Crenshaw’s Putting Leads to Three-Shot Victory

Ben Crenshaw, his putting touch especially sharp, shot his third consecutive round of 68 Sunday to win the Freeport-McMoRan Golf Classic by three strokes.

“I was really proud of the way I played this week on this course,” said Crenshaw, who finished with a total of 15-under-par 273. “I was really glad to get through today.”

The victory, the 18th in his 22-year career, earned Crenshaw $216,000. His last three top-10 finishes have been victories.

Jose Maria Olazabal, with birdies on three of the last four holes, sneaked into second place after Sam Torrance, who battled Crenshaw all day, bogeyed No. 17 and double-bogeyed No. 18.

“That was a killer,” Torrance said. “I still felt I had it going into 16.”

Crenshaw and Torrance started the day at 11-under. Crenshaw, despite swirling winds, opened his round with birdies on Nos. 1, 2 and 5 to make the turn at 14-under.

Olazabal trailed by nine after 14 holes Sunday, alternating birdies and bogeys. Then birdies on Nos. 15, 17 and 18 gave him a 69 for the day and second place.

The second-place finish was worth $129,600. Torrance picked up $81,600 for third.

“That was an expensive 18th hole,” Torrance said.

Figure Skating

Carla Urbanski Freeman says she will perform despite a fat lip from being punched in the face by one of five youths who attacked her husband.

The skater and her husband, both 33, were treated at Wilmington Hospital in Delaware and released, said Lt. Keith Ash. No arrests have been made.

“You can’t back out of shows for something like this,” she said.

Freeman said she and partner Rocky Marval will perform as scheduled Wednesday in Vail, Colo. The two-time national champions placed 10th in pairs at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France.

Swimming

Tom Dolan, a freshman at Michigan, became the sixth swimmer to win four U.S. national individual titles in one meet.

In dominating the U.S. Swimming Championships at Federal Way, Wash., Dolan matched the feat set by Mark Spitz, Tracy Caulkins, Shirley Babashoff, Kristine Quance and Janet Evans.

Dolan won the 1,500-meter freestyle in 15 minutes 18.18 seconds to go with victories in the 400 individual medley and 400 and 800 freestyles. He set the only American record of the meet in winning the 400 IM.

Pro Basketball

Buck Williams, who was forced to take a bigger role in the middle for Portland Trail Blazers with an injury to center Chris Dudley early in the season, signed a contract extension.

Terms of the three-year contract, which runs through the 1996-97 season, were not disclosed.

Williams is completing his 13th season and fifth with Portland.

Williams recently became the 30th NBA player to compete in 1,000 games. He is one of 17 NBA players with 11,000 rebounds.

Auto Racing

Ricky Craven of Newburgh, Me., took the lead with a daring three-abreast move late in the race and won the Sundrop 300 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series stock car race at Hickory, N.C.

Craven, the 1992 rookie of the year on the series, led the final 32 laps on the .363-mile track. The Chevrolet driver collected $14,005 for his first victory since joining the series on a full-time basis.

Miscellany

British boxer Johnny Nelson, who holds the World Boxing Federation heavyweight title, was selected to replace James (Bonecrusher) Smith and will fight European and Commonwealth champion Henry Akinwande on Tuesday night’s card at York Hall in London.