Sun Dec 16, 2012 5:12am EST (Reuters) - Tour rookie Daniel Popovic held his nerve to stay clear of the chasing pack and record a wire-to-wire Australian PGA Championship victory by four strokes on Sunday. The 26-year-old Australian, who led or shared top spot after every round of the $1.3 million tournament at the Palmer Coolum Resort, began the final day two sho...

By Kieran Mulvaney LOS ANGELES | Sun Dec 16, 2012 4:29am EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Britain's Amir Khan returned to winning ways after two tough defeats with a comprehensive 10th round stoppage of previously unbeaten American Carlos Molina in a light-welterweight contest on Saturday. Khan (27-3, 19 KOs) dominated every round and after telling Mo...

Sat Dec 15, 2012 11:20pm EST (Reuters) - The San Antonio Spurs broke out of a two-game losing streak in style, demolishing the Boston Celtics 103-88 on Saturday to claw closer to Oklahoma City's Western Conference lead. The Spurs (19-6) surged ahead in the final quarter courtesy of Tony Parker's 22 points and Gary Neal's 20, to close in on the Thunder's Western C...

Sat Dec 15, 2012 10:50pm EST (Reuters) - Rookie Washington Redskins' quarterback Robert Griffin III will not start Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns after failing to overcome a knee sprain. "The decision was not my own..." Griffin tweeted on Saturday after failing a medical check. "But I will be there for my team!!! In every way I possibly can."The Redsk...

Sat Dec 15, 2012 8:14pm EST (Reuters) - The New York Giants, Jets and New England Patriots will honor those killed in the mass shooting at a Connecticut school by wearing special helmet decals at games, the National Football League (NFL) website said on Saturday. The NFL asked all home teams to observe a moment of silence prior to opening kickoffs on Sunday and M...

Sat Dec 15, 2012 7:10pm EST (Reuters) - Locked out National Hockey League (NHL) players will begin voting on Sunday on whether to give the players association's executive board authority to file a "disclaimer of interest" and dissolve their union. Voting will be done electronically and continue through Thursday, a source familiar with the proceedings told Reuters...

Sat Dec 15, 2012 8:52am EST (Reuters) - Asia stormed back into contention at the Royal Trophy on Saturday by taking three points from the four fourball matches against Europe to close the deficit to just one ahead of the final day singles. Holders Europe have a slender 4 1/2-3 1/2 lead ahead of Sunday's eight singles matches at the Empire Country Club in Brunei w...

Sat Dec 15, 2012 8:41am EST (Reuters) - Sweden's Daniel Chopra took a one-stroke lead into the final day of the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia after the tournament was reduced to 54 holes on Saturday due to several weather disruptions. Chopra carded a six-under-par 66 to take the second round lead for a total of 10-under, ...

MOSCOW | Sat Dec 15, 2012 8:06am EST MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian cycling team Katusha have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after cycling's world governing body (UCI) rejected their application to compete in the World Tour. "The professional cycling team Katusha have filed an appeal to the Lausanne-based court, contesting the UCI's dec...

Sat Dec 15, 2012 5:34am EST (Reuters) - The Denver Nuggets took full advantage of a Memphis Grizzlies team lacking in confidence by grinding out a 99-94 home win to get back to .500 for the season on Friday. The Nuggets, who have spent an NBA-high 17 of 24 games on the road this season, improved to 12-12 on their return to Denver, while condemning the Grizzlies t...

By Alastair Himmer TOKYO | Sat Dec 15, 2012 5:13am EST TOKYO (Reuters) - The abandonment of last Wednesday's Copa Sudamericana final following shocking accusations police had pulled guns on players should serve as a warning for Brazil's World Cup organizers, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Saturday. Argentina's Tigre refused to emerge for the...

ISTANBUL | Fri Dec 14, 2012 6:23pm EST ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Ryan Lochte of the United States smashed his own world record to win the 200 meters individual medley at the world short-course championships on Friday and then shocked the crowd by giving his medal to a fan. Lochte finished in one minute 49.63 seconds to shatter the mark of 1:50.08 he set in De...

