Off the wire

GOLF Wiebe wins

Bernhard Langer gave Mark Wiebe one too many chances at the Senior British Open. Wiebe took advantage of Langer’s failure to close out the tournament, beating the German on the fifth playoff hole Monday at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, for his first senior major title. The American used a superb approach shot from the rough to set up a two-putt for par, while Langer failed to get up and down, seeing his par putt stay out. “I’m speechless,” Wiebe said. “I think it’s always better for both players had there been a birdie to win the playoff instead of a bogey, but right now, I don’t really care. I’m glad it’s over, and I’m honored.Langer led by two shots going into the final hole of regulation Sunday, only to settle for a double bogey when he struggled to get out of a bunker. The playoff was then halted after two holes because of darkness and resumed Monday, with Langer immediately missing another chance to win when his 12-foot putt wouldn’t drop. “I just was luckier today and last night than Bernie I guess,” Wiebe said. “I also feel like Bernie has won, what, a couple hundred tournaments. He’s won so many, I feel like this was my turn.” Langer, who won the tournament in 2010, was up by three shots entering the fourth round. He looked certain to earn a second Senior British Open title when he teed off at the 72nd. But his approach shot landed in a greenside bunker, and he needed two strokes just to get out of the sand. Wiebe, meanwhile, shot a 4-under-par 66 to match the German at 9-under 271. This was the first time in the 27-year history of the Senior British Open the tournament finished on a Monday. Former U.S. RyderCup captain Corey Pavin shared third - three shots back - with David Frost of South Africa and Peter Senior of Australia. It was the third year in a row Pavin tied for third at the tournament. Wiebe’s season has been plagued by a back and arm injury and he hasn’t finished in the top 10 on the U.S. Champions Tour all year. But he said he could swing a club without pain again.

FOOTBALL Ravens re-sign Leach

The Baltimore Ravens never gave up hope of getting back fullback Vonta Leach, and Monday they got their wish. Leach signed a two-year contract with the defending Super Bowl championsafter failing to find a proper suitor in the free agent market. “I’m excited about it. It’s great news,” Coach John Harbaugh said. “We’ve been in contact, we’ve been talking all along. It worked out great for the Ravens.” Leach paved the way for running back Ray Rice to gain 1,143 yards last season. Leach ran nine times for 32 yards during the regular season and scored a touchdown against Indianapolis during Baltimore’s run to the Super Bowl. But Leach declined to renegotiate his contract during the offseason and was released by Baltimore in June. At the time, Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome left open the possibility that Leach could come back, saying, “There could be an opportunity for him to return to the Ravens once he explores the free-agent market.” That is exactly what happened. Houston, Miami and the New York Giants expressed interest, but Leach ended up back to Baltimore, where he spent the past two seasons and earned two Pro Bowl invitations. The Ravens are off today, so Leach should beback on the field Wednesday. While he was gone, the Ravens drafted Harvard rookie Kyle Juszczyk at fullback. Juszczyk will become a second-stringer, but Harbaugh believes both fullbacks will be utilized. Leach will get the majority of the time when the games count, though, beginning with the Sept. 5 opener in Denver. Leach, 31, broke into the NFL in 2004 with Green Bay. Although his job is usually open up holes for other runners, he has rushed for 70 yards and scored 3 touchdowns in addition to catching 112 passes for 749 yards and 4 scores.

