Johnson wins golf's Tournament of Champions
Zach Johnson makes three straight birdies on the back nine and wins the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.
ZACH JOHNSON started the new year the same way he ended the last one.
Johnson pulled away with three straight birdies on the back nine at Kapalua and closed with a 7-under 66 to win the Tournament of Champions yesterday in Hawaii.
He didn't need any heroics, like holing out from a drop zone when he beat Tiger Woods in the World Challenge last month. This was mainly about chipping and putting, and Johnson is among the best.
He won by one shot over Jordan Spieth, who birdied the last two holes for a 69.
It was Johnson's third win in his last six starts. This was his 11th career win on the PGA Tour. Since his rookie year in 2004, only Woods, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh have won more.
Philly File
* Because of expected extremely low temperatures, Parx has canceled today's racing card.
* Tickets for Thursday night's Comcast SportsNet Shining Star Awards are on sale. Sonny Hill will be honored at the event. Tickets are $175 and can be purchased by calling the March of Dimes at 484-685-5849. The dinner event will be held at Hyatt Penn's Landing.
* Garrett Kerr, of the University of the Sciences, was selected as the basketball player of the week in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. Camille McPherson was named women's co-rookie of the week.
Sport Stops
* Budding star Chase Elliott has landed a full-time NASCAR ride for 2014 with JR Motorsports, with sponsorship from NAPA Auto Parts. He is the son of 1988 NASCAR champion Bill Elliott.
* The family of an 8-year-old boy killed in the Boston Marathon bombing has created a charitable foundation in his memory and is recruiting a team of runners for this year's marathon. In a blog posting, Martin Richard's family said they will recruit runners committed to the foundation's mission. They say the Martin W. Richard Charitable Foundation will invest in education, athletics and community. The boy was one of three people killed at the April 15, 2013, marathon when two bombs exploded near the finish line.
* American-born Brooklee Han was added to the Australian figure skating team for the Sochi Olympics after an appeal by another skater was dismissed. The Australian Olympic Committee said Han will skate in the women's individual event. Han's selection was delayed after Sochi hopeful Chantelle Kerry filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, claiming that Han was ineligible for the Olympics because she entered an event without the approval of the national federation.