Dustin Johnson wins World Golf Championship

Against an all-world cast of contenders, Dustin Johnson pulled away with power and a clutch putt to win his first World Golf Championship on Sunday.

Johnson played a pivotal five-hole stretch on the back nine in five under par, seizing control by pitching in for eagle from just short of the green on the par-four 16th. He followed with an eight-foot birdie putt on the 17th and closed with a six-under 66 for a three-shot victory over Ian Poulter in the HSBC Champions at Shanghai.

“It was a lot of fun out there,” Johnson said. “Those guys put a lot of pressure on me. I’m really proud of the way I handled myself.”

Johnson set a tournament record at 24-under 264.

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Fred Couples won the Champions Tour’s season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship at San Francisco, and Kenny Perry topped the yearlong points race to earn a $1-million annuity.

Couples ended a 16-event winless streak dating to the Senior British Open in July 2012, closing with a two-under 69 for a six-stroke victory over Bernhard Langer, Peter Senior and Mark O’Meara. The Hall of Fame member has nine victories in four seasons on the 50-and-over tour after winning 15 times on the PGA Tour.

Couples finished at 17-under 267 at TPC Harding Park.

ETC.

Djokovic beats Ferrer for Paris Masters title

Novak Djokovic beat defending champion David Ferrer, 7-5, 7-5, to win the Paris Masters for his 17th consecutive match victory and sixth title of the season.

The second-seeded Serb still has a slim chance to finish the season ranked ahead of No. 1 Rafael Nadal. Djokovic improved to 11-5 against Ferrer, who was looking to become the first player to win consecutive Paris Masters titles.

Djokovic won the last four games in each set, rallying each time from a 5-3 deficit. Djokovic clinched the victory when the Spaniard sent a forehand into the net. Djokovic hit 34 winners to 15 for Ferrer and won 15 of 18 net points.

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Simona Halep of Romania won the season-ending Tournament of Champions at Sofia, Bulgaria, defeating Samantha Stosur of Australia, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2, for the sixth title of her career.

The top-seeded Halep, who was unbeaten through the group stage, played with a muscle strain in her left leg but still managed to win the last five games of the third set to close out the victory.

Halep won 20 of the last 26 points, finishing it off with a forehand winner down the line.

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Italy won its fourth Fed Cup title, sweeping past a Russian team that was without any of its top players because of injuries and scheduling conflicts.

No. 7-ranked Sara Errani cruised past Alisa Kleybanova before Flavia Pennetta and Karin Knapp won the doubles at Cagliari, Sardinia.

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The Detroit Tigers hired Brad Ausmus as manager, turning to a 44-year-old former catcher with almost no managerial experience to replace Jim Leyland at the helm of the three-time defending American League Central champions.

Ausmus, who worked most recently in the San Diego Padres’ front office as a special assistant to the general manager, emerged as Detroit’s pick less than two weeks after Leyland stepped down.

Ausmus played in the majors from 1993 to 2010.

Leyland retired after the 2013 season.

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Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in dominant fashion to clinch a seventh victory in a row and 11th of the season.

Although the German had already clinched his fourth consecutive world title at the Indian GP the previous weekend, he pledged there would be no letup in the United Arab Emirates.

Vettel beat second-place Mark Webber by 30.8 seconds and Nico Rosberg by 33.6 seconds.