Potter outplays Johnson, wins at Pebble Beach

AUTO RACING: Alex Bowman won the pole for next weekend’s Daytona 500, turning a lap of 195.644 mph in qualifying at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. It was Bowman’s debut as the official driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car before he retired at the end of last season. Denny Hamlin qualified second in a Toyota from Joe Gibbs Racing. Only the front row was locked in during Sunday’s qualifying session . ... Brad Keselowski led a 1-2 Team Penske sweep in The Clash at Daytona exhibition race that marked the opening of Speedweeks. Joey Logano was second.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Rutgers announced that it dismissed sophomore WR Dacoven Bailey from the university last month after he was charged with sexual assault. Bailey, 19, allegedly was one of four men to sexually assault a 15-year-old girl in Pilot Point, Texas, in July.

GOLF: Ted Potter Jr. fired a final-round 3-under 69 to claim a three-shot victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, Calif. It was the second PGA Tour victory for Potter, who finished at 17-under 270. Phil Mickelson (67), Chez Reavie (68), Jason Day (70) and world No. 1 Dustin Johnson (72) tied for second . ... Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat beat Australian James Nitties 2 and 1 in the championship match to win the World Super 6 Perth title in Perth, Australia. It was the fourth European Tour title for Aphibarnrat . ... Mark Calcavecchia shot a final-round 2-under 70 to secure a wire-towire victory at the PGA Tour Champions’ Boca Raton Championship in Boca Raton, Fla. It was the fourth senior title and first since 2015 for Calcavecchia, who finished at 16-under 200 and two clear of Bernhard Langer (70).

NFL: The Colts hired Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich as their new head coach five days after the they announced that Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels would be their next head coach. McDaniels backed out of the deal eight hours later. Reich, 56, a former longtime backup QB, began his coaching career as an intern with the Colts in 2006.

SOCCER: Barcelona’s La Liga lead narrowed to seven points over Atletico Madrid after a scoreless draw at home against Getafe . ... Matt Ritchie scored in the 65th minute to lift host Newcastle to a 1-0 victory over Manchester United, which now trails Manchester City by 16 points in the English Premier League.

TENNIS: Venus Williams beat Richel Hogenkamp 7-5, 6-1 to give the U.S. a victory in its Fed Cup matchup with the Netherlands in Asheville, N.C. The U.S. will face host France in a World Group semifinal April 21-22. Germany and the Czech Republic will face off in the other semifinal. In her first official match since giving birth Sept. 1, Serena Willams partnered with her sister, Venus, in 6-2, 6-3 loss to Lesley Kerkhove and Demi Schuurs. The U.S. had already clinched its team victory . ... Second-seeded Lucas Pouille downed fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-6 (2), 6-4 to win the Open Sud de France in Montpellier. It was the fifth ATP title for Pouille.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Ted Potter Jr. outplayed the world’s No. 1 player and held off everyone else Sunday to win the AT&T Pebble Beach National for his first victory since a broken ankle nearly ended his career.

Potter holed a chip from behind the green for birdie on the par-3 seventh hole to build a two-shot lead over Dustin Johnson, and no one got any closer the rest of the way. He finished with 11 straight pars for a 3-under 69 and a three-shot victory over Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Jason Day and Chez Reavie.

Potter was unflappable playing alongside Johnson, who next week completes one full year at No. 1 in the world. That changed when he tapped in for par on the 18th hole, and he choked back emotion of a week he won’t soon forget.

He stepped off a curb in Canada in August 2014 and broke his ankle, keeping him out of golf for two years and then back to the minor leagues a year ago. Potter’s only other victory was at The Greenbrier Classic in 2012. He has missed the cut in 55 percent of his PGA Tour events in his career.

And then he didn’t flinch next to Johnson, with Mickelson making a late charge and Day never too far behind.

“It’s been a struggle,” he said. “You break your ankle and you don’t know what’s going to happen with your swing, with your career. It’s unbelievable right now. This has been a blast this week.”

Potter, who came into the week at No. 246 in the world, earns a trip back to the Masters for the first time in five years. He finished at 17-under 270 and earned $1,332,000, nearly half of his career earnings going into the week.

It was another disappointment for Johnson going into the final round. He now won five out of 12 times when he took at least a share of the 54-hole lead into the final round. Johnson led briefly when Potter threeputted for bogey on the opening hole. That didn’t last long, and the tone of the final round was set along the ocean holes on the front nine.

Johnson lost a good birdie chance when his flip wedge found a bunker on No. 4. He hit his worst shot of the week on the tee at No. 5, which sailed right and over the cliff and forced him to make a good up-and-down to escape with bogey.

Both were just over the back of the seventh green. Johnson played a low chip and grazed the cup. Potter played a more lofted shot that dropped for birdie. Johnson went over the eighth green and into the bunker, leading to another bogey closer.

“A few iron shots cost me a few bogeys,” said Johnson, who played Pebble in 70-72 on the weekend. “Two under in 36 holes is not too good as well as I thought I was playing. I’d like to have put a little more pressure on Ted.”

Mickelson began his move late with three birdies in a four-hole stretch ended at the par-3 17th. Needing an eagle to have any chance, his approach to the 18th was a few yards short and found a bunker. He failed to get up and down.

Reavie, a playoff loser in Phoenix last week, went out in 31 and was at 15 under, two shots behind. He made eight pars and a bogey on the back nine, with most of the damage coming on a wedge that came up short and into the bunker on the par-5 14th. With back-to-back runnerup finishes, Reavie goes to No. 43 in the world.

Day ran out of steam after missing the 17th on the wrong side of the green. He at least kept it entertaining on the 18th when he tried to hit driver off the deck and hooked it over the sea wall. He found his ball along a patch of sand and pebbles and played from the beach, over the wall, over the green and into a bunker. He saved par with a 15-foot putt.

Potter now has a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, along with getting spots in the Masters and PGA Championship.

Mickelson had his highest finish since he was runner-up to Henrik Stenson in the 2016 British Open at Royal Troon. Coming off a tie for fifth at the Phoenix Open, this is the first time he has put together consecutive top 5s since he won back-to-back in 2013 at the Scottish Open and British Open.

The other tournament also was a runaway. Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald teamed with Kevin Streelman to win the proam by seven shots. and never got any