Fri Dec 14, 2012 4:59pm EST (Reuters) - New York Giants rookie running back David Wilson, who had a breakout game last week, could play a bigger role against the Atlanta Falcons in Sunday's NFL showdown after injuries ruled out starter Ahmad Bradshaw. Bradshaw, who has knee and foot injuries, was declared out for the possible playoff preview between the NFC East-...

By Julian Linden NEW YORK | Fri Dec 14, 2012 4:27pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - These are uncertain times in Laker Land. One of the National Basketball Association's glamour teams is struggling and no-one is sure why, or how to fix it. The Los Angeles Lakers, a team packed with superstars and a history steeped with success, are off to their worst st...

NEW YORK | Fri Dec 14, 2012 3:25pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Open tennis tournament has extended its schedule to a Monday men's finish next year after a fifth year of weather delays disrupted the event in September, the U.S. Tennis Association said on Friday. The new program will feature a Sunday women's final followed by the men's title match on...

By Julian Linden NEW YORK | Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:01pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The race is on for the National Football League (NFL) playoffs. The pressure is building by the day with teams knowing one mistake could cost them a chance to be a contender for the Super Bowl. With just three weeks left in the regular season only four teams, the New Eng...

By Julian Linden NEW YORK | Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:41am EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tom Watson was named on Thursday as the United States captain for the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in Scotland, a move the Americans hope will end their run of losses in the biennial match against Europe. Watson succeeded Davis Love III as the American captain for the ne...

Thu Dec 13, 2012 7:15am EST (Reuters) - Anti-doping will be one of four discussion topics for the International Cycling Union's (UCI) stakeholder consultation to be launched next year, the sport's governing body said on Thursday. The consultation, announced following the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, will look at the future of cycling. Globalization, riders and...

STOCKHOLM | Thu Dec 13, 2012 6:08am EST STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The Swedish Ice Hockey Association has cleared the deck for more players from north America in its clubs by deciding to scrap a rule that limits teams to two non-EU players. "There has been a desire from clubs to avoid having to limit themselves only to the European market," association chairm...

Thu Dec 13, 2012 5:00am EST (Reuters) - An emotional Daniel Popovic fired a sizzling eight-under-par 64 to grab a two-shot opening round lead at the Australian PGA Championship on Thursday after Greg Norman withdrew due to a bout of food poisoning. Popovic, who won the 2012 Australasian PGA qualifying school, flirted with the course record of 62 at the Palmer Coo...

Thu Dec 13, 2012 1:41am EST (Reuters) - Mo Williams drained a long-range three-pointer as time expired to give the Utah Jazz a buzzer-beating 99-96 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. Williams had missed a three-pointer seconds earlier but the Jazz corralled an offensive rebound and he got another chance.Williams ran down the clock, pulled u...

Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:10am EST (Reuters) - South Korean closer Lim Chang-yong is set to sign a deal with Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, though the sidearm pitcher is unlikely to be able to take the mound again until late next season. The 36-year-old righthander, who had elbow surgery earlier this year, told reporters at Incheon Airport on Thursday he had lon...

By Steve Keating TORONTO | Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:02pm EST TORONTO (Reuters) - The snow has just started to fall in the National Basketball Association's most northern outpost and all signs are pointing to a long, bitter winter for the Toronto Raptors. A 94-88 loss to the Brooklyn Nets sent the nose-diving Raptors to their sixth straight defeat and ...

Wed Dec 12, 2012 8:36pm EST (Reuters) - National Hockey League owners and players returned to the bargaining table on Wednesday in a late push to salvage a scaled down season but the two sides appear no closer to reaching a deal. After negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) collapsed last Thursday amid angry rhetoric, talks resumed at a secre...

Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:50pm EST (Reuters) - New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees criticized National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday for his handling of the investigation into the team's cash-for-hits program. The former Super Bowl Most Valuable Player felt Goodell lost credibility with NFL players and fans for doling out suspension...

PARIS | Wed Dec 12, 2012 5:01pm EST PARIS (Reuters) - Jamaica sprinter Usain Bolt, who retained his three Olympic titles at the London Games, was named sportsman of the year by French daily L'Equipe on Wednesday while American tennis player Serena Williams took the women's prize. Bolt had already received the main French sports award in 2008, after he wo...

