Irwin Wins Seniors Title Again

Hale Irwin could see other players’ spirits deflate as hole by hole, putt by putt, he refused to relinquish his hold on the PGA Seniors Championship at Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

“It’s delightful to see,” Irwin said Sunday, only slightly tongue-in-cheek, after he won his third consecutive Seniors title with a two-under-par-70.

Irwin breezed into the history book as the first man since World War II to win the tournament three years in a row.

Larry Nelson finished seven strokes back in second place.

*

Davis Love III won his fourth MCI Classic championship at Hilton Head Island, S.C., by shooting a 65 for a total 18-under 266.

Love surpassed Nick Price’s record-setting six-shot victory of a year ago and defeated second-place finisher Phil Mickelson by seven strokes.

*

Karrie Webb won the Myrtle Beach Classic at Murrells Inlet, S.C., for the second consecutive year by shooting a five-under-par 67, finishing with a four-day total of 19-under 269.

Tennis

Lindsay Davenport and Monica Seles blitzed the Dutch to lead the Americans to a 5-0 victory in the Fed Cup first-round competition at Kiawah Island, S.C.

Davenport, the world’s No. 2-ranked player, bombarded 53rd-ranked Miriam Oremans, 6-1, 6-2, to give the Americans an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the best-of-five matchup. Seles defeated Amanda Hopmans, 6-1, 6-2. . . . Todd Martin won his first title in two years by defeating Alberto Berasategui, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, to win the Conde de Godo Open at Barcelona. . . Andrei Pavel of Romania, won his first ATP tour title, with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Zimbabwe’s Byron Black in the Japan Open final at Tokyo.

Motor Sports

Former NFL coach Jerry Glanville was released from a hospital one day after breaking four ribs and his left ankle in a crash during a qualifying run for the NASCAR Winston West Phoenix 150 stock car race.

The Goody’s 500 at Martinsville Va., was postponed because of rain and NASCAR rescheduled it for 8 a.m. PST today.

Miscellany

Former World Boxing Organization junior flyweight Jesus Chong (31-8, 27 knockouts) will take on Tomas Rivera (13-3-2, eight knockouts) in tonight’s co-main event at the Forum.

Searchers found the body of prized Florida football recruit James McGriff near shore at Indialantic, Fla., not far from where he was pulled away by a rip current a day before, police said.

McGriff, 19, was an All-American football star at Palm Bay High School who signed with the Gators in February.

Reserve Marquinho scored one goal and had two assists to lead the Colorado Rapids to a 3-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Mutiny in a Major League Soccer match before 7,842 at Denver.

Unable to find a sponsor, the Atlanta-based Silver Bullets women’s professional baseball team will not play this year, said co-owner Paul Beckham.

The president of the Mormon church-owned Brigham Young University has sent a letter to the NCAA, opposing a rule change to allow postseason events on Sundays.

The NCAA has had the so-called BYU rule for 30 years, but its board of directors will consider an amendment to change it when the board meets this week.

Tegla Loroupe of Kenya set a women’s marathon record in the Rotterdam Marathon, finishing in 2 hours, 20 minutes, 47 seconds.

The French Judo Federation suspended Atlanta Olympics champion Djamel Bouras for a year after he tested positive for anabolic steroids, officials said.

Kent Steffes and Jose Loiola won their first Miller Lite-AVP beach volleyball tournament this season by defeating Karch Kiraly and Adam Johnson, 15-2, in the Players Championship at Clearwater Fla.