Sports briefs March 11, 2013
Golf
Tiger Woods is hitting his stride on his march to the Masters.
Woods had full control of his game Sunday and never let anyone get closer than three shots until he had locked up his 17th World Golf Championship title. With a bogey that didn't matter on the final hole, he closed with a 1-under 71 to win the Cadillac Championship in Doral, Fla.
One year ago at Doral, Woods left after the 11th hole with tightness in his left Achilles tendon. He since has won five times in his last 22 tournaments worldwide, and can return to No. 1 in the world with a win in two weeks at Bay Hill.
Woods won by two over Steve Stricker, who gave Woods a putting tip on the eve of the tournament.
- Scott Brown went from a one-shot deficit to a one-shot victory in the Puerto Rico Open in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, when he made a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole to beat Fabian Gomez and capture his first PGA Tour title.
Brown closed with a 2-under 70, his final birdie set up with a 3-iron that he kept low to avoid palm trees and leave himself a 30-yard pitch short of the green.
Baseball
Dayan Viciedo went 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, and a Chicago White Sox split squad beat the Seattle Mariners 11-7 in Peoria, Ariz.
Viciedo was in the middle of a five-run first inning that featured non-roster invitee Stefan Gartrell's grand slam off Mariners starter Andrew Carraway.
Seattle hosts Arizona on Tuesday in Peoria.
NHL
Canadiens 5, Panthers 2: At Sunrise, Fla., Michael Ryder scored two power-play goals, and Montreal beat Florida.
Oilers 6, Blackhawks 5: Sam Gagner scored two of Edmonton's four goals in the first period and the Oilers won in Chicago, sending the Blackhawks to their second consecutive loss after their record-breaking start.
Penguins 6, Islanders 1: Sidney Crosby tied a career high with five assists, and Chris Kunitz posted his second hat trick of the season in host Pittsburgh's rout of New York.
Blue Jackets 3, Red Wings 2, SO: Ryan Johansen and Matt Calvert scored in the shootout to lead Columbus at Detroit.
Rangers 4, Capitals 1: About three hours after asking for more respect from NHL officials, Alex Ovechkin was called for two penalties within seconds, leading to a pair of goals that helped New York win at Washington.
Devils 3, Jets 2: SO: At Newark, N.J., Patrik Elias scored in the third round of the shootout to lift New Jersey over Winnipeg.
Flyers 3, Sabres 2: Claude Grioux scored on a second period power play to lift host Philadelphia past Buffalo.
Ducks 4, Blues 2: At Anaheim, Calif., Corey Perry scored the go-ahead goal with 14:40 left in the third and Anaheim beat St. Louis.
Wild 4, Canucks 2: At St. Paul, Minn., Zach Parise had two goals and an assist, Niklas Backstrom had 25 saves, and Minnesota beat Vancouver.
Avalanche 3, Sharks 2, OT: At Denver, Matt Duchene scored his second goal of the night just as time was about to expire in overtime, lifting Colorado over San Jose.
Tennis
Andy Murray earned a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 win over Evgeny Donskoy in a second-round match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif.
Mardy Fish of the United States earned a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win over Bobby Reynolds.
Skiing
World champion Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States was fastest in the first run of a World Cup slalom, edging overall champion Tina Maze of Slovenia in Ofterschwang, Germany.
- Ivica Kostelic of Croatia won a rain-drenched World Cup slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, while Marcel Hirscher of Austria clinched the season title in the event after his sole rival skied out in the opening run.
Sled dog racing
Former winner Mitch Seavey took the lead in the Iditarod and held onto it as he pressed forward along the Bering Sea coastline. Aaron Burmeister was just 15 minutes behind.
- The Associated Press