UPI NewsTrack Sports

Nordqvist captures LPGA Tour Championship

HOUSTON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Anna Nordqvist shot a 7-under-par 65 and won the LPGA Tour Championship in Houston Monday by two-strokes over Lorena Ochoa.

The 22-year-old Nordqvist, a native of Sweden, finished at 13-under 203 for her second win on the tour. In June, she won the 2009 McDonald's LPGA Championship, one of the four women's majors.

"It was great. To win two times, I'm just so happy," Nordqvist said.

Nordqvist, who won $225,000, was 11-under for the last two rounds at the Houstonian Golf & Country Club.

Ochoa, the top-ranked woman golfer, closed with a 67 and 205.

The Mexican star's finish was good enough to give her the tour's Player of the Year award for the fourth straight year.

Na Yeon Choi (64) and Kristy McPherson (70) tied for third place at 206.

The tournament, which ended the LPGA season, was shortened to three rounds because rain forced cancellation of play Saturday.

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Djokovic wins; Soderling again tops Nadal

LONDON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Novak Djokovic scored a comeback win and Robin Soderling beat world No. 2 Rafael Nadal in straight sets Monday at the ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Djokovic battled back to defeat Russian Nikolay Davydenko 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 and Soderling, who ended Nadal's 32-match winning streak at the French Open this year, broke the Spaniard's serve four times in a 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Following the round-robin Group B matches in the eight-player competition, Djokovic and Soderling are 1-0 and the two losers are 0-1.

Djokovic, who has won three of his last four tournaments, needed nearly 3 hours to complete his victory over Davydenko.

Soderling won both sets on service breaks. Nadal appeared to have tied the first set at 5-5, only to have a game-point serve called long. Another mistake put the game at deuce and two Nadal errors ended the set. Yet another unforced Nadal error ended the match.

World No. 1 Roger Federer goes against fourth-seeded Andy Murray in Tuesday's second singles match in Group A play. Both won their openers Sunday so Tuesday's winner would all-but lock up a spot in the tournament semifinals. The other Group A match pits Juan Martin del Porto against Fernando Verdasco.

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Syracuse marks big rankings move

MCLEAN, Va., Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Syracuse jumped 15 places and into the Top 10 of the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' basketball poll released Monday.

Syracuse (4-0) took the championship of the 2K Sports Classic with an 87-71 victory over defending NCAA champion North Carolina. The impressive showing moved the Orange from 24th last week to ninth.

Kansas (3-0) pulled in 28 first-place votes and remained ranked No. 1 while Michigan State (4-0) got two first-place votes and is second. Texas (2-0) remained third.

Villanova (5-0) moved from sixth to fourth, jumping by No. 5 Kentucky (4-0). Purdue (3-0), Duke (4-0) and West Virginia (1-0) were each up one spot from last week and are now Nos. 6-8, respectively. After Syracuse, Butler (3-0) completes the Top 10.

Tennessee (4-0) is 11th while North Carolina (4-1) went from fourth to 12th. Connecticut (3-0) held onto the No. 13 spot and Washington (4-0) is 14th ahead of Michigan (2-0).

Louisville (3-0) and Minnesota (3-0) are tied for 16th and Ohio State (3-1) is No. 18 while Clemson (3-0) and Georgetown (3-0) are tied for 19th.

Illinois takes over the No. 21 spot with Maryland (3-0), California (2-2, down from No. 12), Vanderbilt (2-0) and Georgia Tech (3-1) completing the Top 25.

Maryland and Vanderbilt weren't ranked last week and pushed Oklahoma and Dayton out of the rankings.

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Rams' Bulger out with broken shinbone

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger will be out 3-to-6 weeks with a broken tibia (shinbone), the team announced Monday.

Coach Steve Spagnuolo has not decided whether Bulger should be placed on injured reserve, which would end his season. Spagnuolo said Bulger would not need surgery.

"It's just crutches. He'll have to say off it for a while," Spagnuolo said in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch report.

Bulger was hurt Sunday in a 21-13 Rams loss to Arizona.

With Bulger out, Kyle Boller becomes the starting quarterback and Keith Null is the backup.

The Rams are 1-9 this season. Bulger has played in all but one game, passing for 1,459 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions.