Patrick Reed holds on at Humana Challenge
LA QUINTA, Calif. — Patrick Reed lost his putting touch for a few hours in the final round of the Humana Challenge. He found it when things were getting interesting.
After shooting three straight 9-under 63s to open a seven-stroke lead, Reed had a 1-under 71 on Sunday at PGA West’s Arnold Palmer Private Course to beat Ryan Palmer by two strokes.
Finally resembling the guy who talked Saturday about being in a “putting coma,” Reed ran in an 18-footer for birdie on the par-3 15th to push his advantage to three strokes and parred the final three holes. He completed the wire-to-wire victory at 28-under 260.
The 23-year-old Reed also won the Wyndham Championship in August.
Palmer made a 15-foot eagle putt on the final hole for a 63.
Pablo Larrazabal nabs Abu Dhabi Championship
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal shot a final round 67 to end a near three-year winless drought to capture the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on Sunday.
Larrazabal, 30, won by a stroke with a 14-under par 274 on the National Course in the UAE capital.
Rory McIlroy (68), who had incurred a two-stroke penalty a day earlier, finished with a share of second place with Phil Micklelson (69) on 13-under.
Mickelson was left counting the cost of incurring a shot penalty after a double hit while playing from brush on the 13th hole of the National course.
The British Open champion, who was leading at the time, finished the hole with a triple-bogey seven.
Ethiopians top Houston Marathon; US best is 7th
HOUSTON — Ethiopians swept the Houston Marathon on Sunday.
Bazu Worku successfully defended his Houston title, breaking away in the last mile to win with the third fastest time in the marathon’s history. Abebech Bekele won the women’s race for her first marathon title.
Worku and countryman Getachew Terfa were running side by side approaching the last mile when Worku pulled away to finish in 2 hours, 7 seven minutes, 32 seconds. The race record is 2:06:51, set by Ethiopia’s Tariku Jufar in 2012.
Bekele and countrywoman Biruktait Degefa were together through 22 miles before Bekele broke away and won in 2:25:52.
The top U.S. man was Ian Burrell in seventh place. The top American woman was Heather Tanner in ninth.
No. 14 Iowa blows past Minnesota
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Aaron White scored all of his 18 points in the second half and Josh Oglesby added a season-high 17 points as 14th-ranked Iowa blew past Minnesota 94-73 on Sunday.
Devyn Marble had 15 of his 16 points after halftime for the surging Hawkeyes, who moved into third place in the Big Ten behind Michigan State and Michigan.
Iowa (15-3, 4-1 Big Ten) overcame a 10-point deficit with a 29-10 run and outscored the Gophers (14-5, 3-3) 53-30 in the second half.
Man U slips further from elite with loss to Chelsea
LONDON — Manchester United’s title defense faltered further as a Samuel Eto’o-inspired Chelsea cast the champions further adrift from the Premier League elite with a 3-1 victory Sunday.
Eto’o scored a hat trick and Chelsea stayed two points behind leader Arsenal, while seventh-place United slipped 14 points from the top.
By wire sources