GOLF
Cook holds off Byrum
John Cook won the First Tee Open on Sunday at Pebble Beach for 10th Champions Tour title, closing with a 3-under 69 for a one-stroke victory over Tom Byrum. Cook, 56, birdied the par-4 13th and parred the final five holes to finish at 11-under 204. He won the 1981 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach for the first of his 11 PGA Tour titles and also won the 1975 California State Amateur at the course. Byrum also shot 69. Winless on the 50-and-over tour after winning once on the PGA Tour, he bogeyed the par-5 14th and par-3 17th. Skip Kendall, playing his second Champions Tour event after earning a spot in open qualifying Tuesday, tied for third with England's Roger Chapman. Kendall shot 70, and Chapman had a 65. Davis Love III, also making his second Champions Tour start, had a 74 to drop into a tie for 24th at 3 under. The 20-time PGA Tour winner tied for 64th last week in Hawaii.
BASKETBALL
Taurasi leads U.S.
Diana Taurasi scored 13 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter and the U.S. women's team beat pesky Serbia 94-74 on Sunday in the world championship in Istanbul to clinch the top seed in Group D. The U.S. (2-0) trailed by four points after the first quarter and was up 49-42 at the half. Serbia only trailed 77-70 with 6 minutes left before the Americans scored 15 of the next 19 points to put the game away. Taurasi had 10 points during the spurt. Her three-pointer with three minutes left made it 92-74. She hit five three-pointers and the U.S. shot 56 percent (9 for 16) from behind the arc. Maya Moore added 17 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for the U.S., which will play Angola on Tuesday night. Ana Dabovic scored 24 points to lead Serbia (1-1).
BASEBALL
Marlins extend Redmond
Miami Marlins Manager Mike Redmond has been given a two-year contract extension through 2017. Team president David Samson announced Redmond's new deal during Miami's season finale against the Washington Nationals on Sunday. The Marlins finished the season with 77 victories, their most since going 80-82 in 2010. Miami finished in last place in the National League East each of the past three seasons, including when they went 62-100 in 2013, Redmond's first year as a major league manager.
• Jason Giambi's 19th season didn't go as planned. He's not sure there will be a 20th. As the Indians closed 2014 short of the playoffs, Giambi said Sunday he hasn't decided whether he'll try to extend a major league playing career that began with Oakland in 1995. "I've been playing this game since I was 5 years old," the 43-year-old said before the Indians finished a three-game series with Tampa Bay. "That's your whole life. If you look at it, it's 40 years of doing the same thing. It's been unbelievable. It's been fun. But, I still haven't made a decision about what I'm going to do yet. Who knows? Maybe somebody's looking for a broken down 44-year-old to kind of take a few extra hacks."
HORSE RACING
Jockey breaks arm
Jockey Rajiv Maragh has had surgery to repair a broken right arm sustained when he was unseated from his mount Wicked Strong in the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Club at Belmont Park. Maragh's agent, Tony Micallef, said the jockey had surgery Sunday to install plates and screws in his arm. Micallef said he doesn't know how long the rider will be sidelined. Wicked Strong clipped heels with Moreno about halfway through the 1 ¼-mile race on Saturday, causing Maragh to fall. Moreno was disqualified from fourth and placed last for having angled in on Wicked Strong. The jockey is fourth in the riders' standings at the Belmont fall meet with 15 wins and purse earnings of over $1.4 million. Maragh, 29, won the $600,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational one race before he was hurt Saturday.
• Lady Eli and Imperia won the $200,000 turf stakes for 2-year-olds Sunday at Belmont Park. Lady Eli captured the Miss Grillo for fillies by three lengths over Margaret Reay, improving to 2 for 2 for trainer Chad Brown. Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Lady Eli ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.50 and paid $9.80 to win. Imperia got his second win in two races, rallying for a one-length score over Vision Perfect in the Pilgrim. Javier Castellano picked up the mount after Rajiv Maragh broke his arm in a spill Saturday in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. The Kiaran McLaughlin trainee was timed in 1:41.36 and paid $13 to win.
• Bright Thought snapped a seven-race skid, winning the $200,000 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita by three-quarters of a length Sunday. Ridden by Tyler Baze, Bright Thought ran 1 1/4 miles on the turf in 1:58.27 and paid $16.40, $8.60 and $4.20. Finnegan's Wake, idle since running fifth in the Arlington Million on Aug. 16, rallied from next-to-last to finish second and returned $6.80 and $4. Big John B was another 1 1/2 lengths back in third and paid $2.20 to show as the 4-5 favorite. His three-race win streak ended. The victory, worth $120,000, increased Bright Thought's career earnings to $339,161, with five wins in 15 starts.
• Tonito M. pulled away for a three-length victory Sunday in the $400,000 Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park. The Kentucky-bred son of Rock Hard Ten hung in the pack for much of the race under Rafael Bejarano before making a run on the outside and passing Bay of Biscay. Tonito M. ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.41. Trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Tonito M. moved to 7 for 12 and paid $12.80, $6.60 and $4.60. Bay of Biscay returned $38.80 and $17.40, and Wildcat Red paid $2.40 to show.
MOTOR SPORTS
Courtney Force wins Nationals
Courtney Force raced to her second consecutive Funny Car victory in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs Sunday, winning the NHRA Midwest Nationals in Madison, Ill. Force outran championship rival Matt Hagan in the final round at Gateway Motorsports Park to move within 30 points of series-leading John Force, her 65-year-old father. After beating her father in the semifinals, she had a 4.094-second run at 313.44 mph in her Ford Mustang to hold off Hagan. She has four victories this season and seven overall, both records for female Funny Car drivers. Antron Brown won in Top Fuel, Dave Connolly in Pro Stock, and Jerry Savoie in Pro Stock Motorcycle in the third of six NHRA Countdown playoff events. Brown raced to his third consecutive victory at Gateway, beating defending series champion Shawn Langdon in the final round with a 3.844 at 315.42. Connolly beat points leader Jason Line with a 6.562 at 211.53. Savoie earned his first career Pro Stock Motorcycle victory, topping points leader Andrew Hines with a 6.871 at 196.53.
MARATHON
Kenyan sets world record
Dennis Kimetto set a world record by winning the 41st Berlin Marathon in 2 hours, 2 minutes, 57 seconds on Sunday. The Kenyan, 30, knocked 26 seconds off the record of 2:03:23 set by compatriot Wilson Kipsang in Berlin last year to become the first man to complete a marathon in under two hours, three minutes. Another Kenyan, Emmanuel Mutai, was also faster than the previous best, finishing second in 2:03:13. Abera Kuma of Ethiopia was third in 2:05:56.
TENNIS
Nishikori tops in Malaysia
Top-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan beat fourth-seeded Julien Benneteau of France 7-6 (4), 6-4 Sunday to win the Malaysian Open. Playing in his first tournament since reaching the final of the U.S. Open, Nishikori, 24, won 72 percent of his service points in the final to wrap up victory in 1 hour, 47 minutes. Benneteau, who now has a 0-10 record in ATP World Tour finals, was contesting the title match at the Malaysian Open for the third consecutive year. He led Nishikori by a break of serve in the first set, but couldn't maintain his lead, despite saving nine of 10 break points. Nishikori, 44-10 for the season, has a 6-4 record in tour-level finals and added to victories earlier this year in Memphis and Barcelona.
Sports on 09/29/2014