Woods Wins by Eight at Tournament in Japan

Tiger Woods shot a three-under 67 today to win the Dunlop Phoenix by eight strokes at Miyazaki for his first title since February and first ever in Japan.

Woods, who entered the final round with a 10-stroke lead, carded five birdies against a pair of bogeys at the Phoenix Country Club to finish at 16-under 264.

Japan’s Ryoken Kawagishi shot a 65 to finish eight shots back, and South Korea’s K.J. Choi also shot a 65 to finish third at six-under 274.

Woods recorded his lone victory this year at the Match Play Championship. The last time he won a stroke-play tournament was in October 2003.

*

Annika Sorenstam lost her three-shot lead in five holes, then had to make three birdies over the final six holes to salvage an even-par 72 and take a one-shot lead into the final round of the season-ending ADT Championship at West Palm Beach, Fla.

She finished at 10-under 206 to give her the lead over Jennifer Rosales (69) and Cristie Kerr (70). No one else was closer than five shots.

Sorenstam has struggled at times with the lead. She knew she was in for a long day on the opening hole.

Unsure what to hit off the tee to avoid a bunker left and a winding creek down the right side, she went with a four-iron and had a seven-wood left to the green on the 384-yard hole. She chipped to five feet and missed to make bogey. Then she bogeyed the par-five fifth after hitting a good chip, and her lead was gone.

*

Spain took the lead in the third round of the team World Cup in Seville, Spain, with Sergio Garcia and Miguel Angel Jimenez combining for an 11-under-par 61 to pull one shot ahead of England.

Luke Donald and Paul Casey, who began the round with a five-stroke lead over second-place Austria, shot a 68 in the day’s better ball format. Today’s final round will be the more difficult alternate shot format.

The U.S. team of Scott Verplank and Bob Tway shot a 64 and was three shots off the lead with Ireland (64), Sweden (64) and defending champion South Africa (64). Japan (65) was four behind with the Netherlands (63) and Australia (65) five behind. Austria (68) was six behind.

*

Fred Couples made nine birdies and teamed with Ray Floyd to beat Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle, 4 and 2, and the U.S. team moved out to a 6 1/2 -5 1/2 lead over an international team after the best-ball competition in the $3-million UBS Cup at Kiawah Island, S.C.

Trailing by one point entering the second day of the Ryder Cup-style competition for players 40-and-older, the Americans won three matches, halved two others and lost one. The event ends today with 12 singles matches.

Baseball

Kris Benson and the New York Mets agreed to terms on a $22.5-million, three-year contract. The deal includes a $2.5-million signing bonus and a $7.5-million club option for 2008 with a $500,000 buyout. If the option is exercised, the contract will be worth $29.5 million over four seasons.

Glendon Rusch agreed to a two-year, $4-million contract with the Chicago Cubs after becoming a key spot starter last season. He will go to spring training as a potential fifth starter.

Winter Sports

World champion Silke Kraushaar won a women’s World Cup luge singles event in Sigulda, Latvia, extending Germany’s winning streak to 50 races.

Kraushaar recorded her 23rd World Cup victory and finished her two runs in 1:27.248. Anna Orlova of Latvia was second in 1:27.310 and Ukraine’s Natalia Yakushenko third in 1:27.472, both career-best finishes.

The U.S. team of Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin finished third in men’s doubles, timed in 1 minute 26.704 seconds. Andre Florschutz and Torsten Wustlich of Germany won in 1:26.539. Christian Oberstolz and Patric Gruber of Italy finished second in 1:26.607.

Axel Teichman of Germany and Marit Bjorgen of Norway won season opening World Cup cross-country races in Gallivare, Sweden, located north of the Arctic Circle.

Teichman won the 15-kilometer classical event, beating countryman Rene Sommerfeldt by 37 seconds. Jorgen beat Estonia’s Kristina Smigun by 1.1 seconds in the women’s 10-kilometer classical.

T.J. Simers has the day off.