Weekley gets first win on tour

Boo Weekley didn’t blow his latest chance for a first PGA Tour victory, chipping in on the final two holes to hold off Ernie Els and win the weather-delayed Verizon Heritage on Monday at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Weekley looked as if he would give back all of a three-shot lead after his bogey on the 16th hole and his muffed chip behind the 17th green. Weekley followed the blunder with a 40-foot, par-saving chip to keep a one-stroke lead.

But then Weekley chipped across the green and into the fluffy rough down a short slope on the 18th. Once again, his short game saved him, this time rolling it from 36 feet away.

Els, bidding for his first tour win since 2004, lost his chance on No. 17, driving into the hazard behind the green for a bogey.

Els made things interesting, though, putting his second shot -- and last opportunity to tie -- at the 18th inside two feet.

Weekley shot a 68 to finish at 14-under-par 270, one in front of Els (70 ) and two ahead of Stephen Leaney (68). Masters champion Zach Johnson finished sixth.

Weekley missed a three-footer on the 72nd hole of the Honda Classic last month that would’ve given him the win. Instead, the 33-year-old Weekley fell into a four-man playoff eventually won by Mark Wilson.

Along with $972,000 and a PGA Tour exemption through 2008, Weekley becomes the first PGA Tour winner to qualify for next year’s Masters after Augusta National chairman Billy Payne restored a privilege taken away in 1999.

Annika Sorenstam probably won’t need surgery for the back injury that forced her to withdraw from a tournament last week.

Mark Steinberg, her agent, said doctors told Sorenstam that rehabilitation over 10 to 14 days for her herniated disk would give them a better idea when she might be able to return.

TENNIS

Nalbandian holds off qualifier in Monaco

Ninth-seeded David Nalbandian rallied to beat qualifier Federico Luzzi, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco.

Marcos Baghdatis, seeded 14th, was upset, 7-5, 6-4, by Max Mirnyi.

Mikhail Youzhny, seeded 13th, was leading 6-2, 3-1, when Carlos Moya retired because of an undisclosed injury and 16th-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero saved three break points in the first set in a 7-5, 6-2 win over Tim Henman.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Barnes’ salary reaches $2 million with raise

Texas regents approved a $200,000 raise for men’s Coach Rick Barnes, boosting his salary to $2 million a year.

Finishing 25-10 last season, Barnes has led the Longhorns to the NCAA tournament in each of his nine seasons -- including a trip to the Final Four in 2003.

George Washington junior guard Maureece Rice made himself available for the NBA draft, but he plans to retain his NCAA eligibility and could return to school.

JURISPRUDENCE

Ex-Bronco’s appeal denied by high court

Colorado’s Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from former Denver Broncos linebacker John Mobley, who was sentenced to seven days in jail in 2004 for a drunken driving conviction.

Defense attorneys had implied that Mobley’s 2002 arrest resulted from racial profiling.

Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus filed suit in Federal District Court in Los Angeles seeking to prevent the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando from continuing to use his name in connection with an award it presents to college football’s top linebacker.

The Butkus Award has been given out since 1985, but in his suit the former Chicago Bears star, who resides locally, claims the Athletic Club has failed to “exploit the potential of the award as a source for generating revenue for charitable, social or commercial purposes” and that he “could better administer an award program to fulfill each of those purposes.”

Paul Reddam, owner of Kentucky Derby contenders Great Hunter and Liquidity, said a lawsuit related to the ownership of Great Hunter has been settled out of court, leaving Reddam the undisputed owner.

Reddam paid $550,000 for the colt last year, but Fifth Third Bank later claimed the horse was collateral for a loan to the previous owner that was in default.

-- Robyn Norwood

MISCELLANY

Villaraigosa promises to eventually win Games

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa vowed to continue pursuing the goal of bringing the Summer Olympics back to Los Angeles. The city has hosted the Olympics twice, most recently in 1984.

The U.S. Olympic Committee on Saturday in Washington selected Chicago over L.A. in a close vote for the domestic bid for the 2016 Summer Games.

“We’ll apply again in 2020,” he said at a news conference. “Look, anything can happen. Obviously, we’re going to make every effort to bring the Olympics to America, and to Chicago in 2016. This is a great Olympic city and we’re going to keep on applying until we get it.”

-- Lisa Dillman

In his first race in the U.S. since his two-year doping ban, cyclist Tyler Hamilton was 56th after the first stage of the Tour de Georgia, finishing about two minutes behind the stage winner Daniele Contrini of Italy.

Kings defenseman Jack Johnson was among the 18 players chosen for the U.S. hockey team that will compete in the world championships in Moscow beginning April 27.

International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (48-3 with 43 knockouts) will defend his title against Lamon Brewster (33-3 with 29 KOs) in a July 7 rematch in Cologne, Germany.

Defending champion Australia defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets in Grenada in a match between teams that have already qualified for the semifinals of cricket’s World Cup.

Clint Dolezel became the first Arena Football League quarterback with 800 career touchdown passes, throwing for five scores in the Dallas Desperados’ 51-41 victory over the Philadelphia Soul at Dallas.

UCLA junior Tasha Schwikert, already the Pacific 10 Conference’s gymnast of the year, received the same honor at the West Region after winning all-around, beam and floor titles.

In a draw, the Bruins were selected to compete in the preliminary evening session of the NCAA championships (hosted by Utah)on April 26.

Keith Olbermann is returning to NBC Sports after a six-year absence to serve as a co-host with Bob Costas on the “Football Night in America” studio show that precedes Sunday night NFL games. Cris Collinsworth, Jerome Bettis and newcomer Tiki Barber, who replaced Sterling Sharpe, are the other members of the show.

Olbermann will continue to serve as host of MSNBC’s “Countdown With Keith Olbermann.” His daily one-hour guest spots on Dan Patrick’s ESPN Radio talk show will continue as well.

-- Larry Stewart

PASSINGS

Duchesne, longtime NHL forward, 44

Gaetan Duchesne, a forward who played in the NHL for 14 seasons and helped the Minnesota North Stars reach the 1991 Stanley Cup finals, died while training in Quebec. He was 44. The cause of death was not known.