THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DOHA, QATAR Rafael Nadal struggled past Philipp Kohlschreiber while defending Qatar Open champion Roger Federer routed Nikolay Davydenko in their season openers on Tuesday. The second-ranked Nadal overcame Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3 in a match that lasted hours. Federer, who lost badly to Nadal and No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic over the weekend at an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, showed he had shaken off the rust by overwhelming the injury- plagued Davydenko 6-2, 6-2 in just 54 minutes. Also, No.
6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Tunisian wild card Malek Jaziri 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 6-1 and fourth-ranked Gael Monfils defeated Rui Machado of Portugal 7-5, 63. Nadal, who has struggled with a sore left shoulder since the end of last season, started well and looked headed for a routine victory. But the 43rd-ranked Kohlschreiber stepped up his net play in the second set and jumped to a 4-1 lead on his way to evening the match. Kohlschreiber went up a break in the third but Nadal broke back and took control from there. Nadal ripped a cross- court forehand past Kohlschreiber to go up 2-1 and then broke for 3-1.
Helped by an improving serve and able to win most of the big rallies, Nadal jumped to 5-2 and closed the match with an acrobatic overhead smash and then a vicious cross-court forehand that Kohlschreiber reach. Nadal admitted Kohlschreiber was a tough opening draw, since he often plays much better than his ranking would indicate. Nadal, though, has never lost to Kohlschreiber in eight meetings. In a rematch of last Qatar Open final, Federer expected a tricky encounter with Davydenko. But it was clear from the start that Davydenko a former world No.
3 who has fallen in the rankings to 41st would be no match for the third-ranked Swiss. Federer jumped to early leads in both sets. He had his service game working and repeatedly pounced on weak serves. Hoping for a fourth title in Doha, Federer was able to move the Russian around the court at will as he racked up 18 winners to seven. Davydenko also hurt himself with 20 unforced errors.
BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA Andy Murray shook off some rust and overcame some big returns from Mikhail Kukushkin for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 win at the Brisbane International on Tuesday night in his first singles match since late November. The top-seeded Scot lost the first four games before he rallied to beat Kukushkin and advance to the second round. Defending Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters had a closer call in the last match on center court, coming back from 3-0 down in the third set to beat Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 1-6, 6-3. Ivanovic won nine of 10 games after dropping the first set. After wasting a break-point chance in the fourth game of the third set, Ivanovic lost the next six games as Clijsters regained control to advance to the quarterfinals.
Murray played a singles match since he withdrew from the season-ending World Tour Finals at London with an injured groin. He announced over the weekend that he had hired eight-time Grand Slam winner Ivan Lendl as a coach in a bid to break his drought at the majors. No British man has won a Grand Slam singles title since Fred Perry in 1936, and Murray has been runner-up three times losing the last two Australian Open finals. Lendl is expected to join Murray ahead of the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 16 in Melbourne.
have a lot to work on judging by season-opening performance. Murray will play Gilles Muller of Luxembourg on Wednesday night. In other first- round matches, fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan beat Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, and sixth- seeded Radek Stepanek, a former Brisbane International champion, beat Aus- tralian Matthew Ebden 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. In matches, second-seeded Andrea Petkovic of Germany advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (2), 6-0 win over Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic. Joining Petkovic in the last eight will be 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy, who beat Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-4, and Daniela Hantuchova, who beat American qualifier Vania King 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
HOPMAN CUP PERTH, AUSTRALIA Marion Bartoli left her opponent in tears Tuesday after a 6-0, 60 rout helped push France past Australia in the eight- team Hopman Cup. Bartoli needed only 50 minutes to beat Jarmila Gaj- dosova, finishing off the match with her 12th ace. Later, Richard Gasquet clinched the victory for France by beating Lleyton Hewitt 6-2, 5-7, 6-1. Bartoli and Gasquet made it a 3-0 sweep when they beat Gaj- dosova and Hewitt 6-3, 6-4 in mixed doubles. It was first career singles victory over Hewitt in his third try.
