ESPN.com

SILVIS, Ill. -- Even with a big lead, Steve Stricker knew he could be in for a rough final round at the John Deere Classic.

And that's exactly what he got.

Stricker led by seven strokes with 17 holes to play. With five holes to go, the lead was down to just two. But he maintained that margin the rest of the way Sunday and won the tournament for the second straight year, closing with a 1-under par 70 that was just enough to beat Paul Goydos.

"It's a position you want to be in, with a big lead, but you know you have everything to lose," Stricker said. "This is the exactly the same way I felt at Northern Trust. It was difficult. It's a hard round to play."

Stricker had a six-shot lead in the Northern Trust Open at Riviera in February and had to scramble to win by two. On Sunday, he found himself doing the same thing.

He played it safe and his putting wasn't sharp. The shot-making that had allowed him to record the lowest 54-hole total in PGA Tour history wasn't there. But he came through with a critical birdie after driving into the trees on No. 17 and finished with a 258 -- 26 under and a record for the tournament.

"You don't want to give shots away and then you end up playing a little safer than you normally do and it leads to tougher birdie putts," Stricker said. "Then they creep in closer because they were playing some good golf."

Goydos, who dazzled the golf world with his 59 in the opening round, shot a solid 66 but still fell short of dethroning Stricker, who won for the ninth time in his career.

Jeff Maggert shot a 70 to finish six strokes back.

Stricker started this final day with a six-shot lead and quickly bumped it to seven with a 7-foot birdie putt on the first hole. But he had to battle through the rest of the round before essentially sealing his victory at 17.

After driving into the trees right of the fairway for the second straight day, Stricker punched out to 91 yards, right in front of the green, then knocked a sand wedge to six feet. Measuring the putt carefully, Stricker tapped the ball and as fans yelled "Get in the hole," it dropped.

"I told myself you can make this and you need to make this," he said. "I look back at some of the big putts that I've made and there's nothing to be scared of and I rolled it in. So that was a big putt. To go into the last hole with two shots instead of one was huge."

Goydos also birdied 17 to stay two behind, but his last hope ended when he hit into the water on 18. Stricker bogeyed the hole after laying up and hitting into the left rough, but it didn't matter -- he was a champion again.

"Strick was hard to catch," Goydos said. "I tried and kept pushing and chipping and grinding and biting at him and doing what I could. But in the end, the putt he made on 17 was a world-class putt. That's what top five players do, that's what Ryder Cup players do."

With the championship sown up, Stricker hit a safe shot to the green on 18 and happily took his bogey. The world's fourth-ranked golfer doffed his cap and hugged his caddie and Goydos after tapping in his final shot.

Goydos, who had been trying for his first win since 2007, qualified for the British Open with his second-place finish. Deere officials arranged for two charter jets to fly the players direct to Scotland on Sunday night.

"I competed reasonably well today," Goydos said. "There are dozens of things I'm excited about and the perk is I get to go over and play at St. Andrews."

The final groups started three hours early because rain was forecast and they played in threesomes instead of pairs. And it was just in time -- it began sprinkling as Stricker, Goydos and Maggert played the 18th.

Maggert drew within four strokes of Stricker on the back nine, but fell back when he bogeyed 13.

Stricker also birdied the second hole on Sunday to match those by Goydos and Maggert. But things got tougher when he missed the green at No. 4 and took a bogey after leaving his 8-foot putt for par 3 inches short.

That changed the whole atmosphere of the round, he said.

"I was aggressive, feeling good," Stricker said. "I hit a good drive at 4 and then just walk off with a bogey. And [Maggert] makes birdie and all of a sudden my lead is five."

After dominating the TPC Deere Run course for three rounds, Stricker had a shot at the PGA Tour scoring record of 254 and the record of 32 birdies for 72 holes. He fell four strokes and one birdie short of matching those numbers, but he got a victory and that will make the long flight to St. Andrews seem a whole lot shorter.

"This is why we're playing right here," Stricker said, pointing to the trophy on the table in front of him, "to win tournaments. I wouldn't trade anything for this."

ESPN.com

OAKMONT, Pa. -- Paula Creamer wondered a few months ago if she would ever play golf again the way her badly injured left thumb was hurting.

What she couldn't have possibly guessed is she would play like this.

Creamer shed the title of being the best women's golfer to not win a major, never wavering during a four-shot victory Sunday at the U.S. Women's Open in which she steadily put away a field that couldn't match her confidence or consistency.

