Tom Watson wins Mitsubishi Electric Championship

Tom Watson birdied the final two holes for a one-stroke victory Sunday over senior newcomer Fred Couples in the Champions Tour’s season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii.

The 60-year-old Watson, coming off a win with Jack Nicklaus in the Champions Skins at Kaanapali, closed with a seven-under-par 65 to finish at 22-under 194 for his 13th Champions Tour title and his first victory in 34 starts in Hawaii on the two tours.

After driving into the right rough, Watson hit a spectacular second shot that rolled 20 feet on the 18th green and stopped four feet from the hole.

Couples, who closed with a bogey-free 64, just missed his 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole. Watson calmly sank the winner and waved his cap to the roaring crowd.

BOWLING

Kulick’s victory first for women

Kelly Kulick became the first woman to win a PBA Tour title, beating Chris Barnes in the final of the 45th Tournament of Champions at Las Vegas.

Kulick outscored Barnes, 265-195, to take home the $40,000 first prize and a two-year PBA Tour exemption. The 32-year-old right-hander earned a berth in the Tournament of Champions by winning the PBA Women’s World Championship last September.

The previous best finish for a woman in a PBA Tour event was second by Liz Johnson in the 2005 Banquet Open.

WINTER SPORTS

Vonn keeps her overall lead

Tanja Poutiainen won a World Cup giant slalom at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, and Lindsey Vonn retained her overall lead after finishing 19th.

Poutiainen, from Finland, posted a two-run combined time of 2 minutes 26.51 seconds on the Olympia delle Tofane course.

Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany finished a distant 1.05 seconds behind for the first podium result of her career, and giant slalom world champion Kathrin Hoelzl of Germany placed third, 1.45 behind.

Felix Neureuther of Germany earned the first World Cup victory of his career, winning a slalom at Kitzbuehel, Austria, that Bode Miller skipped to rest a sore ankle.

The 25-year-old Neureuther finished in a two-run combined time of 1 minute 37.35 seconds on the icy Ganslern course. His victory came 31 years after his father won there as well.

Julien Lizeroux of France, last year’s winner of the Kitzbuehel slalom, was 0.39 of a second behind and Giuliano Razzoli of Italy was third, 0.99 off the pace.

SOCCER

Arsenal knocked out of FA Cup

Stoke ousted Arsenal from the FA Cup with a 3-1 victory in the fourth round, leaving Chelsea as the only member of the Premier League traditional “Big Four” remaining in the world’s oldest knockout competition.

Liverpool and Manchester United had been eliminated in the third round.

Manchester City striker Robinho told Brazilian radio that he is about to leave the Premier League club, and the president of his former team in Brazil, Santos, said transfer talks have already begun.

ETC.

Armstrong is 25th in Australia

Andre Greipel of Germany won the Tour Down Under for the second time in three years, finishing fifth in the sixth and final stage of the ProTour event captured by Chris Sutton.

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong placed 77th out of 129 riders in the stage to finish 25th overall.

Blocked behind horses in midstretch, Garrett Gomez managed to propel Loup Breton to the outside, and the 3-5 favorite overpowered High Court Drama to win Santa Anita’s Grade II, $150,000 San Marcos Stakes by half a length while running the 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.94.