Duval Says Back Is Fine, and He Shows He is Back

David Duval won’t have to answer any more questions about his back injury. Or winning.

Playing for the first time in 10 weeks, Duval showed he might be ready to make a run at Tiger Woods, getting birdies on three of the last four holes Sunday to win the Buick Challenge at Pine Mountain, Ga.

He closed with a seven-under 65 and finished at 19-under 269, two strokes ahead of Nick Price (68) and Jeff Maggert (70). It was the former Georgia Tech star’s first victory in 29 golf tournaments.

“Today was the best I’ve felt in a long, long time,” Duval said. “I’m finally playing without injury.”

Duval, 28, who earned $414,000, has 12 career victories to become only the third active player with that many wins in his 20s. The others are Woods (24) and Phil Mickelson, who won 16 times before turning 30 in June.

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Larry Nelson won his fourth title in five events, holing a five-foot birdie putt on the sixth hole of a playoff with Gil Morgan in the Vantage Championship at Clemmons, N.C.

Nelson shot a one-under 69--his 29th consecutive round of par or better--to match Morgan (67) and Jim Dent (66) at 12-under 198. Dent was eliminated on the first extra hole.

Nelson, a six-time winner this year, earned $225,000 to push his tour-leading total to nearly $2.5 million.

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Canada’s Lorie Kane made an eight-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole against South Korea’s Mi Hyun Kim to win New Albany Golf Classic at New Albany, Ohio.

Kane, who won the Michelob Light Classic on Aug. 6 for her first title after nine runner-up finishes, shot a four-under 68 to match Kim at 11-under 277. Kim, a playoff winner last week in Portland, Ore., also closed with a 68.

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New Zealand’s Michael Campbell won the German Masters at Pulheim when torrential rain forced the last round to be canceled. Campbell led by a stroke at 19-under-par 197 after three rounds of the $2.1 million tournament. Argentina’s Jose Coceres was the runner-up.

Tennis

Jennifer Capriati won her first title of the year by defeating Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, in the Seat Open final at Luxembourg.

Capriati, ranked 18th in the world and seeded third, struggled early against Maleeva, who was playing her best tennis of the season. However, Capriati capitalized on strong returns and won tough rallies to take command in the second set.

Maleeva had defeated second-seeded Anna Kournikova of Russia in the semifinals. Top-seeded Nathalie Tauziat of France lost in the second round.

Oliver Rochus of Belgium earned his first ATP Tour victory be defeating local favorite Diego Nargiso of Italy, 7-6 (14), 6-1, at the Sicilian Championships at Palermo.

Rochus, 19, was ranked 104th coming into the $375,000 clay-court tournament. He defeated his older brother, Cristophe, to advance to his first final in a top tournament.

Hockey

The Ottawa Senators have re-signed right wing Andreas Dackell to a multiyear contract. The Swedish right wing, who was the team’s last unsigned free agent, lashed out a team management last week after it rescinded a one-year, $880,000 offer.

Instead, he was offered a two-year, $1.9-million deal, with the Senators holding the option for the second season, preventing him from exercising his right to salary arbitration next summer.

Dackell had 10 goals and 25 assists last season, and has 52 goals and 97 assists in 320 games over four seasons with the Senators.

Miscellany

The sheriff’s department in Grand Island, Neb., is pursuing a “tremendous number” of leads in the fatal shooting of Joe Parrella, 63, the father of San Diego Charger defensive tackle John Parrella, at his home.

“It’s going to take a long time to get through all of the information we’ve been given,” Sheriff Jerry Watson said.

Joe Parrella’s body was found by sheriff’s deputies responding to a home security alarm several hours before dawn Friday. Parrella, a local car dealer, had been shot twice.

Watson said people have been calling in tips and names of people who might have been angry with Parrella, such as disgruntled employees. A handgun was found near Parrella’s body.

It is not clear if someone was trying to break into the home when the shooting occurred. Parrella’s wife, Shirley, was in the house at the time.

Funeral services are Tuesday in Grand Island.