outfielder Brett Gardner and the New York Yankees have agreed to a four-year contract worth $52 million. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman announced the deal Sunday. The new pact starts in 2015. The deal includes a fifth-year club option for $12.5 million and a $2 million buyout. If traded, Gardner would receive $1 million. Gardner has a $5.6 million, one-year contract for this season. The Yankees are moving Gardner to left field this year after the signing of free agent center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to a $153 million, seven-year contract in December. Gardner, 30, hit .273 last year with 8 home runs, 52 RBI and 24 stolen bases.

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is set to play his first spring training game of his final season Thursday. Jeter is scheduled to play when the Yankees host the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Yankees take on Florida State in an exhibition on Tuesday and visit the Pirates on Wednesday. The Yankees captain announced this month that he will retire after this season.

San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley will be out at least two weeks because of a calf strain, giving Manager Bud Black an opportunity to look at a handful of other options. It could be a wise move for the future with Headley already saying he’s not sure the sides can come to an agreement on a long-term contract before the start of the season. Black said Sunday the team hopes to know more in the next few days about just how long Headley will be sidelined, but did say it would be at least two weeks.Headley is scheduled to have an MRI on his right calf today. Black said there would be four or five players he’ll give a look to at third base while Headley is out.

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin is being shut down in spring training due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Chacin will undergo an MRI today. He’s been limited in his throwing so far in camp. Rockies Manager Walt Weiss said Chacin has had similar pain in the past and has tried to pitch through it. Weiss added he’s “not overly concerned” with the injury and wouldn’t rule out still considering Chacin as the opening day starter. Chacin, 26, was Colorado’s top right-handed starter a year ago. He went 14-10 with a 3.47 ERA.

Matt Harrison concedes that he likely won’t be ready to start for the Texas Rangers by opening day. The left-hander, who hasn’t thrown in a week because of stiffness in his neck and back, just hopes things are different from last season. He started the opener last year, but then made only one more start. Harrison is returning to Texas to be examined by the specialist who did both operations last year for a herniated disk in his lower back. Harrison won 18 games and was an All-Star in 2012, then got a $55 million, five-year contract. After going 0-2 with an 8.44 ERA, Harrison got two epidural injections and a second opinion before two operations in a matter of weeks.GOLF

Nordqvist wins in Thailand

Anna Nordqvist of Sweden ended a five-year victory drought when she beat defending champion Inbee Park of South Korea by two strokes to win the LPGA Thailand at the Siam County Club Pattaya Old Course on Sunday. Nordqvist, who held the lead for the last three days, shot a final-round 68 for 15-under 273, to edge Inbee, who carded a final round 66 for a 13-under 275. Catriona Matthew of Scotland shot a second consecutive 65 to finish third on 277. American Michelle Wie, who was tied second after three rounds, shot three birdies plus an eagle on the 10th against two bogeys for a final-round 69 and fourth place another shot back. Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) finished in a five-way tie for fifth at 9 under, six strokes behind Nordqvist.

TENNIS Gulbis upsets Tsonga

Third-seeded Ernests Gulbis of Latvia beat defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 7-6 (5), 6-4 to win his fifth career title and maintain his perfect record in finals. Playing in his 19th career final, the second-seeded Tsonga was favorite to win the Open 13 in Marseille, France, for the third time and to secure an 11th career title, but he struggled with Gulbis’ attacking approach. Tsonga was under pressure throughout, saving 10 of the 11 break-points he faced and failing to take the two chances he created on the serve of Gulbis, who had 14 aces and hit 41 winners compared to 22 for his opponent. Gulbis, ranked 23rd, beat France’s two best players in consecutive sets on his way to the title, eliminating the top-seeded Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals.

Rafael Nadal returned from a troublesome back injury to win the Rio Open on Sunday, defeating Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 7-6 (3). Nadal’s victory comes four weeks after he lost the Australian Open, beaten in that final by underdog Stanislas Wawrinka after tweaking his back while warming up. Nadal, who had to fend off two match points in the semifinal against Pablo Andujar, looked more comfortable in the final and improved his record on clay to 298-21, the best in the Open Era. Dolgopolov has lost all five matches against Nadal.

Kurumi Nara of Japan won her first WTA singles title on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, defeating top-seeded Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. The 22-year-old Japanese player was the fifth-seeded player in the tournament and is Japan’s top-ranked woman at No. 62. She prefers to play on hard courts but has adapted to the heat and clay in Rio. Zakopalova won two WTA titles 10 years ago, but has now lost 12 consecutive singles finals.

TRACK AND FIELD Whiting tops in shot put

Ryan Whiting won the shot put in the USA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., with a mark of 72 feet, 11¼ inches Sunday. Whiting had the fifth-best mark in the world, about 17 inches shy of the world indoor record set by American Randy Barnes in 1989. Whiting’s winning effort came on the fifth of his six attempts. Seventeen-year-old Mary Cain successfully defended her title in the 1,500 meters, winning in 4:07.05. Nia Ali won the women’s 60 hurdles for the second consecutive year, finishing in 7.8 seconds. Lopez Lemong won the men’s 1,500 in 3:43.09, rebounding for a disappointing showing Saturday in the 3,000.

GOLF Day survives Dubuisson’s magic

MARANA, Ariz. - Jason Day never stopped believing he would win the Match Play Championship, even in the midst of somany shots by Victor Dubuisson that simply defied belief.

With his ball at the base of a cactus, Dubuisson took an all-or-nothing swing though the sharp needles and a TV cable and incredibly hit it to 4 feet to save par. Seemingly out of it on the next playoff hole, the 23-year old Frenchman somehow whacked a wedge through a desert bush and rocks and onto the green for another par.

Day finally ended the madness Sunday on the 23rd hole with a pitch to 4 feet on No. 15 for birdie.

It was the first time the championship match went extra holes since the inaugural year in 1999 at La Costa, when Jeff Maggert chipped on the second extra hole of a 36-hole final. That was like watching paint dry compared to the show Dubuisson put on.

Day, with his firstWorld Golf Championship, walked away with his second PGA Tour title that will take the Australian to No. 4 in the world.

Day won $1.53 million. He never trailed over the final 53 holes of the tournament.

Dubuisson earned $906,000, all but assuring a PGA Tour card for next year. And he all but clinched a spot on the Ryder Cup team in September, moving to the top of the points table by the equivalent of about $1.5 million.

In the morning semifinals, Day beat Rickie Fowler 3 and 2, and Dubuisson topped Ernie Els 1 up. Fowler beat Els in 19 holes in the third-place match.