CHASKA, Minn. — Tiger Woods finally met his match at a major. Y.E. Yang became an unlikely pioneer Sunday, notching a pair of shocking firsts with his three-stroke triumph over Woods at the 91st PGA Championship. Shattering a pair of major barriers at Hazeltine, the 37-year-old Korean became both the first Asian to win a major championship and the first player to chase down Woods on a Slam Sunday. Yang joined the PGA Tour last year and collected his first victory on the circuit at the Honda Classic earlier this season. Woods had been 14-0 when holding a lead after …

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CHASKA, Minn. — In a year of spoilers at the majors, Y.E. Yang was the biggest of all. He toppled the mighty Tiger Woods. Yang became the first Asian-born player to win a major Sunday with a stunning performance in the PGA Championship, memorable as much for his clutch shots as the player he beat. Woods was 14-0 when he went into the final round of a major atop the leaderboard. He had not lost any tournament around the world in nine years when leading by two shots. None of that mattered to Yang, a 37-year-old South Korean who hit …

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BERLIN — Usain Bolt has captured another world record, winning the 100-meter race in 9.58 seconds at the world championships. Bolt shaved 0.11 seconds off the record he set at the Beijing Olympics, beating defending champion Tyson Gay on Sunday, who set a U.S. record of 9.71 seconds. In the fastest 100 ever, Asafa Powell earned a bronze with a time of 9.84 in Berlin. The race had been the most anticipated event of the world championships and lived up to its billing. Bolt won the Olympic gold in Beijing last year with a world record performance of 9.69.

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PHILADELPHIA | It is after midnight in the steamy Wachovia Center, and a youthful, raucous crowd of more than 17,000 is on its feet. Kenny Florian is not. Florian lies on his back in an eight-sided cage, on the cusp of unconsciousness. Amid a tangled web of limbs, he struggles to break free from the grasp of B.J. Penn, a sturdy Hawaiian whose python right arm is wrapped around Florian’s neck. Within seconds, Florian’s world goes black. He doesn’t hear the crescendo of spectators, now in a frenzy. A second later, the referee steps in. The fight is over. This …

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CHASKA, Minn. Don’t engrave Tiger’s name on the Wanamaker Trophy just yet. Make no mistake, Woods is still the prohibitive favorite to walk away from Hazeltine on Sunday afternoon with his 15th major title. After all, it’s impossible to overlook his legacy of perfection as a front-runner. In 14 chances from the 54-hole major pole, Woods (8-under 208) has never failed to convert a lead or share of a lead into victory. The numbers are equally staggering in all PGA Tour events, where golf’s 33-year-old leviathan boasts a 47-3 record with 16 straight conversions as a third-round leader. The history …

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CINCINNATI | For most of this season, the Washington Nationals have failed to fare consistently well after emerging from long stretches of poor results. Eight times this season, they’ve gone on losing streaks of four or more games. And after ending those streaks, they answered by winning consecutive games only four times. The Nationals have arrived at baseball’s worst record by building a succession of long losing streaks, then failing to counter them with a series of wins. But with an eight-game winning streak under interim manager Jim Riggleman last week, they began to change that trend. They took a …

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CALIFORNIA, Pa. | The road into this tiny burg in coal country greets unsuspecting visitors with a sharp turn. And then another. Finally, there’s an encounter with the stoplight in town - a Kwik Fill gas station and Red Apple Food Store sturdily perched at the intersection and a Rite Aid situated catty-corner. It’s a slice of Main Street U.S.A., but it’s far from the easiest place to find. After countless career twists to match the bending roads around his new digs, former Maryland quarterback Josh Portis finally found California. And California, home to a Division II power, is glad …

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Nearly seven years later, DeAngelo Hall can still see the play. Atlanta and Minnesota were in overtime when Falcons quarterback Michael Vick took off running. Vick split two Vikings defenders, who collided while he scooted 46 yards to the end zone. Ballgame. “That’s one of the most exciting plays I’ve ever seen,” Hall said. Hall was attending Vick’s alma mater, Virginia Tech, at the time and became Vick’s teammate in Atlanta in 2004. He saw plenty of similar improvisational plays in practice the next three years. And now the Washington Redskins cornerback is set to face his former teammate for …

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CINCINNATI | With the Washington Nationals’ window to sign No. 1 pick Stephen Strasburg inside of 48 hours, things are heating up right on schedule. The team said it made Strasburg a record-breaking offer for a draft pick, surpassing the $10.5 million deal the Chicago Cubs gave Mark Prior in 2001. But it remains to be seen whether the San Diego State right-hander will agree to the major league contract as Tuesday’s 12:01 a.m. deadline approaches. Nationals president Stan Kasten told the Associated Press there is a “very real possibility, with 48 hours to go, that Stephen may choose not …

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From combined dispatches Wearing a No. 7 red quarterback’s jersey, Michael Vick completed his first pass, shared a laugh with Donovan McNabb and got a handshake from the offensive coordinator. Back on an NFL practice field for the first time since completing his prison sentence, Vick took part in limited drills with the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday. He was the fourth quarterback to line up under center in the early portion of the practice. Vick took only one snap and tossed a short pass over the middle without a defense on the field. He playfully pumped his fist before McNabb, …

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