Off the wire

GOLF

Lehman wins Champions

Tom Lehman rallied to win the PGA Tour Champions' season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on Saturday, taking advantage of David Toms' closing three-putt bogey. Lehman, 59, closed with his second consecutive 7-under 65 for a one-stroke victory over Toms. Four strokes ahead of Lehman entering the round, Toms finished with a 70. Lehman finished at 17-under 199 at windy Hualalai. He birdied Nos. 13, 14 and 16 and closed with two pars. Bernhard Langer and 2018 winner Jerry Kelly each shot 67 to tie for third at 14 under. Fred Couples (66) and Kevin Sutherland (63) followed at 12 under. John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 3-under 69 and was tied for 20th at 6-under 210.

Ji wins by 2 in Florida

Eun-Hee Ji of South Korea outlasted the cold and wind to close with a 1-under 70 and win the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions by two shots Sunday in the LPGA Tour season opener at Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Ji shared the 54-hole lead with Lydia Ko, who fell apart on the back nine at Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons. Ko was one shot behind when she made double bogey on the par-5 13th and wound up shooting 42 on the back nine for a closing 77. Ji finished at 14-under 270 to win by two over Mirim Lee, who made only one bogey in her round of 68. Nelly Korda (71) finished third. Former Arkansas Razorback Stacy Lewis, in her first competition as a mother, shot 70 and was tied for sixth with Brook Henderson. Gaby Lopez (Razorbacks) had a 2-over 73 and was tied for 10th with Lexi Thompson at 5-under 279.

BASKETBALL

Ball out 4-6 weeks

Lonzo Ball will miss four to six weeks after an MRI showed he suffered a Grade 3 sprain to his left ankle, the Los Angeles Lakers said Sunday. The sprain includes a torn ligament, which Rajon Rondo suffered to his right ring finger last month. Unlike Rondo, Ball will not need surgery. Ball turned his ankle in the third quarter of Saturday night's loss to the Houston Rockets after colliding with Houston's James Ennis. He writhed on the floor, appearing to be in extreme pain, before teammates Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley carried him off the court. Because the X-ray machines weren't working at the Toyota Center, Ball was transported to a nearby hospital where his X-rays showed no fractures. An MRI on Sunday revealed the extent of the injury. This timetable will keep Ball out until after the All-Star break, which begins Feb. 15. Ball, who had hoped to play in all 82 regular season games, had not missed any games this season. He is averaging 9.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game this year.

SKIING

Shiffrin wins super-G

Mikaela Shiffrin won a World Cup super-G on Sunday at Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy. Taking advantage of a tricky course set by one of her coaches, Shiffrin finished 0.16 seconds ahead of Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein. Tamara Tippler of Austria finished third, 0.18 behind. This was Shiffrin's first victory at the Italian resort.

Noel holds off challenge

Clement Noel held off a fierce Austrian challenge to win a World Cup slalom Sunday at Wengen, Switzerland, for his first career victory. The 21-year-old Frenchman saw his first-run lead almost vanish before crossing the line 0.08 seconds ahead of Manuel Feller. Marcel Hirscher had the fastest second run, yet still trailed Noel by 0.10 in third place. Hirscher, who had won four of the five previous traditional slaloms this season, extended his lead in both the overall World Cup standings and the slalom discipline race. In the finish area, Hirscher greeted Noel with a hug and congratulated him on an "amazing race."

Vonn considers moving up retirement

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — What was evident all weekend for Lindsey Vonn became clear to everyone else on Sunday.

The American skier’s surgically repaired knees simply don’t let her apply the power she requires to win races anymore.

The pain is too severe, the psychological impact too much to bear, her pride too great.

No wonder Vonn is considering moving up her retirement.

After failing to finish a World Cup super-G on Sunday, Vonn said leaving the sport immediately “is a possibility.”

“But I’m emotional right now,” Vonn quickly added. “I have to really think clearly about that. It’s not a decision I make lightly or quickly.”

Vonn added to reporters, “I’ll let you guys know.”

She was more decisive when interviewed by Swiss TV, saying “now it’s time to listen to my body and it’s time to say goodbye.”

Vonn was charging and in contention for a podium spot until she bobbled and bounced slightly off track. Then she clipped a gate and couldn’t apply pressure on her right leg to force her way back onto the racing line, prompting her to miss the next gate.

And with that, Vonn stood up out of her tuck, hung her head and skied diagonally off the course.

Vonn was met by Olympic downhill champion Sofia Goggia in the finish area. When Goggia presented her with a bouquet of flowers, Vonn broke down into tears.

“I was just overwhelmed with emotions — and it was really special that she came,” said Vonn, who has developed a friendship with her Italian rival in recent seasons. “It really means a lot to me.” Vonn, who holds the record of 12 wins in Cortina, also broke down into tears at Saturday night’s public bib draw when organizers showed a video of her triumphs on the Olympia delle Tofane course.

Cortina was where Vonn achieved the first podium result of her career back in 2004 and where she broke the all-time women’s World Cup record with victory No. 63 in 2015.

“I’ve had four surgeries on my right knee. I’ve got no LCL [lateral collateral ligament] on my left knee. I’ve got two braces on. There’s only so much I can handle and I might have reached my maximum,” Vonn said. “I’m not sure. I’ve got to take a couple days’ time and really think about things.”

Vonn was planning on retiring in December. She returned this weekend from her latest injury — to her left knee — but her best result in three races was

ninth in Saturday’s downhill. Vonn hyperextended her left knee and sprained a ligament while training in November. Her right knee is permanently damaged from previous crashes. She’s racing with braces on both knees and goes through an extensive rehab process each evening to keep competing. Vonn needs five more wins to break the all-time World Cup record of 86 victories held by Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark, but that seems like the last thing on her mind now.

“I really don’t know what to think at this point,” she said. “Definitely isn’t the way I had hoped that things would go. I’ve been able to fight through a lot of injuries in my career but I think my injuries might get the best of me at this point.”

photo

AP

Lindsey Vonn

Sports on 01/21/2019

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