Scheffler survives tough Bay Hill conditions

Scottie Scheffler played the kind of golf that wins a traditional U.S. Open, and that's what the Arnold Palmer Invitational felt like Sunday at Bay Hill.

In another final round that featured some of the toughest scoring conditions in four decades, Scheffler made key putts to save two unlikely pars, followed with a pair of lag putts and closed with an even-par 72 for a one-shot victory in Orlando, Fla.

Scheffler now has two PGA Tour titles in the last month, having picked up his first victory at the Phoenix Open. That one was loud. This one was stressful for everyone with a chance.

The scoring average was 75.48, by a fraction lower than it was a year ago. Only 10 players finished the tournament under par.

Billy Horschel was the last player with a shot at catching Scheffler with a 30-foot birdie putt on the last hole that never really had a chance. Horschel shot 75 and tied for second along with Tyrrell Hatton (69) and Viktor Hovland (74).

Hovland was still tied for the lead until catching a plugged lie in the front bunker on the 17th and having to two-putt from 50 feet on the fringe for bogey. Needing a birdie on the last hole to catch Scheffler, with whom he was paired, the Norwegian missed from 18 feet.

KO WINS HER LPGA SEASON DEBUT >> Jin Young Ko lived up to her billing as the No. 1 player in women's golf by starting her LPGA Tour season with a two-shot victory in the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore, her sixth win in her last 10 starts.

Ko birdied the final hole for a 6-under 66 to beat In Gee Chun (69) and Minjee Lee (63).

The South Korean star set an LPGA Tour record with her 15th consecutive round in the 60s and her 30th sub-par round.

Ko, who won the CME Group Tour Championship in November to close out last season, had been home for three months before intensive practice sessions in Palm Springs, California. She finished at 17-under 271 on the Tanjong course

at Sentosa Golf Club.

Jeongeun Lee6 was tied with Ko until a double bogey on the final hole for a 69. She tied for fourth with Attaya Thitikul of Thailand, who had a 67. BREHM GETS MUCH-NEEDED

WIN IN PUERTO RICO >> Needing to win or finish solo second to retain PGA Tour status, Ryan Brehm and ran away with the Puerto Rico Open for his first tour title.

With wife Chelsey at his side as his caddie, the 35-year-old Brehm birdied five of the first 11 holes at windy and rainy Grand Reserve and beat Max McGreevy by six strokes.

Three-strokes ahead entering the day, Brehm shot a 5-under 67 to finish at 20-under 268 in the makeor-break start on a minor medical extension. He got the one-tournament extension after he had to withdraw from the Zuruch Classic last year because of COVID-19.

With the event played opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida, Brehm received a two-year exemption and a spot in the PGA Championship, but will not be exempt for the Masters. The 6-foot-4 former Michigan State player won in his 68th start on the tour. He's ranked 773rd in the world.

Brehm started fast with a birdie on the par-4 first and added another on the par-5 fifth. He ran off three straight on the par-4 ninth and 10th and par-3 11th and parred the final seven.

The Brehms became the first husband-wife caddie team to win since Justine and Patrick Reed in the 2013 Wyndham Championship.

GOOSEN EAGLES 1ST, EASILY WINS HOAG CLASSIC >> Retief Goosen holed out for eagle from a greenside bunker on the short par-4 first hole, birdied the next two and cruised to an 8-under 63 and a four-stroke victory in the Hoag Classic at Newport Beach.

A stroke behind fellow South African star Ernie Els entering the round, Goosen pulled away quickly at Newport Beach Country Club in breezy but calmer conditions than the players faced Saturday.

After hitting his opening drive into the left bunker, Goosen's long blast hit the flagstick and dropped in the cup without touching the green.

Goosen finished at 15-under 198. Coming off offseason shoulder surgery, the two-time U.S. Open champion won for the second time on the 50-and-over tour. He also won the 2019 Senior Players.

K.J. Choi was second after a 66.

Soccer MEXICO SUSPENDS MATCHES AFTER MASSIVE

BRAWL >> Mexico's top-division soccer league suspended all matches scheduled for Sunday after a massive brawl among fans during Saturday's match between the host Queretaro and Atlas from Guadalajara, the reigning league champion.

“We regret and condemn these events, which run contrary to the spirit of our soccer,” the Mexican Soccer Federation said in a statement. The suspension affected three matches scheduled for Sunday.

The Saturday match was suspended in the 62nd minute when multiple fights broke out in the stands. Security personnel opened the gates to the field so that fans, including women and children, could escape the stands.

Queretaro state authorities said 23 remained hospitalized. Ten were in serious condition and three others were in critical condition with very severe injuries.

They may have been the three men who were seen unconscious or badly beaten on the ground, being repeatedly kicked and pummeled in videos posted on social media.

“What happened yesterday fills me with pain, with shame and a lot of rage,” Queretaro Gov. Mauricio Kuri said Sunday. “I have no words strong enough to condemn the violence, the abusiveness and the senselessness of what happened yesterday.”

Tennis UKRAINIAN REFUGEE YASTREMSKA FALLS JUST SHORT >>

Ukrainian refugee Dayana Yastremska took Zhang Shuai to three sets in the final of the Lyon Open that the Chinese player eventually won 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

The 21-year-old Yastremska, ranked 140th, only fled her home in war-torn Odessa, Ukraine, last week following the Russian invasion. She spent two nights sheltering in an underground car park from missile strikes before escaping with her 15-year-old sister Ivanna through Romania while their parents stayed behind in Odessa.

The 140th-ranked Yastremska had a remarkable run to her fifth career final after being given a wild card to play at the tournament. She beat second-seeded Sorana Cirstea 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4 in the semifinals.

College football DANIELS LEAVES ARIZONA

STATE FOR LSU >> Former Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels is transferring to LSU, where he will enter a wide-open competition to be the starter in coach Brian Kelly's first season with the Tigers.

Daniels entered the transfer portal last month, not long after Arizona State fired its offensive coordinator in the midst of an NCAA investigation.

He has been Arizona State's starter the last three seasons, throwing for 6,025 yards, 32 TDs and 13 interceptions in 29 games.