GOLF
Wise wins Nelson
Aaron Wise cruised to his first PGA Tour victory Sunday, shattering the AT&T Byron Nelson record at 23 under on a new course in a race to finish before nightfall after a four-hour rain delay. Wise shot a 6-under 65 to beat Marc Leishman by three strokes. Branden Grace matched his career-best 62 from last year’s British Open — which was the lowest round ever in a major — and finished at 19 under with J.J. Spaun and Keith Mitchell, who had matching 63s. Hometown star Jordan Spieth shot 67 to finish 11 under. Ethan Tracy (Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 67 and was tied for 13th at 13 under. Matt Atkins (Henderson State) had a 72 and was 5 under.
Jutanugarn wins playoff
Ariya Jutanugarn birdied the second hole of a playoff to win the LPGA Tour’s Kingsmill Championship at Williamsburg, Va., for the second time in three years. Jutanugarn closed with a 5-under 66 to match Nasa Hataoka (67) and In Gee Chun (68) at 14-under 199. Jutanugarn and Hataoka both birdied the first extra hole, with Chun dropping out. Hataoka putted first on the second extra hole and missed badly before the 22-year-old Jutanugarn rolled in a 15-footer for her eighth career victory. The tournament was cut from 72 holes to 54 when rain washed out play Saturday. Gaby Lopez (Arkansas Razorbacks) was 5 under after a 71. Stacy Lewis (Razorbacks) was 1 under after a 71.
Jimenez takes Tradition
Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Regions Tradition on Sunday for his first senior major title, closing with a 2-under 70 for a three-stroke victory. Jimenez held or shared the lead after every round, taking a three-shot edge into the final round at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Ala. The Spaniard finished at 19-under 269 for his fifth PGA Tour Champions victory. Steve Stricker, Joe Durant and Gene Sauers tied for second. Durant and Sauers finished with matching 69s, and Stricker shot 70. Glen Day (Little Rock) was 10 under after a 67 and was tied for 16th. John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) withdrew.
Arnaud wins at BMW
Michael Arnaud got off to another hot start and converted it into an 8-under 63 and a five-shot victory in the BMW Charity Pro-Am at Greer, S.C. He finished at 27-under 257 for a five-shot victory over Kyoung-Hoon Lee (64) and Robby Shelton (69). Shelton and Bhavik Patel shared the 54-hole lead. Patel closed with a 70 and tied for fourth with Joseph Bramlett (62). Taylor Moore (Arkansas Razorbacks) was 19 under and tied for 9th place after shooting a 6-under 65 on Sunday. Tag Ridings (Razorbacks), Sebastian Cappelen (Razorbacks) and Patrick Sullivan (Maumelle, UALR) did not make the cut.
TENNIS
Nadal takes Italian Open
Rafael Nadal came out on top in a matchup of this year’s top two clay-court players, beating defending champion Alexander Zverev 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 Sunday to win a record-extending eighth Italian Open title. Nadal recovered from an early break in the third set after a 50-minute rain delay. The victory means Nadal will reclaim the No. 1 ranking from Roger Federer today. Earlier, Elina Svitolina defended the women’s title, facing little resistance from top-ranked Simona Halep in a 6-0, 6-4 win.
HOCKEY
U.S. wins bronze
The United States topped Canada 4-1 to claim the bronze medal at the world ice hockey championship on Sunday at Copenhagen, Denmark. Chris Kreider led the U.S. with two goals. Forward Nick Bonino scored the winner on a rebound during a power play in the final period. Anders Lee and Kreider added empty-net insurance goals to give the U.S. its third bronze in six years. Later in the day, Sweden edged Switzerland 3-2 in the final after a penalty shootout to successfully defend its title.
MOTOR SPORTS
Carpenter wins 500 pole
Ed Carpenter of Indianapolis earned the No. 1 starting spot at the Indianapolis 500 for the third time on his home track with a four-lap average of 229.618 mph.
Simon Pagenaud s t a r t s s e c o n d a t 228.761, Will Power was third at 228.007 and Josef Newgarden will start fourth on Sunday after going 228.405. Danica Patrick, Carpenter’s teammate, qualified seventh and will start from the inside of Row 3 in her final 500 after going 228.090. Three-time Indy winner Helio Castroneves will start eighth after going 227.859.
FOOTBALL
LSU Heisman winner Billy Cannon dies
BATON ROUGE, La. — Billy Cannon, the gifted running back who won the Heisman Trophy for LSU in 1959 with a memorable Halloween night punt return touchdown against Mississippi, died Sunday. He was 80.
LSU said Cannon, the school’s only Heisman winner, died at his home in St. Francisville. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Cannon led the Tigers to a national championship in 1958 and won the Heisman following year, highlighted by his tackle-breaking 89-yard punt return that beat Ole Miss 7-3.
“Nearly 60 years later, Louisianans still talk about that Halloween night,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “Billy’s legacy at LSU will live on for generations, and every time we enter Tiger Stadium, we’ll remember the impact he left on the players and fans who came after him.
“To put it simply, he was one of a kind.”
Cannon went on to a successful pro career with the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs, and became a dentist after retiring from football. But life after football was far from smooth. He served 2½ years in federal prison for counterfeiting in the mid-1980s after a series of bad investments and debts left him broke.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008, though it came on the second time he was voted in. The first time was in 1983, but the honor was rescinded because of his legal issues.
After leaving prison, it took Cannon a while to put his life back together. He eventually was hired to be the dentist in the Louisiana State Penitentiary. His efforts at the prison were credited with restoring quality care for the inmates. He served as the dentist at the prison until retiring in January. The inmates would call him “Legend.”
As a football player, there was almost nothing but glory for Cannon.
The Philadelphia, Miss., native was a standout on both sides of the ball for LSU as a sophomore in 1957. As a junior, he passed for a touchdown and kicked the extra point in the Tigers’ 7-0 Sugar Bowl victory against Clemson, capping LSU’s first national championship season. He finished third in the Heisman voting that season.
Cannon began his pro career with Houston of the AFL and later played for Oakland and Kansas City, retiring after the 1970 season.
Cannon is survived by his wife, Dorothy, and five children.