Mon Dec 10, 2012 7:24pm EST (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have enjoyed major contributions by international players over the decades, welcomed South Korean left-handed starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin to the team on Monday. The Dodgers, who spent $25.7 million for exclusive rights to negotiate with Ryu, struck a six-year, $36 million deal with the pitcher...

By Simon Evans Mon Dec 10, 2012 7:23pm EST (Reuters) - The tragic, unrelated deaths of two National Football League (NFL) players this month may have triggered fresh debate about the behavior of some of the sport's competitors, but has done nothing to harm the game's enormous popularity in the United States. Just over a week ago, Kansas City Chiefs lineba...

By David Beasley ATLANTA | Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:57pm EST ATLANTA (Reuters) - A Georgia state agency on Monday approved terms for a new $1 billion stadium for the Atlanta Falcons football team that would replace the Georgia Dome and would be partly financed by $300 million in revenue from a hotel tax. The Georgia World Congress Center Authority sign...

Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:24pm EST (Reuters) - The big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers made it official on Monday, adding top free agent pitcher Zack Greinke to their impressive rotation after the right-hander passed his physical and signed a six-year, $147 million deal. Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, a co-owner of the team, tweeted enthusiastically: "Dodger Natio...

Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:53pm EST (Reuters) - The National Hockey League (NHL) canceled another two weeks of the regular season on Monday, wiping out all games through December 30 due to a labor dispute with locked-out players that threatens to wipe out the entire campaign. The decision, which comes less than a week after labor talks between the NHL and union represent...

PARIS | Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:40pm EST PARIS (Reuters) - Lance Armstrong has been notified by the UCI that he has been stripped of all the titles he won after July 1998 and the American has three weeks to appeal, a spokesman for cycling's world governing body said on Monday. "Lance Armstrong's lawyer was notified on 6th December that all his results since 1...

Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:28pm EST (Reuters) - The American Football Conference's (AFC) North division-leading Baltimore Ravens fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron following two consecutive defeats, the National Football League team said on Monday. In an unusual move for a 9-4 team poised to clinch their division title, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he elevat...

LONDON | Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:13am EST LONDON (Reuters) - World number one Rory McIlroy won the 2012 European Golf Writers Trophy on Monday after a spectacular season during which he landed his second major title and topped the money-list on both sides of the Atlantic. The 23-year-old Northern Irishman, who added the U.S. PGA Championship to the U.S. Open ...

Mon Dec 10, 2012 6:46am EST (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the deadline to sign South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin to a six-year contract worth $36 million on Sunday, and could be set to bolster their rotation further with reports linking them to free agent Zack Greinke. The Dodgers had paid more than $25 million for an exclusive 30-day negotiating perio...

Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:10am EST (Reuters) - Yahoo! Inc and NBC Sports Group said they will integrate and promote each others sports content on the Internet as well as on television in a move that would help both the companies draw on their respective strengths across both mediums. The collaboration will increase NBC's digital presence as well as bolster its college a...

Sun Dec 9, 2012 6:22pm EST (Reuters) - National Hockey League (NHL) owners and players were hoping to get their contentious negotiations back on track this week, deputy commissioner Bill Daly said on Sunday. Although there have been no formal talks since negotiations broke down last Thursday, Daly said the sides were in communication about resuming talks."We spok...

By Steve Ginsburg LANDOVER, Maryland | Sun Dec 9, 2012 6:13pm EST LANDOVER, Maryland (Reuters) - The Washington Redskins earned territorial bragging rights and continued their late-season playoff push by defeating the Baltimore Ravens 31-28 in overtime on Sunday behind the dramatic late-game heroics of rookie backup quarterback Kirk Cousins. A 34...

By Julian Linden Sun Dec 9, 2012 5:46pm EST (Reuters) - The Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys both came back from the brink of defeat to win their National Football League games on Sunday and stay in contention for the playoffs. On a roller-coaster Week 14, full of drama and upsets, the Redskins beat the Baltimore Ravens 31-28 in overtime despite...

By Iain Rogers MADRID | Sun Dec 9, 2012 5:25pm EST MADRID (Reuters) - Barcelona forward Lionel Messi reached another milestone in his phenomenal career on Sunday when he set a record for goals scored in a calendar year of 86 with a La Liga double at Real Betis, beating Gerd Mueller's 40-year-old tally of 85. The 25-year-old World Player of the Ye...