Pregnant runner Montano finishes to delight of crowd

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Alysia Montano will have a heck of a story to tell her first child.

Thirty-four weeks pregnant, Montano ran the 800 meters Thursday in the U.S. Track and Field Championships. The five-time national champion finished in 2 minutes, 32.13 seconds – nearly 35 seconds slower than her personal best of 1:57.34 in 2010 in Monaco.

The 28-year-old former University of California star finished last in her heat, but that didn’t matter one bit to the crowd gathered at Hornet Stadium. Trailing the lead pack by more than 120 meters for most of the race, Montano received a rousing ovation as she finished her first lap, and the cheering grew louder when she finally crossed the finish line.

Auto Racing

Pagenaud earns win No. 2 in race No. 2 at Houston GP

HOUSTON – Simon Pagenaud picked up his second win of the season with a victory Sunday in the second race of the Grand Prix of Houston doubleheader.

The victory comes a day after Pagenaud started from the pole in the first race but had an early spin and was later collected in Scott Dixon’s crash to spoil his race.

The Frenchman was the class of the field Sunday and led rookie teammate Mikhail Aleshin to the checkered flag for a 1-2 finish for team owner Sam Schmidt.

Golf

Rose finds the drink before finding a big playoff victory

BETHESDA, Md. – Justin Rose got his mistake out of the way early and won the Quicken Loans National in a playoff Sunday over Shawn Stefani.

Tied for the lead on the 18th hole, Rose tried to hit through the trees and put it into the water. He atoned for the mistake by making a 15-foot bogey putt and got into a sudden-death playoff when Stefani made bogey on the 17th hole.

In the playoff, Stefani punched out from the trees and repeated Rose’s mistake by hooking his shot into the water. Stefan made double bogey, and Rose won with a par.

It was Rose’s first win since the U.S. Open last summer at Merion. Congressional made it feel like he won another U.S. Open.

Zanotti last man standing in a long European marathon

COLOGNE, Germany – Fabrizio Zanotti won the BMW International Open to become the first player from Paraguay to win a European Tour event, beating second-ranked Henrik Stenson on the fifth hole of a playoff.

Zanotti won when Stenson conceded after failing to hole a bunker shot. Rafa Cabrera-Bello was eliminated on the fourth extra hole, and Gregory Havret dropped out on the second.

Wie can’t hold onto lead; late Lewis birdie wins it

ROGERS, Ark. – Stacy Lewis made a 7-foot birdie putt on the final hole in the NW Arkansas Championship to finally win an official event in her adopted state.

The top-ranked Lewis, the Texan who played at the nearby University of Arkansas, had an unofficial win in the rain-shortened 2007 event as an amateur. On Sunday, she closed with a 6-under 65 for a one-stroke victory.

Lewis birdied three of her final holes for her third LPGA Tour victory of the year.

Langer lays claim to yet another major championship

PITTSBURGH – Bernhard Langer made a short birdie putt on the second hole of a playoff with Jeff Sluman to win the Senior Players Championship.

Langer appeared to be in trouble when his second shot on the par-5 18th ended up in the rough short of the green. He hit a brilliant pitch to 5 feet and made the putt after Sluman’s birdie attempt rolled just wide.

The victory was the 56-year-old Langer’s third of the year and his third major title on the Champions Tour. The two-time Masters champion shot an even-par 70 to finish at 15-under 265 at Fox Chapel.

Sluman had a bogey-free 65 to match Langer but missed a birdie putt on the first playoff hole that would have won it.

Associated Press