Langer’s woes in bunker help Montgomerie win
Colin Montgomerie won the Invesco QQQ Championship on Sunday in Thousand Oaks with a par on the first hole of a playoff after Bernhard Langer took four strokes to get out of a greenside bunker.
With Langer finally on the par-4 18th green in six shots, Montgomerie twoputted for the win, with the Scot, 56, tapping in from two feet to end the second of three events in the PGA Tour Champions’ Charles Schwab Cup playoffs.
“How often does that happen with Bernhard?” Montgomerie said. “I felt for him in that bunker there.”
Playing five groups ahead of Langer, Montgomerie made a 40-foot birdie putt in regulation on No. 18 for a tournament-record nine-under-par 63. Langer shot a 67. They finished at 15under 202.
Montgomerie won for the seventh time on the 50-andover tour. Langer, 62, has 40 senior victories, including a playoff victory at Sherwood Country Club in 2017.
Retief Goosen, who had a 69, and Tommy Tolles, who fired a 66, were a shot back. The top 36 in the season standings advanced to the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship next week in Phoenix.
Rory McIlroy made a two-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole, the par-five 18th, to beat Xander Schauffele and win the HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
McIlroy won for the fourth time this year. It was his third World Golf Championships title. He closed with a four-under 68. Schauffele, the defending champion, had a 66. They finished at 19-under 269.
Brendon Todd ran away with the Bermuda Championship in Southampton for his second PGA Tour title, shooting a nine-under 62. He finished at 24-under 260 for a four-stroke win over Harry Higgs (68) in the new event.
American Nelly Korda, defended her LPGA Swinging Skirts title in Taipei, Taiwan, birdieing the first playoff hole, the par-five 18th, against Minjee Lee of Australia and Caroline Masson of Germany. Korda, 21, shot an par 72, Lee had a 69 and Masson a 68. They finished at 18-under 270. title in 2013 and has been in a free fall the last three seasons.
The school said longtime Seminoles assistant Odell Haggins has been asked to take over as interim coach for the rest of the season. Haggins was 2-0 as the interim in 2017 after Jimbo Fisher left for Texas A&M.
Florida State owes Taggart, 43, a $17-million buyout. The Florida native is 56-62 as a head coach, including 7-5 in his only season at Oregon.
Syracuse coach Dino Babers fired defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Brian Ward and promoted defensive ends coach Steve Stanard to interim defensive coordinator . ... Navy moved into the Associated Press poll at No. 25, giving the American Athletic Conference four ranked teams. Navy joins No. 17 Cincinnati, No. 19 Memphis and No. 23 Southern Methodist of the AAC. Louisiana State is No. 1 for a second straight week, and Alabama is No. 2. The teams will play Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Novak Djokovic beat Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 to win his fifth Paris Masters final and 34th overall Masters title to move one behind alltime leader Rafael Nadal . ... Ashleigh Barty won her first WTA Finals title in her first appearance at the seasonending event with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over defending champion Elina Svitolina in Shenzhen, China.
Joyciline Jepkosgei captured the women’s title at the New York City Marathon in her first race at 26.2 miles. Jepkosgei, who holds the world record in the half-marathon, finished in 2 hours 22 minutes 38 seconds, seven seconds off the course record. In the men’s race, Geoffrey Kamworor won his second championship in three years, finishing in 2:08:13.
The Chicago Cubs exercised a $16.5-million contract option for next season on first baseman Anthony Rizzo . ... The Kansas City Royals declined their half of Alex Gordon’s $23-million mutual option for 2020, allowing the outfielder to become a free agent.
Brescia striker Mario Balotelli threatened to leave the field because of racist monkey chants directed at him by Hellas Verona fans during a soccer game in Italy. Players from both teams embraced Balotelli and persuaded him to stay . ... Everton substitute Cenk Tosun scored deep in injury time to salvage a 1-1 draw at home against 10-man Tottenham in an English Premier League game overshadowed by midfielder Andre Gomes’ ankle injury that will require surgery, according to Everton . ... Bayern Munich fired Niko Kovac as coach one day after the seven-time defending German champion suffered its worst Bundesliga defeat in more than 10 years.