Adam Scott - bridgestone invitational leaderboard

Scott bags Bridgestone victory

The chants and cheers began as Adam Scott walked toward the 18th green to complete a command performance yesterday in the Bridgestone Invitational at Akron, Ohio, and win his first World Golf Championship.

They were for his caddie.

But in a surreal scene at Firestone, they weren’t for him.

“Stev-ie Will-iams,’’ they shouted as Scott’s new partner broke into a big smile.

The celebration made it clear that Steve Williams felt vindicated after being fired last month by Tiger Woods. The interview after it was over - yes, he gave interviews - made it sound as if it was Williams who shot the 5-under-par 65. At one point, Williams described himself as a “good front-runner when I’m caddying.’’

“I’ve caddied for 33 years - 145 wins now - and that’s the best win I’ve ever had,’’ Williams said on the 18th green. This from a guy whose 12 years working for Woods featured 13 majors and 16 world titles among 72 wins worldwide. That includes the 2001 Masters, when Woods won an unprecedented fourth straight major.

Clearly, Williams is still angry over how - and when - Woods cut him loose. He disputed Woods’s version of how it happened, saying Woods told him over the phone, not in person.

Scott didn’t seem to mind that his caddie was getting most of the attention.

“I can talk about Steve now and not Tiger,’’ Scott said to laughter, alluding to the countless times he and other players have been asked about Woods. “I’m sure there are a lot of other golfers who wouldn’t mind that, either.’’

The latest chapter in the endless saga involving Woods took away from a premier performance by Scott, who didn’t make a bogey over his last 26 holes and couldn’t afford to with 19-year-old Ryo Ishikawa giving him all he could handle.

They were never separated by more than a shot until Scott chipped in from the side of the 12th green, then rolled in a birdie putt from just inside 30 feet on the 14th to build a three-shot lead. Ishikawa three-putted the 15th, and Scott had no trouble closing this one out.

He wound up winning by four shots over world No. 1 Luke Donald (66) and Rickie Fowler, who played a final round worthy of a winner with a bogey-free 66.

Ishikawa made a bogey on the last hole to tie for fourth with Jason Day. They both shot 69. For the Japanese star, it was his highest finish in America.

Scott finished at 17-under 263, the lowest score to win at Firestone since Woods had 259 in 2000 in an 11-shot win.

Former Hopkinton High School star Keegan Bradley, who entered the round tied for third just two strokes back, shot a 74 and finished T15.

With a three-shot lead, Scott thought about playing it safe on the 18th. Williams told him to take 6-iron at the flag, and Scott obliged with a shot that rolled past the cup and settled 5 feet away. When they got to the green, one fan shouted out, “How do you like him now, Tiger?’’

By then, Woods was long gone.

After missing three months with a leg injury, he finished a tournament for the first time since the Masters on April 10 and closed with a 70 to tie for 37th, 18 shots behind.

“I had it in spurts this week,’’ Woods said.

PGA - Scott Piercy squandered a three-stroke lead, dodged more trouble down the stretch, then made a 7-foot par putt on the final hole to win the Reno-Tahoe Open by one stroke in Reno.

Piercy shot a 2-under 70 to finish at 15-under 273, beating Pat Perez (68) by one stroke.

A day after setting the course record with a 61, Piercy had to scramble his way around Montreux Golf & Country Club to claim the $540,000 winner’s check.

Champions - Jay Haas birdied the final hole for a 2-under 68 to capture the 3MChampionship in Blaine, Minn., by one shot over Tom Lehman (68), Kenny Perry (66), and Peter Senior (70).

Haas, who earned his first tour victory in two years, finished at 15-under 201, the highest winning score at the tournament since 2006.

Nationwide - J.J. Killeen shot a 3-under 69 to win for the second straight week, two-putting from 90 feet on the final hole to avoid a five-way playoff at the Cox Classic in Omaha.