Creamer started with a three-stroke lead, then never let it go below two shots during a 2-under 69 that gave her a 3-under 281 for the tournament. Na Yeon Choi of South Korea shot a 5-under 66 at a softened-up Oakmont Country Club to tie Suzann Pettersen of Norway for second place at 1-over 285.

"That question always lurked: `How come you never won a major?' " said Creamer, whose thumb remained heavily bandaged during her post-tournament news conference. "Now we never have to get asked that question again. It's kind of a big relief off my shoulders."

Most of all, a big relief off a hyperextended left thumb she estimates is only 60 percent healed.

Limited to 40 practice shots before each round to lessen the pounding on a thumb that was surgically repaired in March, Creamer found the best possible way to limit the discomfort: take as few strokes as possible.

The 23-year-old Creamer, known as the Pink Panther for her all-pink attire, faded badly in the late rounds of the last two Women's Opens, and she missed the cut at last week's Jamie Farr Classic won by Choi. But she was as strong at Oakmont as her thumb is weak, with earlier rounds of 72, 70 and 70.

She had to be; after all, she punished that thumb by playing 52 holes during the final two days, 23 on Sunday, because of Friday's heavy rain that slowed down some of the fastest, trickiest greens in golf and created better scores.

"I was in pain, but I was trying to do everything to not think about it," Creamer said. "It shows you how much the mental side of golf can really take over."

With Creamer's lead briefly down to two strokes, her two biggest confidence-building shots of the day might have been long, par-saving putts on Nos. 7 and 8 -- even as Choi was charging with the tournament's second-best round. Song-Hee Kim had a 65 on Sunday and finished 13th.

Creamer, from Pleasanton, Calif., had four birdies and two bogeys, all but wrapping it up by hitting to within 10 feet out of the thick rough on the par-4 14th and dropping the putt for birdie. Only she didn't know for sure; she never looked at a leaderboard until the 18th.

She hit another exceptional mid-iron to 4 feet on the 442-yard 15th and made that, too.

Right about then, she sensed a major was finally hers. Two weeks after Cristie Kerr won the LPGA Championship by 12 shots with domination, Creamer won with determination.

"Without a doubt, I've matured over the last couple of months," said Creamer, so bored during her layoff she attended the Masters as a spectator. "It was hard. I've prepared for this for the last three months and it makes everything so much better. ... It [the adversity] made me more of an adult."

Creamer played only her fourth tournament since that operation required mechanical changes in her game because her right side is much stronger than her left. Forced to play 29 holes Saturday, she feared unwrapping her throbbing thumb because "it might explode."

Her game certainly didn't. Even if she worried in February that the thumb injury that initially occurred last year and worsened during a Thailand tournament might prevent her from regaining the form that allowed her to win eight times as an LPGA golfer by age 21.

"I thought, `Gosh, I might never play again,' " she said.

Don't think she wanted this tournament, this title? She first studied DVDs of Oakmont Country Club a year ago, watching the 2007 U.S. Open won by Angel Cabrera. A valuable lesson it was, as Sunday's pin placements were exactly the same as three years ago.

"Even when I had a cast on my hand, I was thinking, `Oakmont, Oakmont, Oakmont,' " she said.

Creamer stayed poised as most of the contenders around her kept tumbling, a reversal from her most recent U.S. Women's Opens.

Brittany Lang, the first-round leader with a 69, climbed to within two shots before bogeys on the 15th and 16th dropped her six back at 287. Lang, Yang and former world No. 1 Jiyai Shin tied for fifth at 286, one behind In Kyung Kim of South Korea.

Kerr, the world's top-ranked player, tried to charge with consecutive birdies on Nos. 2 and 3, but fell back with four bogeys in the next six holes. She tied for 17th.

"I played terrible, and Paula played great," Kerr said.

Alexis Thompson, the 15-year-old Floridian who is the successor to Michelle Wie as the next potential big star in women's golf, tied for 10th in her fourth Women's Open despite some faulty putting.

"She's the best 15-year-old I ever saw," Pettersen said.

Choi, seven back before the final round began, couldn't pull off the biggest comeback in tournament history. No golfer has rallied from more than five down in the final round.

"I didn't think about trying to win, I tried to focus on my game," Choi said. "I hit my shots with 100 percent confidence."

Creamer is the 12th first-time winner among the last 15 majors. Until Kerr won the LPGA and Creamer won the Women's Open, the United States had won only eight of the previous 39 majors. All nine of Creamer's LPGA victories came as she led going into the final round.

