Russell Henley sets mark in debut on PGA Tour

Russell Henley made a lasting impression in his rookie debut on the PGA Tour with a record-setting performance Sunday in the Sony Open at Honolulu.

Tied for the lead with fellow rookie Scott Langley to start the final round, Henley seized control with a birdie on the opening hole and then poured it on at the end.

He closed with five consecutive birdies for a seven-under-par 63, finally showing emotion with a sweeping uppercut when his eight-foot putt disappeared into the cup.

He won by three shots over Tim Clark, who birdied seven of his last 11 holes and made up only one shot on the rookie from Georgia.

Henley finished at 24-under 256, breaking by four shots the Sony Open scoring record last set by Brad Faxon in 2001.

It was the second-lowest score for a 72-hole tournament in PGA Tour history, two shots behind Tommy Armour III in 2003 at the Texas Open.

And that wasn’t the only record.

Henley set tournament records for the low 36-hole score after his 63-63 start, he shared the 54-hole record with Langley and set another tournament record with the lowest final round by a champion.

Louis Oosthuizen shot a final round six-under 66 to beat Scott Jamieson of Scotland by a single stroke and win the Volvo Champions at Durban, South Africa.

Oosthuizen finished with a 16 under total of 272 at Durban Country Club to wrap up the victory after the Scot narrowly missed a chip on the 18th hole for eagle. Jamieson, who led by five shots heading into the last day, carded a final-round 72, and missed out on a second successive European Tour win in Durban by a solitary shot.

Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand (68) was another shot back in third, two strokes ahead of Ireland’s Padraig Harrington in fourth.

It was the sixth European Tour win of Oosthuizen’s career and elevated him to a career-high fourth in the world rankings.

ETC.

USC’s Robey is turning pro

USC cornerback Nickell Robey said he would forgo his final season of eligibility and make himself available for the NFL draft.

Robey, a three-year starter for the Trojans, said he made his decision a few days ago and informed Coach Lane Kiffin.

“He respected my decision,” Robey said. “It’s a business decision, like any other important decision I’ve made my whole life.

“It’s the best thing for my family and for me.”

Robey is the second USC player with eligibility remaining to declare for the draft. Receiver Robert Woods announced immediately after the Trojans’ Sun Bowl loss to Georgia Tech that he was turning pro.

The 5-foot-8, 165-pound Robey said that he had submitted paperwork to the NFL and that he had been invited to participate in the NFL scouting combine.

Robey, who came to USC from Frostproof, Fla., said last month that an evaluation from the NFL did not project his being selected in the first three rounds.

—Gary Klein

The Philadelphia Eagles have interviewed former Baltimore Ravens coach and current Fox analyst Brian Billick for their coaching vacancy, a person familiar with the meeting told the Associated Press.

Billick, who led Baltimore to a Super Bowl title in the 2000 season, met with the Eagles last Monday, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss it.

The Eagles are known to have interviewed eight other candidates, including three high-profile college coaches who decided to stay at their schools. They were Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly, Oregon’s Chip Kelly and Penn State’s Bill O’Brien.

Philadelphia fired Andy Reid on Dec. 31, a day after finishing 4-12 in his 14th season.

Billick hasn’t coached since 2007. He was 80-64 in nine seasons with the Ravens, leading them to two division titles and a 5-3 record in four playoff appearances.

::

Marcel Hirscher turned in a scintillating second run to win a World Cup slalom at Adelboden, Switzerland, after being eighth in the opening leg.

Hirscher, the overall World Cup leader, was at least 0.83 of a second faster than any rival in the afternoon to best Austrian teammate Mario Matt by 0.30.

Ted Ligety of the United States remained third overall after finishing 11th, 2.44 behind Hirscher. The American, who won Saturday’s giant slalom, has 179 points to make up on the defending champion midway through the season.

American teammate David Chodounsky made an impact of his own by placing 10th for his best World Cup result in a career filled with injuries at age 28.

Tina Maze of Slovenia reached another milestone in her stellar season by winning her first super-G and becoming the sixth female skier to win a World Cup race in all five Alpine disciplines.

In perfect, sunny conditions at St. Anton, Austria, Maze attacked the Karl Schranz course in impressive style to time 1 minute 16.55 seconds and edge Anna Fenninger of Austria by 0.04.

It was the sixth victory of the season and 17th overall for Maze, who was on a super-G podium eight times before without winning one.

Fabienne Suter of Switzerland trailed Maze by 0.99 and beat defending overall champion Lindsey Vonn by 0.01 for third place.

Jeranimo won the $150,000 San Gabriel Stakes by 23/4 lengths at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Jeranimo ran 1 1/8 miles on the turf in 1:46.50 and paid $6, $3.80 and $2.60. He was last early in the seven-horse field and moved into contention around the far turn before getting caught three-wide turning for home.