Norman Receives Special Invitation to Play in Masters

The major championship that has haunted Greg Norman throughout his career is giving him another chance. He received a special invitation Tuesday from Augusta National Golf Club to play in next year’s Masters.

“I’m not one to say a course owes me one, but given my record there and the fact that I know Augusta so well, perhaps something special will happen in April,” Norman said.

Norman has been a runner-up at the Masters three times, including his most memorable collapse in 1996, when he squandered a six-stroke lead against Nick Faldo in the final round by shooting a 78.

There also was his approach shot that sailed into the gallery on the 18th in 1986, when he needed a par to force a playoff with Jack Nicklaus. A year later, Larry Mize chipped in from 140 feet on the second playoff hole to beat Norman.

Norman finished third three other times and was fourth when he made his debut in 1981. He also shares the course record (63) with Nick Price.

“There’s no question that I’ve had a lot of great things happen to me at Augusta--and some not-so-great things,” Norman said. “But they’re all just memories now, and I know that everything that has happened at Augusta has made me a better person.

“I don’t think there is an event anywhere that has brought me more enjoyment or shaped my development as a player as much.”

The Australian, 46, was the only player to receive a special invitation, which Augusta reserves for international players. It was the first time in 10 years that Norman did not otherwise qualify.

“Greg has provided our patrons with much excitement by his inspired and superior play during his 21 years at Augusta National,” club chairman Hootie Johnson said.

Soccer

Payments to the 2002 World Cup champions will be 70% higher than at the 1998 event.

FIFA general secretary Michel Zen Ruffinen said the winners of the World Cup in Japan and South Korea will receive $7.59 million.

FIFA executive committee members approved a 51% increase in overall payments to the 32 finalists at the tournament, set for May 31-June 30. The new payment plan puts emphasis on the success of teams at the tournament.

A payment of $612,000 to each of the 32 finalists, including the United States, previously was approved by FIFA’s executive committee.

The committee also allocated an additional $7.95 million for increased security at the World Cup.

Overall, the 2002 budget will increase by some $41.6 million.

The Women’s United Soccer Assn. signed a broadcasting deal with Paxson Communications, which will televise a full schedule of games in 2002 and 2003.

PAX TV will broadcast 22 games live on Saturday afternoons at 1 p.m., beginning in April. PAX reaches 84 million households.

The Major Indoor Soccer League has agreed to merge with the World Indoor Soccer League to form a single entity in the United States for the 2002-03 season.

The merger will be completed today, leaving only one national indoor professional soccer league for the first time since 1983.

Newcastle United came from behind to defeat Arsenal, 3-1, on late goals by Alan Shearer and Laurent Robert to charge to the top of the English Premier League standings.

Newcastle and Liverpool have 33 points with Newcastle ahead on goal difference. Arsenal is third with 30 points.

Boxing

Roy Jones Jr., a Pensacola, Fla., native, will fight Australian Glen Kelly on Feb. 2 in Miami.

Jones will defend the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Assn. and International Boxing Federation light-heavyweight titles against Kelly, who is 28-0-1 with 15 knockouts.

Former IBF super-middleweight champion Graciano Rocchigiani faces jail time after allegedly vandalizing a police car and attacking officers last weekend in Berlin.

Rocchigiani, the WBC’s interim light-heavyweight champion until last year, already has a suspended one-year sentence for a fight in a disco in 2000, which involved drunken driving and an accident.

Police said Rocchigiani, 37, fell asleep in a woman’s car and attacked police officers who woke him. Nine officers were called to the scene to subdue him as he tried to flee, then vandalized the police car’s interior, authorities said.

Winter Sports

World Cup leader Ronny Ackermann of Germany took charge midway through the second lap of the 7.5-kilometer race for his third win of the season in a Nordic combined sprint event at Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Ackermann beat Samppa Lajunen of Finland by 10.2 seconds.

Matt Dayton of Breckenridge, Colo., had the third-fastest race and finished fifth, his best World Cup result.

Miscellany

Lian Lu has retired after eight seasons as women’s volleyball coach at Cal State Northridge.

Lu, 68, compiled a 116-109 record for the Matadors, who were 15-14, 8-10 last season, their first in the Big West Conference.

Northridge assistant Susie Terrusa has been named interim coach.

A con man impersonated baseball stars Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra in e-mails to get bats with their names, and then sold them for thousands of dollars to unsuspecting collectors on eBay, federal prosecutors alleged Tuesday.

Herbert John Derungs of San Francisco was indicted on six counts of mail and wire fraud and one count of sending threatening e-mails, charges that collectively carry up to 32 years in prison. He was being held without bail.

Canadian driver Jacques Villeneuve will stay with the British American Racing team despite the resignation of friend and mentor Craig Pollock.

Pollock quit Monday as managing director of the Formula One team he founded three years ago.

American Annette Hanson, the 2,000-meter individual pursuit winner at the World Masters Track Cycling Championships, was suspended for a month after failing a drug test.

Hanson, 39, from Kirkland, Wash., tested positive for ephedrine Oct. 11 at the competition in Great Britain, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said.

Two French basketball teams refuse to play games in Israel today because of security fears.

Paris Basket Racing will miss a Korac Cup game against Maccabi Ness, and Le Mans will skip a Saporta Cup game against Hapoel, basketball’s international ruling body said.

The games will be counted as 20-0 defeats against the two French teams, which also could be fined, FIBA spokeswoman Joanna Sutherland said.

Organizers announced that the inaugural Washington DC Marathon will be held March 24, roughly halfway between the Los Angeles and Boston marathons.