GOLF
Hovland wins in Mexico
Viktor Hovland of Norway holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Sunday for a 6-under 65 and a one-shot victory in the Mayakoba Golf Classic, his second PGA Tour victory this year. It was the first time since the Mayakoba Classic began in 2007 that it was won with a birdie putt on the final hole. For the 23-year-old Hovland, it's old hat. He made a 30-foot birdie putt on the last hole to win the Puerto Rico Open in February. Aaron Wise closed with a 63 and did everything right over the last two holes except make the birdie putts. Tied for the lead, he missed birdie putts from 12 feet on each of the last two holes at El Camaleon Golf Club in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Hovland had four birdies in the opening six holes and built a two-shot lead going into the back nine on a course softened by rain that caused a two-hour delay in the morning. Adam Long (67) and Tom Hoge (69) tied for third at 17-under 267. Emiliano Grillo, who led after the second and third rounds, closed with a 72 and tied for eighth, five shots behind.
Sanford claims victory
Angela Stanford won her home LPGA Tour event in front of her parents, closing with a 4-under 67 for a two-stroke victory in the Volunteers of America Classic. The 43-year-old former TCU star from Fort Worth won her seventh LPGA Tour title and first since the major Evian Championship in 2018. She finished at 7-under 277 at Old American Golf Club in the event that started in bone-chilling cold Thursday. Inbee Park, So Yeon Ryu and 19-year-old Yealimi Noh, tied for the third-round lead, each shot 70 to tie for second in the final tuneup before the U.S. Women's Open next week at Champions Golf Club in Houston. Stanford pulled away with birdies on Nos. 13, 14, 16 and 17, and closed with a bogey.
Bezuidenhout wins again
Christiaan Bezuidenhout won a second consecutive tournament on the European Tour when he finished with a 69 for 18 under par overall and a five-shot victory at the South African Open on Sunday. The 26-year-old South African became the first player since Justin Rose in 2017 to win European Tour events on consecutive weeks. Bezuidenhout won the Alfred Dunhill Championship, also in South Africa, last weekend and now has three career tour titles. Bezuidenhout took a five-shot lead into the final round at Gary Player Country Club at the Sun City resort and maintained that advantage over Jamie Donaldson of Wales, who also closed with a 69. Dylan Frittelli of South Africa (71) was third at 11 under.
FOOTBALL
South Alabama fires coach
South Alabama fired Coach Steve Campbell a day after a shutout loss to rival Troy. Jaguars Athletic Director Joel Erdmann announced the decision on Sunday. Campbell, who was the head coach at the University of Central Arkansas when he took the job, went 9-26 in three seasons at South Alabama. The Jaguars ended the season with a 4-7 record, capped by Saturday's 29-0 home loss to Troy. They finished 3-5 in Sun Belt Conference games.
HORSE RACING
Top 2-year-old filly retired
Princess Noor, one of the top 2-year-old fillies in the country, was retired Sunday because of a soft tissue injury suffered while leading the $300,000 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos. Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, she was the 3-5 favorite in Saturday's Grade I race. She had breezed to the lead and appeared primed to draw away from her four rivals. Instead, she was pulled up early in the stretch by jockey Victor Espinoza. Princess Noor was purchased for $1.35 million earlier this year for Zedan Racing Stables. Princess Noor had three wins in five career starts and earnings of $363,500. She finished fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies last month at Keeneland.
MOTOR SPORTS
Perez earns first F1 victory
Sergio Perez waited 190 races to finally stand on the podium as a Formula One winner and end a 50-year wait of its own for Mexico. Perez's win at a chaotic Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain was the first by a Mexican since Pedro Rodriguez won the Belgian GP in June 1970. He died one year later, at age 31, in a sports car race. The Racing Point driver finished 10.5 seconds ahead of Renault's Esteban Ocon and 11.9 clear of teammate Lance Stroll. Perez, 30, does not even have an F1 seat next year after being replaced by Sebastian Vettel.
TENNIS
HOF member Ralston dies
Dennis Ralston, a five-time Grand Slam doubles champion who was one of the initial players signed to the professional World Championship Tennis tour in the 1960s and a member of the sport's Hall of Fame, died Sunday. He was 78. He died of cancer in Austin, Texas, according to Darin Pleasant, director of tennis at Grey Rock Tennis Club, who spoke to Ralston's wife, Linda. As a singles player, Ralston lost to Spain's Manuel Santana in three sets in the 1966 Wimbledon final. He reached the semifinals at the 1960 U.S. national championships and the 1970 Australian Open. He was considered the highest-ranked American player for three years in the 1960s, long before the sport's computerized rankings system began. But Ralston found his greatest success in doubles. He paired with Rafael Osuna of Mexico to win Wimbledon in 1960 as a 17-year-old. He and fellow American Chuck McKinley won titles at the U.S. national championships in 1961, '63 and '64. Ralston teamed with American Clark Graebner to win the 1966 French championships on clay. He was a three-time Grand Slam finalist in mixed doubles.