David Newton - ESPN.com

JOLIET, Ill. -- Two months ago David Reutimann stood on pit road at Charlotte Motor Speedway beside a duplicate of the Coca-Cola 600 trophy he won there a year earlier in a rain-shortened event. He joked about how there should be an asterisk beside his name, reminding everyone there is one every time somebody mentions the victory.

Deep down, you got the feeling he wasn't joking.

Deep down Reutimann wanted nothing more than to prove he belonged in Victory Lane just as much as four-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson or anybody else, that he wasn't just the driver who got lucky one day.

He can stop wanting. He belongs.

The 40-year-old driver for Michael Waltrip Racing took the lead from Jeff Gordon on Lap 213 of Saturday night's race at Chicagoland Speedway and dominated the final 54 laps for his second career victory.

As he crossed the finish line, his spotter shouted, "Ain't no rain tonight!"

But there was moisture in the air, and more than just from the tears raining down Reutimann's face and the Gatorade shower in Victory Lane.

"We earned this one," Reutimann said. "Nobody gave it to us and that feels pretty good."

The win felt good for a lot of reasons. It was refreshing in a season in which powerhouse organizations Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Penske Racing and Richard Childress Racing had won all but one of 18 races.

It was good to see the raw emotion of a driver hungry to win instead of the almost "aw-shucks-I-did-it-again" reaction from Johnson, Denny Hamlin and the Busch brothers, Kurt and Kyle.

Not since pole-sitter Jamie McMurray kissed the grass after winning the opener in Daytona have we seen a more popular win or emotional display.

This one may be even more popular because of how respected Reutimann is among his peers and because they knew the beating he'd taken for stealing the 2009 win at CMS.

If you weren't smiling watching Reutimann mess up his burnout because emotions overtook him, then you would have been when he walked into the media center and asked, "Where do I go?"

The Chase doesn't need fixing, as NASCAR chairman Brian France suggested last week at Daytona.

The sport just needs more wins like this one.

"He is just such a nice person," runner-up Carl Edwards said. "He is the first guy to congratulate me on something and the first guy to apologize if he feels he did something wrong. We all have to hang out with each other every week, but he is the guy you would hang out with if you had an off weekend.

"He is a good guy."

Reutimann also is a legitimate winner. He may even be a legitimate Chase contender now.

What the runaway win lacked in great drama it more than made up for in shaking up the standings with seven races remaining before the playoff field is set. Reutimann moved up two spots to 15th, 96 points out of the 12th and final spot occupied by fourth-place finisher Clint Bowyer.

Six drivers between 11th-place Greg Biffle and 16th-place Ryan Newman are separated by only 105 points.

The race for the points lead also tightened significantly, with Gordon -- who finished third -- moving within 103 points of Kevin Harvick, who finished 34th after developing mechanical problems.

It all sets the stage for an exciting finish to the regular season, but it's tough to imagine anybody more excited than Reutimann was on this spectacular summer night. The burden he's carried for more than a year had at times driven him crazy.

He does a good job of covering it up with a sense of humor that rivals anyone's in the garage. He jokingly called himself "The Franchise" of MWR after the Charlotte win, something his team took to an extreme by putting the words over his car door for a while.

"I've been around for not as many years as most, but I've not seen anybody have to walk around for a year and a half and apologize about winning a race," MWR general manager Ty Norris said. "Everyone sort of like had the asterisk next to that win.

"Tonight was a huge statement."

Not just for Reutimann. It was for all of MWR that has been in the shadow of JGR since that team moved to Toyota and became the manufacturer's centerpiece two years ago.

But it was especially huge for Reutimann, who didn't get his big break in NASCAR's premier series until an age (37) when many drivers are winding down their careers. There were times when he couldn't imagine being in the same series as Gordon, who made his 600th career start at Chicagoland.

There were many who felt Reutimann couldn't win unless something unusual happened, like rain.

"Yeah, I felt there was a cloud over it," Reutimann said of his first victory. "No pun intended, but a dark cloud hanging over our head with that win. ... Now I'm just wondering like, 'OK, here you go, just leave me alone.'"

Reutimann won this one, as Gordon said, in a style that "was about as good as it gets." He battled the four-time champion for about 15 laps, going high, low and eventually showing the patience it would take to get around him.

"They're [spotter and crew chief] just like, 'Stay on him, he'll make a mistake,'" Reutimann said. "I was, 'Are you kidding me? He's Jeff Gordon! When is he going to make a mistake?'"

