Izaguirre takes 16th Giro stage

PFALZEN, Italy — Jon Izaguirre of Spain won the 16th stage of the Giro d'Italia on Tuesday while countryman Joaquin Rodriguez kept the overall lead.

Izaguirre spent most of the day in the lead group and broke away on the final sharp climb of the mainly uphill 174-km course from Limone sul Garda to Pfalzen.

He finished in 4 hours, 2 minutes to beat Alessandro De Marchi and Stef Clement by 16 seconds. Rodriguez was 8 minutes, 57 seconds behind.

"It's true that it was a good finish today, which was well within my capability," Rodriguez said. "But you mustn't get carried away, there are still a lot of difficulties before we get to Milan next Sunday. I have to preserve myself and keep my energy for the days to come."

It was Izaguirre's first win on a grand tour.

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Al-Attiyah wins Dakar Rally stage

Copiapo, Chile — Defending champion Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar won Saturday's seventh stage of the Dakar Rally with Stephane Peterhansel of France finishing third and keeping the overall lead.

A day after a Dakar stage was cancelled because of a snowed-in Andes pass for the first time, competitors took to soft sand and dunes in a 419-km loop course around the northern Chilean city of Copiapo in the Atacama region, one of the driest places on Earth.

Al-Attiyah, whose Hummer has been fast but plagued by bad luck, finally dominated to the end of a stage.

He beat second-placed American teammate Robby Gordon by 7 minutes, 30 seconds. Peterhansel was 7:53 behind in his Mini and happy to concede a 1-2 finish to the Hummers.

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Death mars first stage of Dakar Rally

SANTA, Rosa Argentina — The death of Argentine bike rider Jorge Martinez Boero on Sunday on the first day of the Dakar Rally focused attention on the hazards of one of motor sports' most dangerous events.

Organizers said the 38-year-old died from head and chest injuries during a crash on the first stage.

The stage from the Atlantic coastal city of Mar del Plata was won by Leonid Novitskiy of Russia in the cars category, and Francisco Lopez of Chile in bikes.

Novitskiy finished the special stage in 32 minutes, 12 seconds — five seconds ahead of Polish driver Krzysztof Holowczyc. Both are driving Minis. Stephane Peterhansel of France was third, nine seconds behind the leader.

Lopez, on an Aprilla, crossed the line in 32:37, 14 seconds in front of defending champion Marc Coma of Spain on a KTM. Javier Pizzolito of Argentina was in third place on a Honda, 27 seconds behind Lopez.

Fatalities occur often in the Dakar Rally.

Last year a man died when his small truck collided with a car participating in the rally. In 2010, a woman watching the race was struck and killed by a vehicle taking part in the race.

In 2009, the body of French motorcyclist Pascal Terry was found after he had been missing for three days following the second stage of the race.

Details surrounding Martinez Boero's death were not clear, but reports said he may have fallen after running off the course and striking an open sewer line.

"The organizers of the rally offer their heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones," race officials said in a statement.

Police said Martinez Boero died as he was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Mar del Plata. This was his second Dakar. Officials said he withdrew during the sixth stage of last year's rally.

This is the fourth consecutive year the event is being held in South America. The rally was held in Europe and Africa until the 2008 race was canceled because of fears of terrorism. It was moved to South America the next year.

The route this year is different to the first three, which were loop courses from the Argentine capital Buenos Aires to Chile, and then back to Buenos Aires.

This year the race begins in Argentina, passes through Chile, and finishes in Lima, Peru, on Jan. 15.

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McIlroy arrives on world stage after surviving rollercoaster 2011 season

LONDON — A year that witnessed the passing of one European golfing legend may have heralded the arrival of another.

The death of Spanish great Seve Ballesteros in May following a three-year battle with a brain tumor hit the golfing fraternity hard, although the outpouring of grief for the popular winner of five majors extended far beyond sport.

It was fitting, then, that the player who did so much to revive a flagging European game in the 1980s, thanks to his flamboyant style and good looks, should die in a year in which the continent's leading players maintained their hold over the Americans.

