Rose pockets $1.5 million with WGF win

BELEK, Turkey — Justin Rose picked up a $1.5 million paycheck — the biggest of his career — after beating Lee Westwood on Friday to win the eight-player World Golf Final.

The fifth-ranked Rose shot a 5-under 66 to defeat his Ryder Cup teammate and fellow Englishman by one stroke at the Antalya Club.

Rose, who won all five of his matches in the $5.2 million exhibition, birdied the opening hole on the Sultan Course and led the rest of the way against his fourth-ranked opponent.

Westwood birdied the 16th to get back to one behind before Rose sealed the match by holing a 20-foot putt for birdie at the 17th. It was a similar length to the putt he made at the same hole in his Ryder Cup singles victory last month against Phil Mickelson.

On Thursday, Rose chipped in at the 17th to beat Tiger Woods in the semifinals of the $5.2 million event, sponsored by Turkish Airlines.

"The 17th green has been really good to me this week as I holed my second shot there yesterday and, of course, the 17th at Medinah turned around my match against Phil," he said. "But you have to be pleased to go through this whole week after winning all my five matches."

The paycheck is Rose's highest in his 14-year pro career and $560,000 more than his prize in capturing the 2011 BMW Championship.

"To not get beaten at all in the group stage and then to win the two finals is a great feeling and it's been a great week," he said.

"My golf is just so consistent at the moment and the main thing is that I just don't have any skeletons in the closet, and I don't have that loose shot that is plaguing me all the time."

Westwood earned a check for $1 million for his efforts over three days.

"We both played well with just the slight difference on the greens," Westwood said. "Justin rolled some 20 footers, another crucial one at 17 while the longest putt I made was eight or nine feet on 16. So I left a lot of chances out there but that is the way it goes."

All eight players then participated in a Pro-Am. Turkish Golf president Ahmet Agaoglu was drawn to play alongside Woods.

Woods was reportedly paid a $3 million appearance fee to compete in Turkey. He also earned $600,000 as a semifinalist.

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Bills give Williams record $100 million contract for defender

Jackpot: Defensive end Mario Williams poses with Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey (right) and general manager Buddy Nix on Thursday after signing a six-year, $100 million contract with the team. AP

NEW YORK — Megatron and Mario, the richest players in the NFL.

When linebacker-end Mario Williams signed a six-year contract Thursday with the Buffalo Bills worth $100 million, $50 million guaranteed, he became the highest-paid defensive player in league history. Williams' mega-deal followed by one day the $132 million contract the Detroit Lions gave their star receiver, Calvin Johnson.

Johnson's haul is the most for any NFL player at any position.

Other than Peyton Manning, whose search for a new team continues, Williams was the most sought free agent in this year's class; Johnson already was under contract in Detroit.

"It's one of those things you don't get many chances like this, and opportunities to come in and be the guy who can help the team get across the hump," said Williams, who was in Buffalo since the free agency period opened Tuesday, having been flown in from his home in North Carolina. "And that's definitely what I'm here for. My whole intention is to come here, work with guys like Kyle (Williams) and (Marcell) Dareus and make this thing happen."

The first overall draft pick by Houston in 2006, Williams became a pass rushing force and all-around standout at end before moving to linebacker in the Texans' new 3-4 alignment last year. But he played only five games in 2011 before a torn chest muscle sidelined him.

Buffalo targeted Williams to upgrade a defense that ranked 26th overall and 28th against the run. The Bills had only 29 sacks last year; Williams has 53 for his career.

Earlier Thursday, guard Ben Grubbs agreed on a five-year, $36 million contract with New Orleans, where he will replace All-Pro Carl Nicks, who left the previous day for NFC South rival Tampa Bay. Grubbs gets $16 million guaranteed, including a $10 million signing bonus.

"Ben comes to us from an offense in Baltimore that experienced a lot of success, both running the football and in pass protection," Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said. "He was a big part of that and we believe that he can come right in and fit into our program without missing a beat."

Nicks is considered one of the league's best pass blockers and was a key part of the Saints' record-setting offense. Grubbs made the Pro Bowl last season with the Ravens.

