Bernhard Langer won for the 18th straight year on the PGA Tour Champions, holing a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole to hold off Steven Alker in the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Sunday at Phoenix Country Club.
The 67-year-old Langer closed with a 5-under 66 — shooting his age or better for the third straight day and 23rd time on the tour — for a one-stroke victory over defending champion Alker — who won the season points title and a $1 million bonus — and Richard Green.
“It’s unbelievable, I can’t describe it,” Langer said. “To win this big tournament after what I’ve been through and to make it 18 years in a row out here.”
Langer pushed his tour victory record to 47, just more than eight months after tearing his left Achilles playing pickelball. The German star won the season-ending event for the first time and extended his record as the tour’s oldest winner.
Eckroat notches PGA victory >> Austin Eckroat won the World Wide Technology Championship in Los Cabos for his second PGA Tour title of the year, shooting a 9-under 63 for a one-stroke victory over Justin Lower (65) and Carson Young (65).
Playing in the group ahead of Lower and Young, Eckroat birdied the par-4 17th to open a three-stroke lead over Young, then finished with a bogey on the par-5 18th.
NWSL
Gotham FC edges Thorns >> Rose Lavelle scored in stoppage time and Gotham FC defeated Portland in Harrison, N.J., to advance to the semifinals of the playoffs. Gotham, the defending NWSL champion, will face the second-seeded Washington Spirit, who beat Bay FC Sunday, next weekend.
Baseball
Reds honor Rose with 14-hour visitation >> Thousands of fans streamed into Great American Ball Park despite steady rain to pay respects to Pete Rose, baseball’s career hits leader, who died Sept. 30 at the age of 83.
The 14-hour visitation, in honor of Rose’s jersey number, was arranged by the Cincinnati Reds with cooperation from Rose’s daughters, Fawn and Kara, who exchanged hugs, stories and even some tears with fans.
“We wanted to do something like this,” said Rick Walls, executive director of the Reds Hall of Fame. “You could see from the turnout, it means a lot to the people here. It’s a moving experience.”
Source: Marlins hiring McCullough as manager >> The Miami Marlins are hiring former Los Angeles Dodgers first-base coach Clayton McCullough as their next manager, a person with knowledge of the hiring told The Associated Press.
McCullough, 44, was hired by the Dodgers in 2015 as their minor league field coordinator and had been the first-base coach on Dave Roberts’ staff since the 2021 season. The Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in five games last month to win their eighth World Series title.
A former minor league catcher, McCullough was a manager in the Blue Jays’ minor league system for seven seasons.
He replaces Skip Schumaker, who parted ways with the team in September.
Tennis
Gauff wins WTA Finals for first time >> Coco Gauff won the WTA Finals for the first time by rallying to beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) in the final in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
The 20-year-old American came from 2-0 and 5-3 down in the final set and was two points from defeat at one stage.
She is the first American to win the Finals since Serena Williams in 2014, and received $4.8 million in prize money. She also is the youngest player to win it since Maria Sharapova in 2004, the year Gauff was born.
Gauff beat the world’s top two players — Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek — on her run to the final at the season-ending event in Riyadh.
Fritz knocks off Medvedev in ATP Finals >> U.S. Open finalist Taylor Fritz frustrated Daniil Medvedev to the point that the Russian smashed his racket and was docked a point in a 6-4, 6-3 victory for the American in the opening match of the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.
Medvedev received two code violations from the chair umpire for his behavior.
Top-ranked Jannik Sinner delighted home fans with a 6-3, 6-4 win over finals debutant Alex de Minaur.
The other group starts play today with Carlos Alcaraz facing Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev meeting Andrey Rublev.
The top two finishers from each round-robin group advance to the semifinals.
College basketball
Gonzaga men topple Arizona State >> Braden Huff scored 21 points off the bench and Ryan Nembhard tallied 13 points and 11 assists as No. 6 Gonzaga hung on for an 88-80 victory over Arizona State in Spokane, Wash.
Huff went 9 for 13 from the field and missed only two 2-point attempts for the Bulldogs (2-0), who won their 21st straight home opener.
NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 71, N.C. STATE 57 >> Te-Hina Paopao scored 23 points, MiLaysia Fulwiley chipped in with 18 points off the bench and the Gamecocks (2-0) passed its first big test of the season at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center against the Wolfpack (1-1) in women’s play.
NO. 5 UCLA 81, COLGATE 63 >> Lauren Betts had a career-high 31 points and nine rebounds and No. 5-ranked UCLA (2-0) defeated Colgate 81-63 in the Bruins’ home opener.
Cycling
Cavendish retires in style >> Mark Cavendish, one of the best road sprinters in cycling history, retired in style by winning the Tour de France Criterium in Singapore.
The 39-year-old from the Isle of Man broke famed Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx’s long-standing record for most career Tour de France stage wins with his 35th victory in July.
Fittingly, for his final race Cavendish wore No. 35 on his race jersey and won in a dash to the line for the 165th victory overall in his career.