By becoming the first player to officially top the money lists on both sides of the Atlantic in the same year, England's Luke Donald comfortably ended a breakthrough 2011 as the world's top-ranked player.

However, it was Rory McIlroy, a mop-haired Northern Irishman, who triggered frenzied talk of becoming a genuine successor to Tiger Woods by powering to an eight-shot win at the U.S. Open at Congressional. At 22, he was the second-youngest player to win a major since 1934.

What made McIlroy's first Grand Slam success all the more remarkable was that it came two months after he blew a four-shot lead in the final round of the Masters, shooting a closing 80 in one of golf's more memorable meltdowns.

"He's a breath of fresh air for the game," said Graeme McDowell, McIlroy's close friend who won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2010. "Perhaps we're ready for golf's next superstar and maybe Rory is it."

One of the sport's cleanest hitters, McIlroy has every shot in his bag and the clinic he produced at Congressional brought back memories of Woods' 15-shot win at Pebble Beach in 2000.

The American's haul of 14 majors — four short of Jack Nicklaus — is now in the sights of McIlroy, who finished the year as the world's second-ranked player.

"I was trying to go out there today and emulate him in some way," McIlroy said of Woods after his final round at the U.S. Open.

So what of the former No. 1? By his very high standards, it was another year to forget.

No major wins, more injuries (leg, knee, Achilles tendon) and even a fine for spitting on the green during the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic in February, further tarnishing his name almost a year after vowing to improve his behavior following the sex scandal that ended his marriage.

What's more, he fired longtime caddie Steve Williams — much to the New Zealander's dismay.

Woods did at least break a winless streak of 107 weeks by capturing the Chevron World Challenge in December, lifting him to No. 22 in the rankings.

Now, it is Donald who is leading the way.

Shrugging off his "underachiever" tag, the 34-year-old Englishman won four titles, demonstrated amazing consistency by compiling 20 top-10 finishes from 26 tournaments played and topped both money lists.

Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer held the No. 1 spot early in the year, but were soon topped by Donald, whose imperious short game often made up for a lack of distance off the tee.

A failure to land that elusive major will still dog Donald, however, especially when players are capitalizing on Woods' troubles.

All four major winners in 2011 were first-timers — and no champion was more popular than 42-year-old Darren Clarke at a wet and windy British Open.

Puffing away on a cigarette as he ambled along the undulating fairways of Royal St. George's in often stormy conditions on the southeast coast, Clarke was a picture of contentment as he sealed a three-shot win, adding another name to the roll call of recent major champions from tiny Northern Ireland.

Charl Schwartzel of South Africa profited from McIlroy's misfortune to win at Augusta.

In the final major of the year, rookie Keegan Bradley finally gave the U.S something to shout about by winning the PGA Championship to end the longest American drought in the majors.

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American Farrar takes July 4th stage

Emotional victory: American Tyler Farrar celebrates after winning the third stage of the Tour de France on Monday in Olonne-sur-Mer. AP

REDON, France — Two months ago, Tyler Farrar was demoralized, sleeping 20 hours a day. He had even stopped riding, overcome by sorrow after his best friend died in a crash at the Giro d'Italia.

On Monday, Farrar became the first American to win a stage of the Tour de France on the Fourth of July. It was the first time he had won a stage in cycling's showcase race, and he dedicated the victory to the late Wouter Weylandt of Belgium.

"It's a little bit unbelievable to me at the moment that it actually happened," said Farrar, who pulled out of the Giro after the accident.

After crossing the finish line, Farrar held up his hands to form a "W" with his fingers and thumbs in tribute to Weylandt.

"This has been a horrible last two months with everything that happened in the Giro," Farrar said. "I've had a lot of ups and downs. But in the end, I wanted to be able to come back, and do something special to pay tribute, and this is certainly the biggest stage in the world to do that."

Farrar, a sprint specialist from Wenatchee, Washington, who rides for Garmin-Cervelo, sped ahead in the last few hundred yards of the 198-km course from Olonne-sur-Mer to Redon to win the third stage. He has now won a stage in each of cycling's three-week major tours — France, Italy and Spain.