Another offensive lineman switching teams was Steve Hutchinson, a five-time All Pro with seven Pro Bowls who left Minnesota for Tennessee. Hutchinson changed teams as a free agent once before, in 2006 when he left Seattle for the Vikings. The Seahawks gave him a transition designation, but then couldn't match the deal he got with Minnesota, which included stipulations the Seahawks couldn't handle under the salary cap.

"I still see him playing at a high level, even in his 11th NFL season," said Titans coach Mike Munchak, himself a Hall of Fame guard. "He brings experience and success to our line and into the locker room."

Kansas City agreed to a three-year, $9 million deal with tight end Kevin Boss, who spent one season with Oakland after four with the New York Giants. The Chiefs' starter at the position, Tony Moeaki, missed all of 2011 with a torn left knee ligament.

San Diego bolstered its receiving corps by adding Eddie Royal in a three-year agreement.

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Angels land star slugger Pujols in staggering $254 million deal

DALLAS — Three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols agreed Thursday to a $254 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels, leaving the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals after more than a decade for a new baseball life in Southern California.

Pujols' contract, which is subject to a physical, is the second-highest in baseball history and only the third to break the $200 million barrier, following Alex Rodriguez's $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas before the 2001 season and A-Rod's $275 million, 10-year contract with the Yankees before the 2008 season.

"This is a monumental day for Angel fans and I could not be more excited," Angels owner Arte Moreno said.

In addition to the Pujols signing, the Angels agreed to a five-year contract with left-hander C.J. Wilson, a deal worth $77.5 million that raised their spending for the day to $331.5 million.

People familiar with the deals and the terms of each contract, spoke on condition of anonymity because those details were not made public.

Pujols had spent all 11 of his major league seasons with the Cardinals, hitting .338 with 445 home runs and 1,329 RBIs to become a franchise icon second only to Stan Musial. He is fourth in career slugging percentage at .617, trailing only Hall of Famers Babe Ruth (.690), Ted Williams (.634) and Lou Gehrig (.632).

Pujols' numbers in nearly every major offensive category are on a three-year decline. He had his poorest season in 2011 and at 31 is likely to spend the majority of his career with the Angels at designated hitter rather than first base.

"We understand that players will go through peaks and valleys of sort," new Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said. "Albert has spent many years operating at peak, and if we want to call a decline going from superhuman to just great, I don't think we've seen the last great days of Albert Pujols, obviously, or we wouldn't be sitting here today."

Some have speculated he is older than his listed age. "Albert Pujols' age to me is not a concern," Dipoto said. "I'm not a scientist. I can't say where he is, but I can tell you he hits like he's 27."

St. Louis also offered the slugger a 10-year deal, but he chose to leave the Gateway City for the freeway life.

"We are disappointed," Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said. "I would like our fans to know that we tried our best to make Albert a lifetime Cardinal but unfortunately we were unable to make it happen."

The Angels, who finished 10 games behind pennant-winning Texas in the AL West, made the move as the financially troubled Los Angeles Dodgers are in the process of being sold by Frank McCourt in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, a deal that could give the region's NL team a new, wealthy owner. The Dodgers could aggressively bid for talent a year from now, giving them a boost in the regional competition for fans' attention.

Pujols led the Cardinals to a seven-game World Series victory over Wilson's Rangers, his second title with the team in the last six seasons. He also had been pursued by the Miami Marlins, but they dropped out Wednesday after agreeing to a deal with left-hander Mark Buehrle that raised their free agent-spending to $191 million for three players following deals with closer Heath Bell and shortstop Jose Reyes. The Angels and Marlins committed $522.5 million to just five free agents.

"I think baseball needs to have a steroid-testing policy for owners," said Andrew Zimbalist, a sports economics professor at Smith College.

Pujols agreed in 2004 to a $100 million, seven-year contract, a deal that — with a 2011 option and bonuses — wound up paying him $112.55 million over eight years.

"He left a pretty good impact over there. I don't think fans will soon forget what his contributions were," said former Cardinals manager and star Joe Torre, now an executive with Major League Baseball. "I still think the St. Louis fans are going to be more appreciative than angry."

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