Gordon eventually got loose a couple of times and Reutimann took advantage, leaving not only the competition but all of his demons from the 600 win behind.

His only concern over the closing laps was Edwards, who for the first time all season felt he had a car capable of winning. But the closest the 2008 Cup runner-up got to Reutimann was Victory Lane to shake his hand.

"When you come up with a racecar as good as we did from the shop, it makes life a lot easier," Reutimann said.

And when you leave with a victory that doesn't have an asterisk beside it life is a lot sweeter.

ESPN.com

JOHANNESBURG -- Exhaustion etched on their faces, fatigued bodies ready to betray them, the players knew just one goal would be enough to win the elusive World Cup for their nation.

As the clock ticked toward penalty kicks, the shivering crowd at Soccer City Stadium grew anxious.

Spain or the Netherlands would win its first championship if only someone could find the net.

Andres Iniesta did, and Spain rules the soccer world at long, long last.

"We have all done an incredible job," he said Sunday night, shortly after the 1-0 extra-time victory. "I don't think we even realize what we have done."

They beat the Netherlands on Sunday to go one better than the European title Espana won in 2008.

Spain won its last four games by a score of 1-0 -- a tight margin that characterized the month-long tournament. The World Cup featured a record 31 one-goal decisions out of 64 matches -- four more than the previous high set in 2002, according to STATS LLC.

This final was a physical test of attrition that sometimes turned dirty -- a finals-record 14 yellow cards were handed out and the Dutch finished with 10 men.

In the end, it was Iniesta breaking free in the penalty area, taking a pass from Cesc Fabregas and putting a right-footed shot from 8 yards just past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg with about seven minutes left to play, including injury time.

"When I struck it, it just had to go in," Iniesta said.

For the Dutch and their legions of orange-clad fans wearing everything from jerseys to jumpsuits to clown gear to pajamas, it was yet another disappointment.

Even with their first World Cup title tantalizingly within reach, they failed in the final for the third time.

This one might have been the most bitter because, unlike 1974 and 1978, the Netherlands was unbeaten not only in this tournament, but in qualifying for the first World Cup staged in South Africa.

Soccer City was soaked in Oranje, from the seats painted in that hue throughout the stadium to pretty much everyone seated in them, including crown prince Willem-Alexander.

It was different when they lost to hosts West Germany and Argentina in previous finals; this time, the Dutch were something of a home team. And the visitors won.

Spain had pockets of supporters, too, with fans dressed in red and scattered throughout the stadium. Among those cheering were Queen Sofia, Rafael Nadal and Pau Gasol.

Spain's fans might have been in the minority, but when the final whistle blew, they were tooting their vuvuzelas with a vengeance in tribute to their champions.

A second straight World Cup final headed into extra time, with the goalkeepers unbeatable. Stekelenburg, relatively inexperienced on the international level, made a spectacular left leg save when Fabregas broke free early in overtime.

The goal in the 116th minute came off a turnover by the Dutch defense that Fabregas controlled just outside the penalty area. Iniesta stayed on the right and sneaked in to grab the pass and put his shot to the far post. Stekelenburg barely brushed it with his fingertips as it soared into the net.

And with that, Iniesta tore off his jersey and raced to the corner where he was mobbed by his teammates.

Several Dutch players wiped away tears as they received their runners-up medals -- yet again. They had won every qualifying match and all six previous games in South Africa before the bitter ending.

The Netherlands now has more victories in World Cup games without a title than any nation: 19. Spain held that dubious record with 24.

Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk took off his silver medal as soon as he left the podium, a look of disgust on his face.

The winners struggled but managed to lift their coach, Vicente del Bosque, in the air in celebration.

"This is immeasurable for Spain," he said.

Then they made a quick costume change from their sweat-soaked blue jerseys into their traditional red ones.

Iker Casillas, the captain, accepted the trophy from FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who was bundled in a scarf since temperatures dipped into the 40s on this chilly winter's night in the Southern Hemisphere.

Casillas, voted the World Cup's top goalkeeper, kissed the distinctive gold award and raised it for all to see while cameras flashed and confetti flew throughout the still-full stadium.

"This really is quite a cup," Casillas said. "The European Championship was the most important moment of our lives, but today is much bigger than anything else."

Soon, the entire team and staff gathered at midfield for a group photo. The players bounced up and down to the World Cup theme song, then took a victory lap as the trophy was passed to each member of the squad.