4D ODESSA AMERICAN TWITTER.COM/OA_SPORTS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2012 THIS WEEK IN SPORTS LOCAL SPORTS THURSDAY College Basketball UTPB men vs. Texas International, 5:30 p.m., Falcon Dome. UTPB women vs. Texas International, 7:30 p.m., Falcon Dome. FRIDAY Rodeo 79th SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo, first performance, 7 p.m., Ector County Coliseum.
North American Hockey League Odessa Jackalopes at Texas Tornado, 7:30 p.m., Frisco. College Basketball New Mexico Junior College Classic: Odessa College women vs. University of Chihuahua, 1 p.m.; Odessa College men vs. Ranger College, 3 p.m., Hobbs, N.M. High School Basketball Odessa High boys vs.
Lubbock Coronado, 5:30 p.m., OHS Fieldhouse. Permian girls vs. San Angelo Central, 6 p.m., Permian Fieldhouse. Permian boys vs. San Angelo Central, 7:30 p.m., Permian Fieldhouse.
SATURDAY Rodeo 79th SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo, second performance, 7 p.m., Ector County Coliseum. College Basketball UTPB men vs. St. noon, Falcon Dome. UTPB women vs.
St. 2 p.m., Falcon Dome. New Mexico Junior College Classic: Odessa College women vs. Dallas Diesel, noon; Odessa College men vs. ABCD Prep, 2 p.m., Hobbs, N.M.
MONDAY Rodeo 79th SandHills Stock Show and Rodeo, slack, 7 a.m., Ector County Coliseum. TUESDAY High School Basketball Odessa High girls vs. Abilene Cooper, 6 p.m., OHS Fieldhouse. Permian girls at Abilene High, 6 p.m. Odessa High boys vs.
Abilene Cooper, 7:30 p.m., OHS Fieldhouse. Permian boys at Abilene High, 7:30 p.m. TV SPORTS College Football Time Event Station 7:30 p.m. Orange Bowl: West Virginia vs. ClemsonESPN College Basketball Time Event Station 6 p.m.Duke at Templeespn2 6 p.m.Marquette at GeorgetownESPNU 7 p.m.Kansas State at KansasMYTV16 7 p.m.Tennessee at MemphisFSSWP 7 p.m.UTEP at MarshallCBSSN 7 p.m.Lamar at Texas Christi RTV 8 p.m.Texas at Iowa StateESPNU Soccer Time Event Station 2 p.m.English Premier League: Newcastle vs.
Manchester United FOXSOC, FOXDEP National Basketball Association Time Event Station 6 p.m.Wizards at MagicNBATV 7:30 p.m.Suns at MavericksFSSW 9:30 p.m.Rockets at ClippersNBATV National Hockey League Time Event Station 6:30 p.m.Bruins at DevilsNBCSP College Basketball Time Event Station 11 a.m.Louisiana-Lafayette at Western KentuckyFCSA 8 p.m.Kansas at TexasLONG 2-KMID (ABC); 7-KOSA (CBS); 8-KPEJ (FOX); 9- KWES (NBC). RADIO SPORTS College Basketball Time Event Station 7 p.m.Texas Tech at Oklahoma Radio stations from around the Permian Basin are encouraged to submit radio listings to the OA sports department either by e-mail at oas- or by fax at 432-333-7742. PGA TOUR TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS Site: Kapalua, Hawaii. Schedule: Friday-Sunday. Course: Kapalua Resort, The Plantation Course (7,411 yards, par 73).
Purse: $5.6 million. share: $1.12 million. Television: Golf Channel (Friday, p.m., 9:30 p.m.- 2 a.m.; Saturday-Sunday, Noon-4 p.m., p.m., 9:30 p.m.-2 a.m., Monday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 3-7 p.m., 8 p.m.- Midnight). Last year: Jonathan Byrd won the season-opening tournament for his fifth PGA Tour title, beating Robert Garrigus with a par on the second hole of a playoff. Notes: Twenty-eight of the 39 qualifiers are entered in the event limited to 2011 PGA Tour winners.
