Price’s Playoff Victory Over Woods Is Worth $1 Million

Nick Price recorded his third win in the Million Dollar Challenge by beating Tiger Woods in a five-hole playoff Sunday at Sun City, South Africa.

Price won when he birdied the 409-yard, par-four 17th. Woods, whose ball was just off the edge of the green, two-putted the hole.

It was the first appearance by Woods in the tournament, and in Africa for that matter, and he was mobbed at each hole.

He forced the playoff by making an 18-foot putt for birdie on 17 and using a sand wedge from the fringe for a birdie on the 462-yard 18th.

Price, the defending champion and course record-holder with a 24-under in 1993, had eight birdies--six in a row--during the final round. He won the $1 million first prize, while Woods earned $250,000.

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Greg Chalmers, despite bogeys on two of the last four holes, held off playing partner Peter Senior and sentimental favorite Stuart Appleby to win the Australian Open at Adelaide.

Appleby was playing his first tournament in his homeland since the death of his wife Renay in a traffic accident after the British Open.

In accepting the trophy, a tearful Chalmers said he felt like a “villain” for beating Appleby. “The whole country is behind, you, Stewie,” Chalmers said.

Chalmers finished with an even-par 288 after a final-round 70 over the Royal Adelaide course. Senior, with a closing 70, and Appleby, with a 72, finished a stroke back. Robert Allenby (71) and Nick Faldo (73) were at 291.

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Meg Mallon and Steve Pate shot a final-round nine-under-par 62 in the modified, alternate-shot format to win the JC Penney Classic at Palm Harbor, Fla., with a tournament-record 29-under 255. Their bogey-free 62 also marked the lowest final-round score in a tournament that pairs LPGA and PGA Tour players. . . . Bob and David Charles shot a 10-under-par 62 to win the PGA Father/Son Challenge at Vero Beach, Fla. The duo made five birdies on each nine to finish the 36-hole tournament at 25-under 119, equaling the record set by Raymond Floyd and son Ray Jr. in the 1995 tournament. . . . Hal Sutton dropped out of the Presidents Cup in Melbourne, Australia, after the sudden death of his father-in-law. He will be replaced on the American team by Lee Janzen.

Miscellany

Nick Van Exel plans to sue the NBA, USA Basketball and FIBA in an effort to play the rest of the season in Europe, said his agent, James Bryant. The suit--which Van Exel and several other plaintiffs, including Marcus Camby of the New York Knicks, plan to file later this week--alleges that the NBA and USA Basketball will not give clearance to FIBA, the sport’s world governing body.

The problem, according to Bryant, is that Van Exel would want to finish the season in Europe--even if the NBA lockout were lifted--and then become a free agent next summer. Van Exel, who was traded from the Lakers to the Denver Nuggets in June, has one year remaining on his contract.

Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, beat out Guadalajara, Mexico, and Medellin, Colombia, as the host city for the 2003 Pan American Games. The voting was held in Panama City. The 1999 Pan Am Games will be in Winnipeg, Canada.

Teresa Edwards scored 28 points to lead the Philadelphia Rage (8-2) to an 85-68 victory over the Seattle Reign (7-2) at Seattle. . . . Shannon Johnson made four three-point shots and scored 20 points to lead the Columbus Quest (8-2) to a 65-61 American Basketball League victory over the New England Blizzard (2-7) before 8,112 at Hartford, Conn.

Baseball

Toronto General Manager Gord Ash hopes to complete a trade that will send Roger Clemens to a contender or closer to his home in Texas sometime this week.

Ash said he would try to narrow the field “early in the week.”

Winter Sports

Evgeny Plushenko, a 16-year-old Russian, landed a clean quadruple-triple jump and won the men’s singles at the NHK Trophy figure skating meet at Sapporo, Japan. It was Plushenko’s second Grand Prix victory. He also won Skate Canada four weeks ago.

Reigning world champion ski jumper Janne Ahonen of Finland defeated double Olympic champion Kazuyoshi Funaki of Japan and Germany’s Martin Schmitt at Chamonix, France. In the three previous World Cup ski jumps this season, Schmitt and Ahonen had finished one-two. Ahonen won with jumps of 98 and 97.5 meters.

USA I driver Jean Racine and brakeman Jennifer Davidson stopped a four-race winning streak by Switzerland’s Francoise Burdet by winning a women’s World Cup bobsled race at Park City, Utah.