Off the wire

GOLF

Schwartzel tops at Dunhill

Charl Schwartzel successfully defended his title at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, shooting a 4-under 68 on Sunday for a fourshot victory and his first European Tour victory in a year. Schwartzel finished with a 17-under total of 271 at Leopard Creek to secure his third Alfred Dunhill title. Richard Finch was second, while Simon Dyson, Ross Fisher and Romain Wattel tiedfor third. Schwartzel held the overnight lead and made four birdies in a bogey-free final round on a course where he has a history of stellar results. “This tournament has been very good to me,” Schwartzel said. “I’ve had lots of seconds here as well. Probably for the rest of my golfing career this will always be a special one.” The South African has four second-place finishes here to go with his three titles. It was his second title on the European Tour since winning the Masters in 2011. Schwartzel’s ninth career victory on the European Tour returned him to the top 20 in the world rankings. The 29-year-old Schwartzel went the last 62 holes of the Alfred Dunhill without dropping a shot after a double bogey on No. 10 in his first round.

Rory McIlroy birdied the 18th hole to beat Adam Scott at the Australian Open on Sunday, winning for the first time in 2013 and denying Scott the rare Australian triple crown. McIlroy started the last round four shots behind Scott but drew even when he eagled the seventh and birdied the eighth. Scott went a shot ahead with a birdie at the ninth, then the pair went shot for shot over the back nine before the tournament’s dramatic finish on the final hole. Scott’s approach shot went over the back of the green and his chip went well past the hole, with two putts bringing a bogey. McIlroy hit his approach to 10 feet and sank the putt to claim victory by a shot.

FOOTBALL Florida fires two

Florida has fired offensive coordinator Brent Pease and offensive line coach Tim Davis after the program’s first losing season since1979. Pease and Davis were let go Sunday, a day after the Gators (4-8) ended the season with a humbling, 37-7 loss to rival Florida State. The moves had been expected for weeks, as the losses mounted and it became clear Coach Will Muschamp would make changes on the offensive side of the ball. Pease and Davis were the primary scapegoats for a dismal season that included a dreadful offense and the worst loss in school history. The Gators finished the season ranked 112th in total offense. Florida managed just 279 yards in a 26-20 loss to lower-division Georgia Southern on Nov. 23 and then 193 against the Seminoles.

Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer says the players ejected from the Michigan game for fighting will not be suspended for the Big Ten championship game. Running back Dontre Wilson and offensive lineman Marcus Hall were kicked out of Saturday’s game when a skirmish broke out after a kickoff return in the second quarter. Meyer said Sunday that he will meet with Athletic Director Gene Smith and speak with Big Ten officials about the fight. A Big Ten spokesman said Saturday that the league would have to review video of the play before deciding if any players would be punished further. After Hall was ejected, he made an obscene gesture toward Michigan fans while heading to the locker room. The second-ranked Buckeyes face No. 10 Michigan State this Saturday in Indianapolis.

Dave Christensen was fired as Wyoming’s football coach Sunday after the Cowboys lost five of their last six games this season. He coached Wyoming for five years, taking the Cowboys to two bowl games. Wyoming finished 5-7 after starting 4-2, ending the season with a 35-7 loss to Utah State on Saturday. Christensen has three years remaining on a contract that runs through 2016. Wyoming said it will pay Christensen’s base salary for the remaining three years for a total buyout of $570,024. The buyout will not be paid with state money, the school said. During last season, Christensen was caught on video screaming profanities at Air Force Coach Troy Calhoun after a loss to the Falcons. The school suspended Christensen for a game for the tirade and fined him $50,000. Christensen went 27-35 in Laramie, and 16-23 in the Mountain West Conference. He took over after a successful stint as Missouri’s offensive coordinator and led the Cowboys to a bowl game in his first and third seasons.Wyoming went 8-5 in 2011, but slid back to 4-8 last year. Christensen worked under Gary Pinkel at Missouri and coached quarterback Chase Daniel when the quarterback was a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Police say one person has died and three people are in custody after an altercation in the parking lot of Arrowhead Stadium where the Kansas City Chiefs were inside playing the Denver Broncos. Police spokesman Darin Snapp told The Associated Press the death is being treated as a homicide but no arrests have been made. He says the victim had returned to his vehicle to find a stranger inside it and a struggle ensued. The victim, a man in his 20s, was found unconscious on the pavement. Snapp said paramedics began administering first aid before he was transported to a hospital, where he died. His name has not been released. Chiefs spokesman Ted Crews said the team knows about the incident but cannot comment further because of the police investigation.

BASEBALL Hughes to join Twins

The Minnesota Twins have agreed to a $24 million, three-year contract with right-hander Phil Hughes. A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press the two sides came to agreement late Saturday night. The person requested anonymity because Hughes still has to pass a physicalbefore the contract can become official. The Star Tribune of Minneapolis first reported the deal. Hughes went 4-14 with a 5.19 ERA last season for the New York Yankees. The Twins are hoping the 27-year-old will fare better in pitcher-friendly Target Field than he did pitching in hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium. Hughes joins Ricky Nolasco in the new-look Twins rotation. The Twins had the worst starting staff in the majors last year and have spent $73 million to upgrade it.

BASKETBALL Davis breaks hand

New Orleans forward Anthony Davis broke his left hand in the first half of the Pelicans’ game against the New York Knicks on Sunday, and the team says a timetable for his return is to be determined. The Pelicans said the injury was a non-displaced fracture of his hand. Davis, a second-year player out of Kentucky, was averaging 19.6 points and 10.6 rebounds entering the game. The No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft and a member of the U.S. Olympic team that won a gold medal that summer came in leading the NBA with 3.9 blocked shots per game.

SKIING

Swede takes giant slalom

Jessica Lindell-Vikarby of Sweden won a World Cup giant slalom Sunday in Beaver Creek, Colo., holding off 18-year-old American Mikaela Shiffrin with a fluid final run. Lindell-Vikarby finished the two runs on a demanding Beaver Creek course in 2 minutes, 17.92 seconds, with Shiffrin 0.09 seconds behind. Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein took third. Shiffrin is a slalom specialist who has worked all offseason on improving her giant slalom technique. This was her first top-three finish in the event. The teenager was accorded the Lindsey Vonn treatment by fans. They cheered the skier from nearby Eagle-Vail by ringing cow bells and holding signs with her picture on it. Vonn skipped the race to rest her right knee after a recent crash during training.

Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway captured a World Cup super-G Sunday, the third consecutive year he has won this event at Lake Louise in Alberta. Svindal finished in 1 minute, 28.53 seconds. He was followed by two Austrians - Matthias Mayer in 1:28.77 and Georg Streitberger in 1:28.91.