GOLF
Jutanugarn rallies
Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand has won the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla., with birdies on her last two holes Sunday and some big help on a short miss by Lexi Thompson. Thompson had a one-shot lead when she missed a 2-foot par putt on the 18th hole. That dropped her into a three-way tie, and then Jutanugarn holed an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 5-under 67 and a one-shot victory. Thompson needed to win to claim the LPGA Tour player of the year award. The consolation for Thompson was winning the $1 million bonus for the CME Race to the Globe and the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average. The points-based player of the year was a tie between So Yeon Ryu and Sung Hyun Park. Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) finished tied for 11th at 10 under and won $39,096. Gaby Lopez (Razorbacks) was 7 over and won $5,446.
Fleetwood tops in Dubai
Tommy Fleetwood was crowned the European Tour's Race to Dubai champion Sunday after a spectacular collapse on the back nine by his nearest challenger, Justin Rose. Rose appeared to be on track for a third victory in as many starts when he eased to a 19 under total after 11 holes Sunday without any trouble on the Earth course of Jumeirah Golf Estates. But his round unraveled after that with bogeys on the 12th, 14th and 16th holes to finish with a two-under par 70 and a share of fourth place. With Fleetwood struggling to make birdies and finishing way behind in joint 21st place on 11 under 277, Rose needed to finish in sole possession of fourth to win his second Order of Merit title. The season-ending tournament was won by Spain's Jon Rahm, who fired a final-round 67 for a 19 under total of 269.
TENNIS
Dimitrov wins ATP
Grigor Dimitrov claimed the biggest title of his career at the season-ending ATP Finals on Sunday in London, prevailing on his fifth match point to beat David Goffin of Belgium 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. The sixth-seeded Bulgarian won in 2 hours, 30 minutes, 15 seconds for the longest final since the tournament returned to a three-set format in 2008. Dimitrov won all five of his matches at the O2 Arena to become the first player to win the elite tournament on debut since 1998, when Alex Corretja of Spain triumphed in Hanover. Goffin saved three match points on his own serve, but Dimitrov kept his cool, taking the second opportunity on his own delivery to close it out. By reaching the final, Dimitrov had already secured a career-high No. 3-ranking to end the year. Goffin also moves up to a career-best No. 7. The final lasted more than 11 minutes longer than Roger Federer took to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2011. It was a nervous start as both players failed to hold serve in the opening three games before Goffin settled down to control the opener as Dimitrov struggled with his timing. However, Dimitrov fought his way back into the set. He leveled in the eighth game before breaking once more in the 12th to snatch the set in which Goffin hit eight more winners. Dimitrov's confidence carried into the second set, where he brought up the first break point in the sixth game, only for Goffin to produce a stunning cross-court backhand winner to save it. The momentum back with him, Goffin broke the following game for a 4-3 lead and calmly closed out the set.
BASKETBALL
Durant out vs. Nets
Kevin Durant missed Golden State's game against Brooklyn on Sunday night because of a sprained left ankle. Durant scored 27 points Saturday night as the Warriors rallied for a 124-116 victory at Philadelphia. The NBA Finals MVP leads the Warriors with 24.9 points per game. Their next game after Sunday is on Wednesday at Oklahoma City, where Durant played before joining Golden State last season.
Wall misses game
Washington Wizards guard John Wall missed Sunday's game at Toronto because of a sore left knee, but Coach Scott Brooks said he there's a "great chance" the four-time All-Star will be able to return tonight at Milwaukee. Tonight marks the first time this season the Wizards are playing on back-to-back nights. Washington, which visits Charlotte on Wednesday, is beginning a stretch of three games in four days. Wall is averaging 19.9 points and a team-high 9.3 assists per game. He scored just 8 points and missed 9 of 12 field goal attempts in Friday's 91-88 loss to Miami, going scoreless through the first 3 quarters, and was limping in the locker room afterward. Wall also missed a Nov. 5 game at Toronto because of a sprained left shoulder, but returned the following game.
TENNIS
Segura dies at 96
Pancho Segura, who rose from poverty to win six U.S. Pro singles and doubles championships and was one of the world's greatest tennis players in the 1950s, has died. He was 96. Segura died Saturday from complications of Parkinson's disease at his home at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., his son, Spencer Segura, said Sunday. In the 1940s and 1950s, Segura went from amateur to barnstorming pro and then honored coach, whose students included Jimmy Connors. "Sad day -- lost my friend-coach- and mentor," Connors posted on Twitter Sunday. Francisco Olegario Segura was born into poverty in Ecuador. Childhood rickets bowed his legs. Too weak for soccer, he took to tennis while working as a ball boy at a club in Guayaquil. Segura went on to win the NCAA singles championship three years in a row, from 1943 to 1945. From there he moved to the amateur circuit. He repeatedly made it to U.S. National finals and reached the third round at Wimbledon in the 1940s. He also won the U.S. Clay Court Championship in 1944 and the U.S. Indoor title in 1946.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
UCLA dismisses Mora, owes $12 million buyout
LOS ANGELES — UCLA fired football Coach Jim Mora on Sunday with one regular-season game left in his sixth season.
Athletic Director Dan Guerrero announced the move one day after rival Southern California’s 28-23 victory over UCLA (5-6, 3-5 Pac-12) on Saturday night. Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch will coach the Bruins in their regular-season home finale against California on Friday night.
UCLA must pay more than $12 million to buy out the remainder of Mora’s contract, which runs through 2021. The school announced that Mora’s contract will be “honored by UCLA Athletics, exclusively using department-generated funds.”
Mora went 46-30 in his first significant collegiate coaching job, but the Bruins are on the brink of their second consecutive losing season despite a roster filled with elite recruits led by quarterback Josh Rosen. Mora won at least eight games in each of his first four seasons, but UCLA finished 4-8 last year and hasn’t improved significantly this season.
“Jim helped re-establish our football program, and was instrumental in so many ways in moving the program forward,” Guerrero said in a statement. “While his first four seasons at UCLA were very successful, the past two seasons have not met expectations.”
UCLA still could become bowl-eligible with a season-ending victory over the Golden Bears (5-6) under Fisch, who joined the program from Michigan this season and immediately rebuilt the Bruins’ offense into a solid unit.
The Bruins won 10 games in Mora’s second and third seasons, tying the modest school record for victories in a season. Mora, the former coach of the Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks, was the widespread subject of NFL speculation at the time, but he repeatedly vowed to stay with the Bruins.
UCLA is 17-19 since 2015 with Rosen in the program, including 10-16 in the Pac-12. The Bruins won just 10 of Mora’s last 27 games.
Sports on 11/20/2017