Buffalo Bills star defensive end Mario Williams missed his second consecutive practice to have his sore foot evaluated by team doctors. Coach Doug Marrone continued to be short on specifics regarding the injury on Monday. He would only say the tests were being conducted away from the Bills training camp facility in suburban Rochester. He added he has not yet received a report from doctors. Marrone still didn’t knowwhich foot Williams had hurt, or how or when the injury occurred. Williams was held out from participating in the Bills camp-opening practice a day earlier after he informed trainers that his foot was sore. He then watched practice from the sideline with his helmet on. Williams declined to comment about the injury, deferring questions to Marrone following practice.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert sprained his right ankle during training camp practice Monday and left the field on a cart. He was seen walking around the facility in tennis shoes and without a limp about two hours later. Coach Gus Bradley called it “a freak deal.” Since the Jaguars have today off, the team said Gabbert will be evaluated over the next 48 hours before determining whether he can practice Wednesday. Gabbert played his entire rookie season in 2011 with a nagging toe injury. He missed the final six games last season after injuring his right forearm. He also played through a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. One of his teammates caused the latest injury. Veteran guard Uche Nwaneri stepped on Gabbert’s ankle while trying to move to pick up a stunting defensive end. Gabbert fell to the ground and then slammed his helmet against the grass in frustration.

The Tennessee Titans have agreed to terms with offensive guard Chance Warmack, who had been the last remaining unsigned first-round draft pick. The Titans announced Monday that Warmack had agreed to a deal, but did not release any details of the contract. Warmack sent out a tweet saying, “Time to get to work! #Blessed.” The Tennessean in Nashville reported the former Alabama All-American had agreed to a four-year contract that features a fifth-year team option and has a total value of $12.17 million with a $7.2 million signing bonus. Warmack, the 10th overall pick in the draft, was a three-year starter at Alabama who was part of three national championship teams during his college career. Tennessee is counting on Warmack to contribute right away, but the rookie had missed the Titans’ first four training-camp practices. The Titans didn’t practice Monday.

Longtime Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said that the university mishandled its response to the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, a former assistant coach testified Monday during a hearing for three top school officials accused of a cover-up. Star witness Mike McQueary appeared in a courtroom for the third time since Sandusky’s November 2011 arrest and told the court that top school officials knew that he had seen Sandusky molesting a boy in a locker room shower. But the former Penn State assistant coach and quarterback also delivered some unexpected testimony: that the late Hall of Fame coach had told him over the years that “Old Main screwed up” - referring to university administrators - in how it responded to McQueary’s allegation against Sandusky. Pressed bydefense lawyers on his discussions of the subject, McQueary brought up a specific exchange at football practice in the hours before Paterno’s firing on Nov. 9, 2011 - four days after Sandusky’s arrest. He recalled the head coach saying the school would come down hard on McQueary and try to make him a scapegoat. Paterno also advised McQueary not to trust the administration or then-university counsel Cynthia Baldwin, the former assistant testified. Former Penn State President Graham Spanier, retired university vice president Gary Schultz and ex-athletic director Tim Curley are accused of failing to tell police about a sexual abuse allegation involving Sandusky and then trying to cover up what they knew. The men say they are innocent. Paterno died in January 2012.He has never been charged, though former FBI Director Louis Freeh said in a university-sanctioned report that Paterno conspired with the three school officials to conceal accusations against Sandusky. Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence after being convicted last year of sexually abusing 10 boys. He maintains his innocence.

SOCCER Ecuador star dead

Christian Benitez, a soccer star from Ecuador who led the Mexican league in scoring last season, died Monday a day after playing in a game for his club in Qatar. He was 27. The Qatari club El Jaish provided no details about the death but said Benitez did not complain about his health Sunday. The team is awaiting a medical report. El Jaish played Qatar Sports in the Sheik Jassim Cup, a warmup tournament for the upcoming season. The team said this was Benitez’s first game with his new team. The game was played in hot and humid conditions typical of the Persian Gulf this time of year. Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup and the searing heat has prompted many in soccer to call for the tournament to be moved to winter. Benitez, a powerful striker, joined El Jaish after helping his Mexican club America win the championship last season. “He was a player that over the short period he was here was regarded for his high moral character,” El Jaish said in a statement. Benitez also spent a season in England with Birmingham. In Mexico, he played with one of the country’s most popular teams. On its website the team mourned “one of the most recent America idols, and shares the sorrow felt by the entire Benitez Betancourt family, and the sport in Mexico, Ecuador and the world.”