Off the wire

GOLF Rahm wins Hero

Jon Rahm turned a potential shootout into a Bahamas breeze Sunday, closing with a 7-under 65 for a four-shot victory in the Hero World Challenge at Nassau, Bahamas. Starting the final round in a three-way tie with Tony Finau and Henrik Stenson, Rahm took the lead when Finau made bogey on the par-3 eighth hole, and the 24-year-old Spaniard never trailed the rest of the day at Albany Golf Club. Justin Rose, needing to finish in a three-way tie for second to return to No. 1 in the world, closed with a 65 and was in position to go back to the top of the ranking until Finau rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt for a 69 to finish alone in second.

Brooks Koepka, who did not play this week, remains No. 1. Rose has one more event left in two weeks at the Indonesia Masters. Tournament host Tiger Woods was never in the picture until it was time to hand out the trophy. Woods got off to another rough start, rallied on the back nine and had to settle for a 1-over 73 to finish 17th against the 18-man field.

Kitayama takes title

American Kurt Kitayama won his first European Tour title in only his third start by closing with a 4-under 68 for a two-shot victory in the Mauritius Open. Kitayama, 25, missed a par putt from 6 feet on the 16th hole as his lead was reduced to one shot. But he holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the next hole and closed with a par to finish at 20-under 268. Chikkarangappa S. of India and Matthieu Pavon of France each shot 67 and tied for second. Justin Harding of South Africa was going for his fifth title this year (two on the Sunshine Tour, two on the Asian Tour). He was tied for the lead going into the final round and shot 71 to finish alone in fourth. The tournament is sanctioned by the European Tour, Asian Tour and Sunshine Tour.

McElwain takes HC job

Michigan receivers coach Jim McElwain has been named head coach at Central Michigan. The school announced McElwain’s hiring Sunday. He replaces John Bonamego, who went 1-11 in his fourth season after taking the Chippewas to three consecutive

bowls. McElwain, 56, was at Michigan for one season. He previously coached at Florida, where he was SEC coach of the year in his first season (2015) and went 22-12 overall. The Gators won SEC East titles his first two years. After a 3-4 start in 2017, McElwain said he and his family had received death threats. His claim couldn’t be substantiated and he parted ways with Florida, agreeing to a $7.5 million buyout. Central Michigan Athletic Director Michael Alford called McElwain a “proven winner.”

Akron fires Bowden Akron has fired coach Terry Bowden after seven seasons. Athletic Director Larry Williams

announced Bowden’s dismissal on Sunday, a day after the Zips were beaten 28-3 by South Carolina to finish 4-8. Bowden went 35-52 at Akron, including a 23-33 record in Mid-American Conference play and led the Zips to two bowl appearances. Williams thanked Bowden for bringing respectability to the program but said after a thorough review “it is clear that we need to make a change if we are going to consistently achieve at an even higher level.” Bowden, who led Auburn to an 11-0 season in 1993 and worked for a period in TV, said it “saddens me that I will not be able to work through this with my coaches and players. But the university feels it is time to bring in new leadership and a new direction.”

U.S. beats Uruguay

USA Basketball is headed to the 2019 Basketball World Cup. The U.S. rallied late to beat Uruguay 78-70 on Sunday night in Montevideo, Uruguay, a victory that clinches a spot for the Americans in next year’s FIBA World Cup in China. The U.S. won the last two World Cups in 2010 and 2014, and will aim to become the first nation to capture three consecutive gold medals at the event. Travis Trice scored 17 points in the clinching win for the U.S., which used rosters filled primarily by G League players in qualifying. John Jenkins scored 13 points for the Americans (8-2), who have two qualifying games remaining at North Carolina in February. The World Cup starts Aug. 31. The draw for the 32-team event will be held March 16.

Seattle close to NHL team

Seattle is one step away from landing an NHL franchise. Team and city executives have already secured more than 30,000 season-ticket deposits, got an arena plan passed through local government and wowed the executive committee of owners. It all pays off Tuesday when the NHL Board of Governors is expected to approve Seattle as the home of the league’s 32nd franchise. Timing is the only question. Renovations to the downtown arena that will be the team’s home are scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2020. The uncertainty could lead the NHL to leave the door open to a 2020 or 2021 start or push it back further just to be safe. It’s more about when than if, given the success of the Vegas Golden Knights’ expansion and the $650 million the new owners will pay to join. Seattle is the largest U.S. city without a major winter sports team since the NBA’s SuperSonics left in 2008 and it gives the NHL another big TV market. Before considering expansion, the board opens its annual two-day December meeting today with updates on the state of the league’s business and hockey operations. The board is also expected to be briefed on collective bargaining talks and the tentative settlement of a concussion lawsuit involving retired players.