By The Associated Press

Published: Monday, November 23, 2009
Updated: Monday, November 23, 2009 10:19 AM CST

Here's a look at weekend sports in brief around the world.

AUTO RACING

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — Jimmie Johnson has won a NASCAR record fourth consecutive championship with a fifth-place finish in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Johnson needed only to finish 25th or better to beat teammate Mark Martin in the race, won by Denny Hamlin, to give team owner Rick Hendrick his own NASCAR record, a 12th championship.

Johnson did better than that in a sometimes-testy drive into history. He was at times annoyed at rival drivers and even Jeff Gordon, the mentor and teammate who helped him land his job with Hendrick Motorsports.

TENNIS

LONDON (AP) — Roger Federer overcame an erratic forehand and Fernando Verdasco, rallying to beat his Spanish opponent 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the round-robin stage of the ATP World Tour Finals.

The top-ranked Federer was broken only once — in the opening game of the Group A match after double-faulting on the first point — but he never looked dominating until late in the second set when he converted his first break point to even the score at one set apiece.

In the early Group A match, Andy Murray overcame a second-set slump to beat Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Larry Bird and Magic Johnson have been linked since their epic 1979 NCAA title game. Now they’re going into college basketball’s hall of fame together.

Bird and Johnson were inducted into the National Collegiate Hall of Fame in Kansas City. The honor comes 30 years after Johnson’s Michigan State team beat Bird and Indiana State in a game that reshaped college basketball.

Johnson will be joined by his coach, Jud Heathcote, and late Oklahoma star Wayman Tisdale will be represented by his wife, Regina.

PRO SOCCER

SEATTLE (AP) — Robbie Russell scored in the seventh round of penalty kicks and the scrappy underdogs from Real Salt Lake beat David Beckham and the rest of the star-studded Los Angeles Galaxy 5-4 on penalties for its first MLS title.

Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando made two saves during penalties, and Landon Donovan, the Galaxy’s sure-footed league MVP, missed badly over the crossbar giving RSL a chance in the extra rounds. After Rimando smothered Edson Buddle’s shot, Russell beat backup Los Angeles keeper Josh Saunders into the lower left corner to set off a wild celebration.

GOLF

RICHMOND, Texas (AP) — Kristy McPherson finished off a 5-under 67 in fading sunlight to take a one-stroke lead in the LPGA Tour Championship before the second round was suspended because of darkness.

McPherson was 8 under, one shot ahead of Jiyai Shin — the South Korean star who had two holes to play. Lorena Ochoa, dueling with Shin for the player of the year and scoring title, was two strokes back in a tie for third with one hole to play.

Players will resume the second round Monday morning. The top 70 and ties will immediately begin the final round.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Mark Brooks won the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational for a record third time, birdieing three of the last four holes for a 5-under 67 and a two-stroke victory over Rickie Fowler and D.A. Points.

The 48-year-old Brooks, the 1996 PGA champion, had a 12-under 276 total and became the first three-time winner in the tournament’s 38-year history. The seven-time PGA Tour winner also won the unofficial event in 1992 and 2002.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Lee Westwood of England became Europe’s No. 1 golfer after winning the Dubai World Championship by six strokes.

Westwood shot a course-record 8-under 64 in the final round at the Earth Course to finish at 23-under 265. Ross McGowan of England was second after a 68, and Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, shot a 67 to finish third on 273.

FIGURE SKATING

KITCHENER, Ontario (AP) — Gold medals at Skate Canada came from vastly different performances for Joannie Rochette and Jeremy Abbott.

Canada’s Rochette, the world silver medalist, won the final Grand Prix series event Saturday, but several missteps showed she still has plenty of work to do.

Alissa Czisny, the U.S. women’s champion, was second.

The 23-year-old Rochette won her third women’s singles title at Skate Canada, scoring 112.90 points for her free skate to “Samson and Delilah” for a total of 182.90.

Abbott, the U.S. champion won the men’s event with 232.99 points, landing the only quadruple jump of the night, edging Daisuke Takahashi of Japan (231.31).

TRACK AND FIELD

MONACO (AP) — Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and 400-meter runner Sanya Richards of the United States won their second IAAF World Athlete of the Year awards.

Bolt retained the honor by winning the 100- and 200-meter finals in record times at the World Championships in Berlin, matching his 100-200 double from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He won a third gold in the 400-meter relay. Richards, the 2006 winner, got her first major individual gold medal at the worlds in August.

SWIMMING

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — World champions Ryan Lochte and Rebecca Soni won male and female athlete of the year awards at the Golden Goggles honoring the year’s top American swimming performances.

Michael Phelps won for male race of the year and shared a relay award after earning a leading six nominations. Lochte ended Phelps’ two-year ownership of the athlete of the year award.

BOBSLED

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Steven Holcomb, the reigning four-man bobsled world champion, won the four-man World Cup event at Mount Van Hoevenberg, giving the U.S. a 1-2 finish for the second straight day.

Holcomb finished the two-run race in 1 minute, 49.60 seconds to beat teammate John Napier, who rallied from fourth to second on the final run for his second career World Cup medal. Napier, who won the two-man gold on Saturday just ahead of Holcomb, finished 0.44 seconds behind and 0.10 ahead of third-place finisher Wolfgang Stampfer of Austria.