Woods, Duval Fall Short in Playoff

Defending champions Tiger Woods and David Duval made a late charge to join a four-team playoff but couldn’t pull out a victory Sunday in the World Cup at Gotemba, Japan.

Ernie Els tapped in for par on the second playoff hole, giving him and South African teammate Retief Goosen the championship over Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn and Soren Hansen and $1 million of the $3-million purse.

Els tapped in for par, then watched as Hansen missed a seven-foot putt that would have extended the match, in which four teams made the playoff with four-round totals of 24-under 264.

Duval and Woods appeared out of the running after a slow start, but reached the playoff with birdies on Nos. 15-17 and Woods’ eagle on No. 18 for a five-under 67.

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Karrie Webb closed with a four-under 68 for a two-stroke victory over Annika Sorenstam in the LPGA Tour Championship at West Palm Beach, Fla.

Sorenstam was six under on the final 10 holes for a 65 to set the tour’s scoring record of 69.42, beating Webb’s mark in 1999 by .01 strokes.

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Arnold Palmer’s singles victory over Gary Player spurred the United States to a 121/2-111/2 victory over the World team in the UBS Warburg Cup at Kiawah Island, S.C.

Palmer took a 4-up lead through the 12th hole. He won when he matched Player’s bogey on the dangerous par-three 17th.

Mark Calcavecchia made a key birdie at No. 17 for a 1-up victory over Ian Woosnam.

Larry Nelson clinched the victory by defeating New Zealand’s Frank Nobilo, 3-and-2.

Nobilo lost his ball in the long reeds and marsh grass along the 16th hole.