Singh rebounds from off year with early win

The new era in golf brought out the old version of Vijay Singh.

Coming off his least productive season in five years, 43-year-old Singh delivered a strong statement Sunday by closing with a three-under 70 for a two-shot victory over Adam Scott in the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship in Kapalua, Hawaii.

It was the 30th victory of his PGA Tour career and 18th since he turned 40, breaking the record held by Sam Snead.

Singh, a winner in only one of his last 35 starts, has been runner-up twice in the last three years at Kapalua.

He has never finished worse than eighth since the tournament moved to Maui.

Singh finished at 14-under 278 and along with $1.1 million to push him over $50 million for his career, he earned 4,500 points for the new FedExCup competition.

Trevor Immelman birdied the 18th for a 72 to finish third.

BASEBALL

Johnson agrees to Diamondbacks deal

Randy Johnson agreed to a $26-million, two-year contract with Arizona, leaving only physicals and final approvals to complete his trade from the New York Yankees back to the Diamondbacks.

Meanwhile, infielder Miguel Cairo decided to remain with the New York Yankees, reaching a preliminary agreement on a $750,000, one-year contract.

WINTER SPORTS

Berthod ends drought for Switzerland in skiing

Marc Berthod’s improbable World Cup victory was helped by nearly impossible conditions that knocked all three American men off the course.

Berthod earned his first victory, starting from the 60th position and taking advantage of slushy, deteriorating slopes to win a slalom.

He became the first Swiss man to win a World Cup race in nearly three years in Adelboden, Switzerland.

Berthod, 23, won with a two-run time of 1 minute 47.42 seconds. Austria’s Benjamin Raich was 0.26 of a second back in second place. Another Austrian, Mario Matt, was third.

No American finished both runs. Bode Miller was 11th after the opening run but lost his right ski midway down the second run and now has not completed a slalom in almost a year. Jimmy Cochran and Ted Ligety did not finish the first run.

Marlies Schild extended her dominance in the slalom, winning her second race in four days and earning her fifth victory in the discipline this World Cup season in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. Schild had a two-run time of 1:40.96.

Sarka Zahrobska of the Czech Republic was second, trailing by 0.66 of a second.

Veronika Zuzulova of Slovakia was third, 1.65 behind Schild.

Kaylin Richardson was the top American, finishing a career-best eighth.

Russia’s Albert Demtchenko won the men’s singles at a luge World Cup event in Koenigssee, Germany, denying Armin Zoeggeler of Italy a record 34th win.

Demtchenko, the European champion, finished his two heats in 1:35.47, followed by Zoeggeler at 1:35.54 and Germany’s David Moeller at 1:35.67.

Zoeggeler shares the record of 33 World Cup wins with Austrian Markus Prock and German Georg Hackl.

Nikolay Kruglov won his third biathlon World Cup event in 36 minutes 18.2 seconds with one missed target, leading a Russian sweep in a men’s 12.5K pursuit race in Oberhof, Germany.

Dmitri Iarotchenko was 28.6 seconds back in second place, and Maxim Tchudov was third.

In the women’s 7.5K sprint race, Germans swept with Magdalena Neuner winning in 24:18.4 with two missed targets. World Cup leader Andrea Henkel was second and Martina Glagow took third.

Tobias Angerer of Germany won the men’s competition and Virpi Kuitunen of Finland took the women’s title in the inaugural Tour de Ski race in Val Di Fiemme, Italy.

Angerer covered the 11K course in 33 minutes 39.5 seconds. Alexander Legkov of Russia finished second and Simen Oestensen of Norway was third.

In the women’s 10K pursuit race, Kuitunen finished in 36:36.7.

Marit Bjoergen of Norway was second and Valentina Shevchenko of Ukraine was third.

TENNIS

Malisse wins title at tournament in India

Third-seeded Xavier Malisse defeated Stefan Koubek, 6-1, 6-3, in the final of the Chennai Open in India.

Top-seeded Novak Djokovic beat Chris Guccione, 6-3, 6-7 (8), 6-4, to win the Adelaide International in Australia.... Top-seeded Anna Chakvetadze beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino, 6-0, 6-4, in the only completed first-round match at the rain-delayed Hobart International in Australia.

PASSING

Hamilton, longtime NASCAR driver, at 49

Bobby Hamilton, the longtime NASCAR driver who won the 2001 Talladega 500, died of cancer in Nashville. Section B.