Woods Is PGA Player of Year

Tiger Woods on Wednesday was selected the PGA Tour’s player of the year, becoming the first golfer to win the award three consecutive times.

Woods won five tournaments and more than $5.68 million. He has led the tour in winnings and scoring average in each of the last three years.

Tour players vote on the award. Woods also won in 1997.

Allen Doyle was voted the Senior PGA Tour’s player of the year and Chad Campbell took Buy.com Tour honors.

Motor Racing

Christopher Pook was hired as president and chief executive of Championship Auto Racing Teams.

Pook, 60, founder of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, replaces Joseph Heitzler, who will remain chairman.

Dover Downs Entertainment, which owns the Grand Prix Assn. of Long Beach, and CART announced that, in addition to plans for a Grand Prix at Denver, the companies have a letter of intent for a Grand Prix at St. Petersburg, Fla., and are in discussions about races at Nashville and St. Louis.

Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon will not compete in the 2002 International Race of Champions series.

Gordon cited his Winston Cup schedule and sponsor commitments among the reasons for declining the invitation.

Soccer

The Major Indoor Soccer League merged with the World Indoor Soccer League to form a nationwide entity for the 2002-03 season.

The Dallas Sidekicks, San Diego Sockers and St. Louis Steamers of the WISL will play in the merged league next season. The futures of WISL franchises at Sacramento and Utah haven’t been determined.

The United States dropped four spots to 24th in December’s FIFA men’s rankings and fell eight places for the year.

France, the world and European champion, finished the year No. 1 for the first time since the rankings began in 1993. Argentina is No. 2 and Brazil is No. 3.

Cesare Maldini, a former player and coach for Italy, will be hired as coach of Paraguay’s national team, an official of the country’s soccer association said.

Maldini, who will be 70 in January, will replace Uruguayan Sergio Markarian, who was fired despite leading Paraguay to the 2002 World Cup at South Korea and Japan.

Tennis

Former women’s champion Mary Pierce received a wild-card entry for next month’s Australian Open, allowing her to make a ninth consecutive appearance at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament.

Pierce failed to qualify automatically after slipping to No. 129 in the rankings. She played only seven tournaments this year because of ankle and back injuries.

American Taylor Dent, ranked No. 106, received an invitation to the men’s tournament.

John McEnroe said he is close to signing an agreement to co-host a weekday sports show on ESPN Radio’s affiliate in New York.

Miscellany

It will cost $10 to park at the College Baseball World Series in June.

Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey said the fee at Rosenblatt Stadium should raise about $126,000 for the city.

The Long Beach Ice Dogs beat the Bakersfield Condors in a shootout, 4-3, in minor league hockey at the Long Beach Arena.