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.

Langer, 67, 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.

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.

Five strokes ahead of Alker after a front-nine 30, Langer found himself tied for the lead with Alker and Green on the final hole after a two-stroke swing on the 17th when Alker hit to inches for birdie and Langer scrambled for bogey.

On the par-5 18th, Langer drove left into trees, reached the green in three and holed the long birdie putt. Alker hit his second shot over the green and left his chip short, then left a 12-footer to force a playoff short.

Alker shot 66. Also the 2022 season champion, the New Zealander began the week second behind Ernie Els in the points race. Els tied for 13th at 7 under after a 67, leaving him second in the standings. Green shot 65.

Austin Eckroat won the World Wide Technology Championship 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).

Paul Waring carded a 6-under 66 to win the Abu Dhabi (UAE) Championship for the biggest win of his career. He finished two shots clear of countryman Tyrrell Hatton — who had eight birdies in his 64 — and three clear of Danish golfer Thorbjorn Olesen (66), Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy (64) and Englishman Matt Wallace (63) in a tie for third.

SOCCER

Trinity Rodman forced an own goal in extra time to help the Washington Spirit come from behind and earn a 2-1 win over Bay FC in the opening round of the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs in Washington.

After a defensive battle most of the game, Bay FC’s Asisat Oshoala got on the end of Penelope Hocking’s cross in the 82nd minute, silencing the sellout crowd of 19,215 at Audi Field.

The play started when Alyssa Malonson whipped in a cross from the left that slipped all the way through to an unmarked Hocking on the far post. The substitute sent the ball back across the goal for Oshoala to finish with her first touch.

Tara McKeown equalized three minutes later. The centerback, who converted from forward last season, picked off a Bay clearance, dribbled forward and finished into the lower left corner with a shot from the top of the 18-yard box.

While Rodman was held scoreless in the game, her cross forced the go-ahead goal six minutes into extra time. Bay FC defender Caprice Dydasco saw the ball late and accidentally redirected it into the goal to give the Spirit the lead.

GOTHAM FC 2, THORNS 1: 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 next weekend.

MLB

The Dodgers are losing a key member of their World Series-winning coaching staff. First-base coach Clayton McCullough was chosen as the next manager of the Miami Marlins, according to multiple reports.

McCullough leaves for a Marlins team that finished last in the National League East last season. Only two teams — the Chicago White Sox (41-121) and Colorado Rockies (61-101) — won fewer games than the Marlins (62-100) in 2024.

McCullough, 44, spent the past 10 years in the Dodgers organization, the past four on the major-league staff. In addition to first base coaching duties, McCullough worked with the team’s outfielders and was also the point man for finding tendencies the team could exploit in base stealing.

In that capacity, McCullough worked closely with Shohei Ohtani who stole 59 bases in 2024.

— Bill Plunkett

TENNIS

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 his home fans with a 6-3, 6-4 win over finals debutant Alex de Minaur.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Braden Huff scored 21 points off the bench and Ryan Nembhard tallied 13 points and 11 assists as No. 6 Gonzaga (2-0) hung on for an 88-80 victory over Arizona State (2-1) in Spokane, Wash.

NO. 15 CREIGHTON 96, FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 70: Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 24 points, Steven Ashworth added 15 points on five 3-pointers and the Bluejays (2-0) rolled past the Knights (1-2) in Omaha, Neb. The victory gave coach Greg McDermott win No. 327 in 15 seasons at Creighton, tying Dana Altman for the program’s most wins.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Lauren Betts had a career-high 31 points and nine rebounds and No. 5-ranked UCLA beat Colgate 81-63 in the Bruins’ home opener.

Betts shot 15 of 18 from the floor and scored the Bruins’ first 12 points of the fourth.

UCLA (2-0) stretched its lead from 11 points to 22 in the third quarter. Betts scored eight points and freshman Elina Aarnisalo added seven, including five in a row during a 7-0 spurt.

The Bruins didn’t play a tidy game, committing 17 turnovers that led to 13 points for the Raiders. Aarnisalo had six and Londynn Jones four.

UCLA will need to clean up that sloppy play quickly as it hosts No. 1 South Carolina in two weeks.

The Raiders (2-1) were led by Anne Bair with 13 points and five assists. Taylor Golembiewski added 12 points and five rebounds and Sophia Diehl had 10 points and five rebounds.

Colgate coach Ganiyat Adeduntan came up short against her mentor, UCLA coach Cori Close. Adeduntan played at Florida State from 2002-06, when Close was an assistant for two seasons.

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).