PGA champion Keegan Bradley is the lone 2011 major winner in the field. U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, Masters winner Charl Schwartzel and British Open champion Darren Clarke are skipping the tournament, along with top-ranked Luke Donald and Phil Mickelson. Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore designed The Plantation Course on a pineapple plantation in the foothills of the West Maui Mountains. The Sony Open in Hawaii is next week at Waialae.
Online: www.pgatour.com EUROPEAN SUNSHINE TOUR AFRICA OPEN Site: East London, South Africa. Schedule: Thursday-Sunday. Course: East London Golf Club (6,770 yards, par 73). Purse: $1.3 million. share: $205,800.
Television: Golf Channel (Thursday-Sunday, 8 a.m.- Noon). Last year: South Louis Oosthuizen won with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff with Chris Wood and Manuel Quiros. Notes: Oosthuizen and 2009 winner Retief Goosen top the field in the season-opening event. The tours will team again next week for the Joburg Open. Online: www.europeantour.com Sunshine Tour site: www.sunshinetour.com Associated Press GOLF: ON THE TEE Permian Basin Golf Calendar Basin Golf appears every Wednesday in the Odessa American with listings of golf clinics and tournaments.
Additions to the tournament list are encouraged and can be sent to the sports department by fax at (432) 3337742 or by e-mail at Some events may not be open to the general public. For more information on a specific tournament, contact the host course. WEEKLY EVENTS Andrews County Golf Course: Public Thursday scrambles and Wednesday scrambles ongoing. McCamey Country Club: Wednesday scrambles and Friday couples events ongoing and will be 5:30 p.m. each time.
Call at least 30 minutes in advance to enter. Winkler County Golf Course: Wednesday night scrambles and Thursday night scrambles ongoing. Please submit information for 2012 to oas- AREA COURSE NUMBERS (432 area code unless noted) ODESSA: Champions Golf Center 367-3673; Odessa Country Club 272-4510; Ratliff Ranch Golf Links 550-8181; Sunset Country Club 3661061. MIDLAND: Midland Country Club 683-3621; Green Tree Country Club 694-7726; Ranchland Hills Country Club 683-2041; Hogan Park Golf Course (Quail Course and Roadrunner Course) 685-7360; Nueva Vista Golf Club 520-0500. SAN ANGELO: Bentwood Country Club (325) 944-8575; San Angelo Country Club (325) 6517395; Riverside Golf Club (325) 653-6130; Quick Sand Golf Course (325) 482-8337; Santa Fe Park Golf Course (325) 657-4485.
ABILENE: Abilene Country Club (325) 6922583; Fairway Oaks Country Club (325) 6951800; Maxwell Municipal Golf Course (325) 692-2737; Diamondback Golf Club (325) 6909190. ALPINE: Alpine Country Club 837-2752. ANDREWS: Andrews County Golf Course 5241462. BIG LAKE: Big Lake Golf Course(325) 8842633. BIG SPRING: Comanche Trails Municipal Golf Course 264-2366; Big Spring Country Club 2675354.
COLORADO CITY: Wolf Creek Golf Links (325) 728-5514. CRANE: Crane Country Club 558-2651. DENVER CITY: Yoakum County Golf Course (806) 592-2947. EUNICE, N.M.: Eunice Municipal Golf Course (575) 394-2881. FORT STOCKTON: Desert Pines Golf Course 336-2050.
HOBBS, N.M.: Hobbs Country Club (575) 3935167; Ocotillo Park Golf Course (575) 397-9297. IRAAN: Iraan Golf Club 631-8391 or 3020468. KERMIT: Winkler County Golf Course 5869243 or 586-5520. LAMESA: Plains Fairways Golf Course (806) 872-8100; Lamesa Country Club (806) 8722608. MARFA: Marfa Golf Course 729-4043.
