auto racing
Hamilton wins US Grand Prix and F1 season championship
AUSTIN, Texas – Lewis Hamilton seized on a late mistake by Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg to win the United States Grand Prix and secure his third Formula One season championship.
Hamilton overtook Rosberg with eight laps to go Sunday when Rosberg locked his tires and helplessly watched his teammate zoom past.
Hamilton had to beat Rosberg and outscore Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel by nine points to wrap up his second consecutive championship with Mercedes. He also won with McLaren in 2008.
Golf
Ko takes top spot in Taiwan Championship
TAIPEI, Taiwan – Lydia Ko ran away with the LPGA Taiwan Championship on Sunday to regain the No. 1 spot in the world ranking.
The 18-year-old New Zealander holed a 30-yard pitch for eagle on the par-5 12th and finished with a 7-under 65 in sunny, breezy conditions at Miramar for a nine-stroke victory.
Ko took the top spot in the world from South Korea’s Inbee Park with her fifth LPGA Tour victory of the season and the 10th of her career. Park skipped her title defense at Miramar to play in a Korea LPGA event, where she tied for second Sunday.
At 18 years, 6 months, 1 day, Ko is the youngest player to win 10 events on any major tour. Horton Smith set the PGA Tour mark of 21 years, 7 months in 1929, and Nancy Lopez set the previous LPGA Tour record in 1979 at 22 years, 2 months, 5 days.
NBA
Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders dies of cancer
MINNEAPOLIS – Flip Saunders, who rose from the backwaters of basketball’s minor leagues to become one of the most powerful men in the NBA as coach, team president and part owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves, died Sunday, the team said. He was 60.
Saunders was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in June and doctors called it “treatable and curable.” But he took a leave of absence from the team in September after complications arose during his treatment, which included chemotherapy. He had been hospitalized for more than a month.
Sam Mitchell has been named interim head coach and GM Milt Newton is heading the team’s personnel department.
Saunders went 654-592 in 17 NBA seasons with the Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards.
Skiing
US skier Ligety wins season-opening World Cup giant slalom
SOELDEN, Austria – Ted Ligety of the United States won the season-opening men’s giant slalom on Sunday for his 25th career World Cup victory.
The Olympic and world champion held on to his first-run lead to beat Thomas Fanara of France by 0.15 and Marcel Hirscher of Austria by 0.17. The rest of the field finished at least 1.90 seconds off the lead.
It was Ligety’s fourth win here. He has dominated the discipline since 2012 but was beaten for the GS title by Hirscher last year.
Returning from injury, Svindal is ‘relaxed’ after GS defeat
SOELDEN, Austria – Finishing 4.25 seconds behind the winner would usually drive Aksel Lund Svindal mad. On Sunday, it didn’t.
Competing in his first World Cup race in 19 months, the Norwegian placed 24th in the season-opening giant slalom, more than four seconds behind winner Ted Ligety.
The Rettenbach glacier makes for one of the most challenging GS courses on the men’s circuit, with an icy surface and a steep pitch.
