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12/11/2011 - Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luke Donald's historic year ended in style Sunday with three straight birdies, 46 bogey-free holes and a sterling six-under 66.
Donald didn't win the Dubai World Championship, finishing third at 16-under 272, but he became the first golfer in history to capture the money title on both the European and PGA Tours in the same season.
Alvaro Quiros' second win of 2011 -- he shot a five-under 67 on Sunday to shoot 19-under 266 -- and sixth overall was merely a footnote at Jumeirah Golf Estates, as the world's top player Donald put on a dazzling performance to which spectators have grown accustomed throughout the year.
After his final birdie on the 18th green, Donald lifted both arms in triumph and hugged his caddie in celebration.
It's one of the more remarkable seasons in recent memory for any golfer, one that leaves a major title as the lone accomplishment Donald has yet to achieve. He captured the Race to Dubai title by over a million euros after topping Webb Simpson by about $300,000 earlier this year to win the PGA Tour money title.
In 25 worldwide starts this year, Donald posted three victories, 13 top fives and 19 top 10s. He missed only two cuts and placed in the top 11 in all but one of his final 10 tournaments. He captured the No. 1 ranking for the first time with a victory at the European Tour's flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship, and will take that distinction into the 2012 season.
Meanwhile, Quiros made sure he didn't squander a second straight 54-hole lead. After surrendering last week's advantage to Rory McIlroy at the Hong Kong Open, Quiros finished Sunday's round with a 50-foot eagle putt to beat Paul Lawrie by two.
It's the first time Quiros has won twice in a season after winning once in each of the last four years.
MORE TO FOLLOW.
<< Stars hold off Kings
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trevor Daley had a goal and an assist, and
Richard Bachman made 26 saves in his first career start to help the Dallas
Stars edge the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1, at Staples Center.
Jamie Benn netted the ot
<< Kiprusoff, Flames blank Oilers
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miikka Kiprusoff turned aside 21 shots for his
second shutout of the season as Calgary upended Edmonton, 3-0.
Jarome Iginla scored twice while Tom Kostopoulos had the other goal for the
Flames, who have won
<< Green helps Spartans down Bulldogs
Spokane, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Draymond Green scored a career-high 34 points
to lead Michigan State over No. 23 Gonzaga, 74-67, at McCarthey Athletic
Center.
Keith Appling added eight points and seven assists for the Spartans (8-2),
<< Crowder leads No. 11 Marquette past Green Bay
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jae Crowder scored 21 points and pulled down
seven rebounds as 11th-ranked Marquette ran past Green Bay, 79-61, at the
Bradley Center.
Davante Gardner and Vander Blue each scored 14, while Todd Mayo
Lehman wins European Senior finale >>
Poste de Flaco, Mauritius (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Tom Lehman closed with a
one-under 71 on Sunday to win the MCB Tour Championship by a single stroke
over David Frost.
Lehman ended the European Senior Tour finale at 12-under-par
Kashiwa bounces Monterrey from Club World Cup >>
Toyota, Japan (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kashiwa Reysol booked a place in the
semifinals of the FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday after defeating Monterrey 4-3
on penalty kicks.
Leandro Domingues tallied the opening goal for Kashiwa in the
Blackhawks welcome Sharks to town >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks have recorded a point in four
straight and six of their last seven games and will try to add another victory
to that hot streak when they host the San Jose Sharks tonight at United
Center.
The Black
Rangers and Panthers battle in NYC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers avoided a three-game losing streak
with a win on Saturday and will try to make it back-to-back victories when
they host the Florida Panthers tonight at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers had lost two i
NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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