The previous American to win a Tour de France stage was Levi Leipheimer, who in 2007 was first in the individual time trial in Angouleme.

"I certainly would have taken it on any day," Farrar said. "But as an American, winning on the Fourth of July, it's the icing on the cake. . . . Lucky me."

Norway's Thor Hushovd kept the Tour de France's yellow jersey. Hushovd, however, is a sprint specialist and is not expected to hold his lead through the mountains in the second and third weeks.

It was during the third stage of another race — the Giro in Italy on May 9 — when Weylandt clipped a wall on a steep descent. He fell off his bike and slammed his head on the ground, dying almost instantly. It was the first death of a rider at one of the major tours in 16 years.

In Monday's final sprint, the American nosed ahead of France's Romain Feillu, who was second, and Spain's Jose Joaquin Rojas, who was third. Farrar and a pack all had the same time: 4 hours, 40 minutes, 21 seconds.

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Hawks, Pa. League stage another dominant interleague campaign

Big winners: The Pacific League-leading Fukuoka Softbank Hawks celebrate winning their third interleague title. KYODO

Another interleague season is in the books and, as has been the case in each of the previous seven years, a Pacific League team is raising the interleague pennant.

Pa. League teams rolled over their Central League counterparts, combining to finish with an above .500 mark for the sixth time in seven seasons.

While the PL romped again, this interleague campaign may be remembered more for the way the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks dominated all-comers.

The Hawks scored more runs that any team — by a wide margin — during cross-league action while also allowing the fewest.

They were unbeaten through their first 13 games against CL teams, ending a wildly successful period with an 18-4-2 mark.

"This is the result of cherishing each and every game," manager Koji Akiyama told reporters. "From me to the players, everybody concentrated on their job."

The Hawks won the interleague title for the third time, adding to the back-to-back titles they claimed in 2008 and 2009.

At the other end of the spectrum are the Hiroshima Carp, who wasted a solid start to the season by going 6-16-2 against the Pacific League.

The Chunichi Dragons finshed fourth overall, representing the year's top finish by a CL team.

Interleague play wrapped up on Sunday. Teams return to regular competition on June 24.

Put on the brakes: Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pitcher Yu Darvish's brush with history came to an end on Wednesday in a 2-1 loss, only his second of the year, to the Hanshin Tigers.

Darvish threw a wild pitch in the third inning of that contest, allowing Matt Murton to score and ending his streak of consecutive scoreless innings at 46? frames.

That was good for second longest streak in Pacific League history.

The league record belongs to former Nankai Hawks star Tadashi Sugiura, who threw 54? straight shutout innings in 1959.

The overall NPB mark is one that may never be broken, a jaw-dropping 64? consecutive scoreless frames by Hall of Famer Masaichi Kaneda in 1958.

Vultures circling: Hanshin Tigers manager Akinobu Mayumi came under fire this week after Hanshin stockholders used a recent meeting to take shots at the suddenly embattled skipper.

Reportedly among the topics leaked out to the press, was dissatisfaction with Mayumi's management of the team and his insistence on playing the aging Tomoaki Kanemoto.

The Tigers' slow start is surely not helping matters, so Mayumi may want to start winning a few more games before the heat really gets turned up.

Flying high: Fukuoka Softbank Hawks lefty Toshiya Sugiuchi hit a milestone last week, notching his 1,500th career strikeout.

Sugiuchi is the third-fastest in NPB history to the mark, needing just 1423? innings.

Only Kazuhisa Ishii (1,432) and Yutaka Enatsu (1413) achieved the feat in fewer innings.

Bright spot: Yomiuri Giants hurler Tetsuya Utsumi threw a complete game against the Seibu Lions on Friday to become the first NPB hurler to reach nine wins this season.

Utsumi has been among the few bright spots, along with hitters Hisayoshi Chono and Alex Ramirez, in what has been an otherwise bleak season for the Kyojin. The lefty is 9-1 with a 1.32 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 10 starts.

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