McCAMEY: McCamey Country Club 6528904, 664-2537, 432-290-0412, 301-0030, 208-1226 or 631-4579. MONAHANS: Ward County Golf Course 9435044. OZONA: Ozona Country Club (325) 392-2520. PECOS: Reeves County Golf Course 4472858. SEMINOLE: Gaines County Golf Course 7583808.
SNYDER: Snyder Country Club (325) 5737101; Sammy Baugh Golf Course (325) 5739291. STANTON: Phoenix Golf and Country Club 756-2559. SWEETWATER: Sweetwater Country Club (325) 235-8093; Lake Sweetwater Golf Course (325) 235-8816. Area results appears Wednesdays in the Odessa American. Results can be submitted any time to the sports department by fax at (432) 333-7742 or by e-mail at None submitted.
Holes-in-one appears Wednesdays in the Odessa American. Aces can be submitted any time to the sports department by fax at (432) 333-7742 or by e-mail at None submitted. PERMIAN BASIN GOLF PGA season-opening event missing many big names BY DOUG FERGUSON The Associated Press KAPALUA, HAWAII The list of not at the season- opening Tournament of Champions reads more like a Missing are three of the four major champions Charl Schwartzel, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy, who at 22 already is on the very short list of golfers capable of moving the needle no matter where they play. If not enough, three of the four World Golf Championship winners from last year are not at Ka- palua, either. Luke Donald, the No.
1 player in the world, recently returned home from a year- end journey that took him from South Africa to Dubai to Australia. Adam Scott was home in Australia watching his girlfriend, Ana Ivanovic, win her opening match in the Brisbane International as she gets ready for first Grand Slam of the year. Martin Kaymer of Germany is gearing up for his title defense in Abu Dhabi. So left? A 28-man field of PGA Tour winners, tying the record for the smallest field to start the PGA Tour season on the shores of Maui. With apologies to PGA champion Keegan Bradley, WGC winner Nick Watney and FedEx Cup champion Bill Haas, the biggest stars at Kapalua might be found in the broadcast booth.
Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo have agreed to be co- analysts for the first time. A year ago, the winners- only field at Kapalua had 19 of the top 40 in the world. Now there are 19 of the top 100. The only two players from the top 10 are Steve Stricker and Webb Simpson. The PGA Tour no longer starts with trumpets blaring.
more like a solo on the ukulele. Then again, this is nothing new. Phil Mickelson caused a ripple when he stopped coming to Kapalua in 2002. Tiger Woods caused more of a tidal wave when he decided not to play in 2006, and he been back since (although he been eligible the last two years). The tour has toyed with the idea of expanding the field, either by inviting all past winners at Kapalua (Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, Jim Furyk and Geoff Ogilvy) or by offering a two-year exemption to the Tournament of Champions for PGA Tour winners.
That solve the problem. Some would argue that golf has too many exclusive, limited- field tournaments already. This one is worth keeping because only one way to stand on the first tee with such splendid, sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. Winning should still mean something. It would be easy to suggest these guys are spoiled.
How hard is it to fly to a tropical paradise at the start of the year, be treated to a free room at a Ritz-Carlton that hugs the Maui coastline, play in a small field with no cut for a $5.6 million purse and play a course carved out of a mountain that is different from anything they play all year? But more to it than that. Of the 11 players who at Kapalua, most have a valid reason. Brandt Snedeker, Fredrik Jacobson and Dustin Johnson are recovering from injuries. Kaymer and Clarke even PGA Tour members, and might want to save their starts for later in the year, perhaps closer to the majors or when they can put a couple of tournaments together. Justin wife just gave birth to their second child.
And with winners coming from all over the world, respect must be shown to the worldwide game. Padraig Harrington never played in the Tournament of Champions because this is when he traditionally takes his break from a long season. the case for McIlroy and Donald. Schwartzel has tournaments in his native South Africa this month. GOLF TENNIS TERTIUS AP Kim Clijsters hits a forehand Tuesday during a victory against Ana Ivanovic in the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, Australia.
Nadal, Federer open with wins in Qatar.
