McCarron Gets First PGA Win

Scott McCarron became the third consecutive first-time PGA winner on Sunday, beating Tom Watson by five strokes in the $1.2-million Freeport-McDermott Classic at New Orleans.

McCarron, who started the day in first place at 12 under, finished at 13-under 275.

“I wasn’t very nervous, I wasn’t looking at the leader board until late,” McCarron said. “I just stuck to my game plan and took it one stroke at a time.”

Watson, who was two strokes behind McCarron at the start of play, finished in second place at eight-under 280.

Tommy Tolles finished third at seven-under after a bogey on No. 18.

*

Laura Davies shot a two-under-par 71 and won her third consecutive Standard Register Ping tournament at Phoenix with an eight-under 284 after Kristal Parker-Gregory three-putted on the final hole.

“It’s difficult to get really happy,” said Davies after becoming the first LPGA player to win the same tournament three consecutive years since Sandra Haynie won the Charity Golf Classic at Fort Worth, Texas, from 1973-75.

Parker-Gregory had a final-round 75 for a 285 total. Kelly Robbins shot 71 to finish third at 286, while rookie Karrie Webb, this year’s leading money winner, had a 68 and tied for fourth at 288.

Skiing

Defending champion Daron Rahlves won the men’s giant slalom Sunday at the U.S. Alpine Championships at Carrabassett Valley, Maine.

Kristina Koznick, won the women’s slalom.

Rahlves, of Truckee, Calif., led by .16 seconds after the first heat of the giant slalom and finished the two runs with a combined time of 2 minutes, 16.87 seconds.

Chris Puckett of Crested Butte, Colo., was second at 2:17.53 and Kyle Rasmussen of Angels Camp, Calif., third at 2:18.44.

Koznick, of Burnsville, Minn., finished with a combined time of 1:23.74. Carrie Sheinberg of Port Washington, N.Y., was second at 1:23.90.

Sarah Schleper, 17, of Vail, Colo., finished third at 1:25.30, the highest finish by a junior skier in the championships.

At the U.S. Freestyle Championships at Snowbird, Utah, former Olympic moguls champion Donna Weinbrecht of West Milford, N.J., edged 1994 Olympic silver medalist Liz McIntyre of Winter Park, Colo., by a half point to earn her seventh national title. World Cup veteran Ann Battelle of Steamboat Springs, Colo., was third.

In the men’s event, Garthe Hager of Bothell, Wash., earned his first title, beating Tony Gilpin of Bozeman, Mont., and Craig Rodman of Park City, Utah.

Motor Sports

Auto racing driver Tim Richmond infected numerous women with the AIDS virus before his death in 1989, the Miami Herald reported.

LaGena Lookabill Greene, Richmond’s former fiancee, went public in 1995 that she was dying of AIDS and said she was infected by Richmond. Greene, a former model who lives in Charlotte, N.C., said she has been contacted by women who say they also were infected by Richmond.

“From those calls alone--only counting the ones from Charlotte--I could have started a support group of women exposed to HIV from Tim,” Greene told the Herald. “There would be about 30 in that support group. They told me they were exposed, that they had had sex with Tim and they were worried.”

The Herald reported that at least two former partners of Richmond are in seclusion on the East Coast, dying of AIDS. The Herald reported another woman, Debbie Putman, had an encounter with the racing star and died four years ago.

Richmond was diagnosed with AIDS in December 1986, according to his family.

Boxing

Undefeated Saen Sor Ploenchit of Thailand retained the WBA flyweight championship with a 12-round split decision over Leo Gamez of Venezuela at Bangkok.

Tennis

Magnus Gustafsson of Sweden beat Russia’s top-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), to win the St. Petersburg Open.

Miscellany

Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes won their second consecutive Miller Lite Open at Riviera Beach, Fla., beating Adam Johnson and Jose Loiola, 7-3, in a double final.

Right-hander Seth Etherton pitched a four-hitter as USC defeated UCLA, 13-3.