iChina.com

PITTSBURGH -- Flanked by major champions and pursued by big names, Joe Daley stuck to his game. Twenty years after quitting his job as a credit salesman to turn pro, Daley wasnt going to back down. Not with his first victory on the PGA or Champions tours within reach. Not even with Fred Couples, Mark Calcavecchia and Tom Lehman among those looming. Daley won the Senior Players Championship on Sunday for his first Champions Tour title, closing with a 2-under 68 for a 14-under 266 total and a two-stroke victory over Lehman at Fox Chapel. Daley outdueled final-round playing partners Calcavecchia -- the winner the previous week in the Montreal Championships -- and Couples, the defending champion. Daley entered the day tied with Calcavecchia and a shot ahead of Couples and Lehman, who won the previous major last month. "I was my competition -- not them," Daley said. Im my own competition. Have been for years." After he won, Daley wore the same grin he had throughout much of a weekend in which he was always near the top of the leaderboard but never the centre of attention. The 51-year-old Daley became slightly choked up on the 18th green after capping his victory with a 20-foot putt for his tournament-high 24th birdie. Daley shook his head disbelievingly sand said, "Wow" four times before four questions were asked in his media conference. "All I was keying on was what I had next, with the best possible attitude and keeping my emotions under control," Daley said. "I had a little adrenaline going later in the round and I dealt with it pretty good, so here I am." The victory earned Daley full Champions Tour status for a calendar year. Before this weekend, Daley was perhaps best known for missing out on a PGA Tour card in 2000 when a short putt popped out of the hole during Q-School. Daley earned $405,000, more than double the $155,537 he made in 59 PGA Tour starts spread out over six seasons between 1994-2007. He had a tour card only in 1996 and 98, with only one top-10 finish -- a tie for sixth in the 1996 B.C. Open. Daley was a two-time winner on the Web.com Tour but had only one top-10 finish in 10 previous Champions Tour starts. Daley hit 43 of 56 fairways to tie for third in the tournament and had only four three-putts all tournament, none in the final round. "I thought he might get a little shaky in the back, but he was solid. ..." Calcavecchia said. "He deserves it. Hes been at this a long time, and this is a huge win for him." Lehman finished with a 69. He was trying to win his second straight Champions Tour major after taking the Regions Traditions in his previous start. Playing in the 90-plus-degree heat, Lehman bogeyed three of the final six holes. "Just a little bit off all day today," Lehman said. "I didnt play badly; I didnt play great. With the conditions the way they were, being a little bit off was enough." With the greens having baked all week under the heat wave, putting became increasingly difficult. Lehman compared the conditions of firmness and speeds of Sundays greens to that of a U.S. Open. Scoring was up more than a stroke and a half per round compared to Saturday, when it was a tournament-low 69.5. Nowhere was that more apparent than among the final three groups. The nine players were a combined 5-over. Only Perry matched Daleys 68. Olin Browne was finished at 11 under after a 65. Calcavecchia had a 72 to match Couples at 10 under. Couples, fighting chronic back problems all weekend, bogeyed Nos. 15 and 16 to drop out of contention. He wasnt the same after a second-round 63, shooting 1 over the final two days. His back stiff, Couples was stretching and moving gingerly throughout the tournament, finishing with a 71. Calcavecchia played the worst of the players in contention Sunday. He did not have a birdie until the back nine. Jeff Freeman briefly pulled within one of the lead with an eagle at No. 2, but finished with a 74 and ended up 11th at 6 under. Daleys best finish in 10 previous Champions Tour events was a tie for fourth in the Senior PGA in May. The $405,000 check figures to go a long way toward earning a full tour exemption next season as a top-30 finisher on the money list. Daley also is exempt for next seasons Players Championship. Daley was at least 2 under during all four rounds, gradually working his way up the leaderboard by the end of each round. Daley was two shots off the lead at the end of the first round, one shot back behind Couples after the second and tied with Calcavecchia after shooting a 68 on Saturday. Daley took sole possession of the lead with a birdie on the 483-yard par-5 second hole, pulling ahead of Calcavecchia and Lehman. Daley also birdied No. 9. "I know him enough to know hes a hard worker, hes very committed and willing to pay the price," Lehman said about Daley. "I look at a guy like him and say, Well deserved." Wholesale Jerseys USA. "Its been extremely frustrating for me. I dont think the negotiations should have been this difficult," Brees said on WWL radio in New Orleans. "Whats been a little frustrating on my end, or disappointing, is the lack of communication. Weve reached out on quite a few occasions and at times I know Ive been frustrated with the lack of response. Wholesale NFL Jerseys. -- Goaltender Nathan Lawson helped the Hamilton Bulldogs earn some redemption from their showing at the American Hockey Leagues Outdoor Classic. http://www.wholesalenikenfljerseysusa.com/. The Washington captain sparked a quick two-goal barrage in the third period but was also accused of a spearing Ottawas Chris Neil as the Capitals defeated the Senators 5-3. Wholesale Jerseys.P. Arencibia had a good day at the plate, but it was what he did behind it that satisfied him the most. LONDON -- Carlos Tevez backed down in his long-running feud with Manchester City on Tuesday, returning to the Premier League leaders after a three-month unauthorized absence at home in Argentina. After flying in from Buenos Aires, the 28-year-old striker was surrounded by police and photographers at Manchester Airport as he held one of his children. At Citys training ground, Tevez underwent medical tests to determine when he will be fit enough to return to the team he has not played for since Sept. 21. As he left the Carrington complex, fans stopped Tevez for autographs. "All the players are excited to have Carlos ... back to help achieve our goal," City defender Joleon Lescott wrote on Twitter. But Tevez is yet to apologize to City manager Roberto Mancini for walking out on the club, and he has not withdrawn his appeal to the Premier League to reclaim some of the 9 million pounds ($15 million) in fines or earnings that have been deducted by the club during the dispute. Having previously had transfer requests refused, Tevezs battle with City intensified in September when he refused to warm up in a Champions League match at Bayern Munich. "Ive decided to return for personal reasons and turn around the situation and win over the fans," Teevez said on Monday.dddddddddddd "They turned on me after what happened with Bayern because they were poorly informed." After being suspended by City, Tevez went to Argentina in November and the club has been writing to his solicitors every week demanding he return. While Tevez was in talks with AC Milan about a transfer in the January transfer window, City was not willing to loan him out or sell cheaply. City wanted at least 25 million pounds for the player signed from Manchester United before the 2009-10 season for about 47 million pounds. Having initially said it would be "impossible" to welcome Tevez back, coach Roberto Mancinis stance has since changed, saying the player could return to the team provided he apologizes for his insubordination. Tevez has appeared in three Premier League games this season and last appeared for the club in a League Cup win over Birmingham on Sep. 21. He was captain when City ended its 35-year trophy drought by beating Stoke 1-0 to win the FA Cup at Wembley last season. Tevez was the equal leading scorer in the league last season, joining Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov on 20 goals. But City has coped in his absence, scoring 64 goals in 25 games -- the most in the division. ' ' '