Reggie Bush, Haynesworth Are Traded: Burress to Meet With Giants

Defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth and running back Reggie Bush were among the players reported to be moving in the third day of National Football League free- agent negotiations.

The New England Patriots acquired Haynesworth from the Washington Redskins in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in 2013, according to the Washington Post. Bush, who won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints after the 2009 season, was traded to the Miami Dolphins after accepting a pay cut, the Associated Press reported, citing a person familiar with the talks.

Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who missed the last two seasons while serving a 20-month prison sentence on a weapons charge, is expected to meet with both the Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers this week, ESPN said, citing people with the teams and NFL it didn’t identify.

The NFL and its players ended a 4 1/2-month lockout July 25 with agreement on a 10-year labor accord. Under rules accompanying that deal, teams can negotiate free-agent discussions and trades, with no signings or announcements allowed until tomorrow. They could start signing rookies earlier this week.

Haynesworth, a Pro Bowl selection as a member of the Tennessee Titans in 2007 and 2008, was voted the league’s most dominant defensive player by his peers in a 2009 Sports Illustrated poll. Haynesworth joined the Redskins that same year, accepting a seven-year, $100 million dollar offer that made him the highest-paid defensive lineman in the league, according to ESPN.

Clashed With Shanahan

Haynesworth, 30, clashed with Washington coach Mike Shanahan last season, failing to pass his conditioning test at the start of training camp, skipping team workouts and questioning the team’s defensive formations. He was suspended for the final four games of the season for conduct detrimental to the team and had a career-low 13 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks in eight games.

Bush, 26, was drafted second by the Saints in 2006 after winning the Heisman Trophy as college football’s best player during his final season at the University of Southern California. Bush forfeited that trophy in September after the National Collegiate Athletic Association ruled that he was ineligible to play that season due to his involvement with an agent.

Bush, who has scored 29 offensive touchdowns in his five- year career, missed eight games last season with a broken right leg and had career lows in touchdowns, rushing attempts and receptions. When the Saints selected University of Alabama running back Mark Ingram in the first round of April’s draft, Bush said goodbye to the city of New Orleans on his Twitter account.

New Contract

As part of the trade, Bush agreed to a two-year contract worth about $10 million, AP said. He was scheduled to earn $11.3 million this season under his former contract.

Burress flew to New Jersey on July 26 to meet with Giants coach Tom Coughlin, but is unable to meet face-to-face with the team until tomorrow. The 33-year-old wide receiver, who caught the game-winning touchdown in the Giants’ Super Bowl victory over the Patriots following the 2007 season, will meet with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin following his meeting with the Giants, according to ESPN.

Burress was drafted No. 8 by the Steelers in the 2000 NFL Draft, and played five seasons in Pittsburgh before joining the Giants. In November 2008 he accidently shot himself in the leg at a nightclub in New York, and was sentenced to two years in jail. He was released from prison on June 6 after serving 20 months in jail.

Draft Picks Signed

The Cincinnati Bengals agreed to terms with wide receiver A.J. Green, the team’s first-round draft pick (fourth overall) from the University of Georgia, the team said on its website. The San Francisco 49ers also signed their first-round draft pick (seventh overall), former Missouri defensive end Aldon Smith, the team announced on its Twitter page. The 49ers have now signed all of their 2011 draft picks.

Teams can begin cutting players today from training-camp rosters. The defending American Football Conference-champion Steelers announced in a statement that they released offensive lineman Max Starks and wide receiver Antwaan Randle El. Starks started two Super Bowls with the franchise and Randle El started 23 games in two stints with the team.

The Philadelphia Eagles reached an agreement with 31-year- old defensive end Jason Babin, a 2010 Pro Bowl selection as a member of the Titans, ESPN reported. The Chicago Bearsagreed to terms with free agent punter Adam Podlesh, 27, who spent his entire four-year career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-28/reggie-bush-haynesworth-are-traded-burress-to-meet-with-giants-steelers.html