"It's the most beautiful that there is. It's spectacular," Iniesta said.

Aside from a European title in 1988, the Dutch have been classic underachievers on the pitch.

Yet the Spaniards haven't been much better. Other than Euro championships in 1964 and 2008, they rarely have contended in major tournaments. At least the Netherlands made those two World Cup finals and advanced to the semifinals in 1998.

Spain joined West Germany and France as the only nations to simultaneously hold the world and European titles. West Germany followed the European title with the 1974 World Cup and France won the 1998 Cup before winning the Euros two years later.

The Spaniards also won the championship with the fewest goals, eight.

Second-ranked Spain started this World Cup in the worst way, losing to Switzerland. But Spain won every game after that, including a 1-0 victory over powerful Germany that was far more one-sided than the score indicated. No other nation has won the World Cup after losing its opener.

"They made it very difficult for us to play comfortably," Del Bosque said. "It was a very intense match."

Yet the most dangerous player Sunday was Netherlands forward Arjen Robben. He had a rare breakaway in the 62nd minute after a brilliant through pass from Wesley Sneijder. He had the ball on his preferred left foot, but a charging Casillas barely got his right leg on the shot to deflect it wide of the gaping net.

Then it was Stekelenburg's turn, holding his ground after a misplay in front of the net gave the ever-potent Villa an open shot.

As play opened up, the crowd of 84,490 got quieter in nervous anticipation of the goal that would win the World Cup.

Robben again looked as though he might get it with a burst of speed past the defense, but Casillas sprinted from his net and smothered the ball before Robben could take a shot.

"You felt that the team that would score first would win," Van Marwijk said. "We had two great chances through Arjen. We made a real game out of it."

Before the game, former South African president Nelson Mandela received a huge ovation when he was driven onto the field on a golf cart. A smiling Mandela waved to the fans as the vuvuzelas buzzed throughout Soccer City.

And after the game, Iniesta took time to salute Paul the Octopus, who correctly picked the winner of eight matches.

"As for the octopus, what can I say?" Iniesta said, smiling. "We won and I'm sure the octopus will be more popular in Spain."

Leander Schaerlaeckens - ESPN.com

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa -- It'll be a nice plane ride home for the Germans. They avenged their semifinal loss to Spain by defeating Uruguay 3-2 in a rip-roaring third-place match in the pouring rain. Here's who was hot and who was not.

Mesut Özil, Germany: B+

Die Mannschaft's streaky playmaker rebounded from underwhelming performances against Argentina and Spain when he was shut down by a strong holding midfielder and then by a good zone defense, respectively. Today he was incisive again, although he occasionally made things much more complicated than they needed to be when considering the space that was available to him. His homework for the next World Cup is to learn how to simplify his play.

Luis Suarez, Uruguay: B-

After a one-game suspension in the semifinals on account of a red card against Ghana, the feisty striker returned Saturday but took a while to announce his presence. Although he eventually got plenty of touches in the attacking third, he was seldom as dangerous as he could have been.

Thomas Müller, Germany: A-

The prodigy put Germany ahead in the 19th minute by skillfully helping home a rebound off a swerving Bastian Schweinsteiger shot. Muller really is the revelation of this tournament, and he's now tied for first place on the scoring charts with five goals -- matched by David Villa, Wesley Sneijder and Diego Forlan. There's lots more to come from this exciting player in future World Cups.

Diego Forlan, Uruguay: A

He had a stellar tournament and could again be counted on to lead his team with several influential touches and a sensational volley past a helpless Hans-Jorg Butt. As one of the tournament's standout players, Forlan deserved to take some hardware home. But ultimately he wasn't surrounded by quite enough talent. Who knows what he could have achieved had he been born a few hundred miles southwest of Uruguay?

Sami Khedira, Germany: B+

Germany's central midfielder, who has formed such an imposing partnership with Schweinsteiger, got forward more than he usually does. It sometimes created room for Uruguay to exploit but also oiled Germany's offensive wheels considerably. Khedira ultimately was rewarded for his audacity with the game-winning goal, cleverly heading a bouncing ball into the top far corner.

Diego Perez, Uruguay: A-

The Uruguayan holding midfielder was substituted halfway through the second half and thoroughly deserved the roaring round of applause he received, not just for tonight's game, but for his entire tournament. Together with Egidio Arevalo, he formed a stout wall in front of the back line, laying the foundation for Uruguay's remarkable run into the final four of the tournament.