Weir stirs fans, but U.S. wins Presidents Cup
Advertiser Staff and News Services
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The United States won the Presidents Cup. Mike Weir gave Canada quite a consolation prize.
The Americans won enough of the singles matches yesterday in Montreal to capture the Presidents Cup for the second straight time, giving them an international victory in cup competition for the first time since 1993. The U.S. won, 19 1/2-14 1/2.
That didn't stop the relentless cheers that rocked Royal Montreal on a spectacular autumn day, especially when Weir won the final two holes to beat Tiger Woods and send his country home feeling like a winner.
Weir won the Masters four years ago, and he wasn't sure which felt sweeter.
"It's right there with it," Weir said. "Obviously, winning the Masters was such a thrill, but to play Tiger ... he's the best player there is, and I had to play my absolute best today to beat him."
MARATHON
GEBRSELASSIE SETS MARK
Haile Gebrselassie took advantage of a perfect course and ideal conditions to set a world record at the Berlin Marathon yesterday.
Gebrselassie raced through Berlin's flat and fast course to set his 25th world record in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 26 seconds. That lowered the time of Paul Tergat by 29 seconds.
On a cool day nearly perfect for long-distance running, Gebrselassie trailed the record by six seconds at the halfway point, but picked up the pace over the last six miles, when he ran alone without pacemakers.
It was the sixth time a marathon world record was set in Berlin, where Tergat ran to the previous record in 2003.
After six failed attempts, and as people thought age might be catching up to Gebrselassie, the 34-year-old Ethiopian delivered.
"Don't ask me how I am," said the two-time Olympic 10,000-meter champion. "It's very special, spectacular."
WORLD CUP SOCCER
U.S. TOPS NORWAY, 4-1
Abby Wambach gave the United States something more than bad memories to carry home from the women's World Cup.
Wambach's two goals, and one each from Lori Chalupny and Heather O'Reilly, led the United States to a lopsided 4-1 victory over Norway yesterday in the third-place game in Shanghai, China.
Defending champion Germany defeated Brazil, 2-0, in the title game on second-half goals by Birgit Prinz and Simone Laudehr.
The U.S. team, distracted by the expulsion of goalkeeper Hope Solo, pulled together three days after a humiliating 4-0 semifinal loss to Brazil that ended a 51-game winning streak.
"I feel like in this tournament — from the time I came for the draw — the U.S. was behind the eight-ball, because we had a very difficult group," coach Greg Ryan said. "I felt like each game was so under the gun. Each match became an elimination match for us."
AUTO RACING
BIFFLE WINS WILD ONE
Greg Biffle won a wild NASCAR Nextel Cup race yesterday at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., that was twice stopped by rain, twice shortened for darkness and marred by wrecks that collected most of the 12 drivers vying for the series' Chase for the Cup championship.
Even the win by Biffle, who isn't in the Chase, sparked controversy when he coasted across the finish line under a yellow flag — behind second-place Clint Bowyer.
"Man, what a crazy race," said Jeff Gordon, who finished fifth to stay second in the Chase, six points behind Johnson, his teammate at Hendrick Motorsports and the reigning Cup champion.
Bowyer, the hometown favorite from Emporia, Kan., climbed to third in the Chase, 14 points back.
But then the Chase contenders drop off sharply — from fourth-place Tony Stewart, 117 points behind, to 12-place Denny Hamlin, 248 back.
That's because they and five other Chase drivers finished 29th or lower in the 43-car field after the barrage of accidents.
Biffle's victory in the LifeLock 400 was his first since the Roush Fenway Racing driver won the season finale last year at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"It's just exciting being in victory lane again," Biffle said.
TENNIS
VENUS WINS CROWN
Top-seeded Venus Williams beat Maria Kirilenko, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, in the championship of the Korean Open yesterday in Seoul, South Korea.
BASKETBALL
U.S. WOMEN WIN TITLE
Tina Thompson scored 18 points to help the United States qualify for the 2008 Olympics with a 101-71 victory over Cuba yesterday in the gold medal game at the FIBA Americas tournament in Valdivia, Chile.
The U.S. joins China, Australia, New Zealand, Mali and Korea as teams that have qualified for the Olympics.
RUGBY
U.S. FALLS IN WORLD CUP
The United States lost to South Africa, 64-15, in the final group game at the Rugby World Cup yesterday in Montpellier, France, and ended the tournament with losses in all four of its games.
South Africa used an almost full-strength lineup in anticipation of the quarterfinals. The Springboks were dominant in scoring nine tries.
Earlier in the tournament, the Americans lost to England, 28-10; Tonga, 25-15; and Samoa, 25-21.
