Nistlerooy double gives Real win

MADRID, Spain — Ruud van Nistelrooy scored two late goals as Spanish champions Real Madrid defeated bottom side Levante 2-0 on Sunday to re-establish their seven-point lead over Barcelona at the top of the Primera Liga table.

A staggering 36 points separated Real and Levante before kick-off but on the pitch there was little to choose between them before Dutch striker van Nistelrooy’s stole the points with his 10th and 11th goals of the campaign.

The Dutch forward put Real ahead on 76 minutes from the penalty spot before adding a second two minutes from time with a clincal strike.

Real now lead Barca, who beat Murcia 4-0 on Saturday, by seven points with Espanyol in third despite seeing their 14-match unbeaten run come to an abrupt end with a surprise 1-0 defeat at Almeria on Sunday.

Espanyol had not lost since a 2-1 defeat to Recreativo Huelva at the end of September but an 87th minute goal from Kalu Uche ended that run.

Villarreal are now breathing down their necks after a 4-3 comeback win over Deportivo La Coruna.

Turkish international Nihat scored twice in as many minutes to help Villarreal move back into the top four and close to within a point of Espanyol.

Villarreal looked to be heading for their seventh defeat as they trailed 2-1 but Nihat struck twice, in the 66th and 68th minutes, to turn the game in their favor and propel them into the Champions League spots.

Meanwhile, Levante started the better against Real — but the champions looked dangerous going forward and Julio Baptista and Raul both had efforts cleared off the goal-line.

In the second half Baptista and Brazilian compatriot Robinho both hit the post as Levante rode their luck.

Real had only failed to score in of the their previous 18 league matches and the breakthrough came on 76 minutes when Jose Serrano handled in the area.

Van Nistelrooy made no mistake with the penalty sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and he scored again on 88 minutes as Real took the spoils.

At the opposite end of the table Real Betis climbed out of the bottom three with a crucial 3-2 home victory over fellow-strugglers Getafe.

A brace from Argentine Hugo Pavone and an Edu strike clinched a fourth win of the season for the Seville club who moved up to 16th. E-mail to a friend

Nistlerooy double gives Real win – found here.

Sterne wins Joburg Open in playoff

(CNN) — Richard Sterne came through a three-man playoff with Garth Mulroy and Magnus Carlsson to win the Joburg Open at the second extra hole.

The South African, who trailed overnight leader Mark Murless by four shots at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club, carded an impressive six-under-par 65 to finish level with Mulroy and Carlsson on 13-under.

All three players birdied the first play-off hole but world number 44 Sterne then repeated the feat on the par-four 17th while compatriot Mulroy and Swede Carlsson could only manage pars.

Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke also finished strongly with a three-under-par 68 — 11-under for the championship — securing fourth place.

Sterne’s victory was his third European Tour title following wins at the Madrid Open in 2004 and last year’s Wales Open at Celtic Manor.

It was actually quite enjoyable to be honest, said Sterne. After the start I was quite far back and I knew I needed to get to 13 or 14-under.

Sterne was the highest-ranked player in the 204-strong field but he admitted he needed to play well to recover and win the top prize.

It was a tough day, he said. Any time you’re favorite to win or anything like that, I think it’s a little bit more pressure. I didn’t get off to a good start at all. I think I was three-over at some stage, but I came back strong and that’s what it’s about.

Fellow-South African Murless led through the opening three rounds but faded badly as his two-over-par final round of 73 saw him slip back to finish fifth with an overall aggregate of 275. E-mail to a friend

Sterne wins Joburg Open in playoff – found here.

Choi leads by four at Sony Open

HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) — A fast start and a strong finish gave K.J. Choi the round he was looking for Saturday in the Sony Open.

Choi got up-and-down from the bunker on the par-5 18th to cap off a 4-under 66 and double the size of his margin, taking a four-shot lead into the final round as he tries to become the first outright wire-to-wire winner at Waialae in eight years.

The only threat on a balmy day came from a rookie who wasn’t even on course.

Tim Wilkinson, a left-hander from New Zealand playing in only his third PGA Tour event, birdied seven of his first 11 holes and finished with an 8-under 62 for the best round of the week. That left him four shots behind Choi, who shows no sign of cracking.

Choi was at 15-under 195.

Kevin Na, who started the third round two shots behind, couldn’t keep up with Choi’s birdie-birdie start and only a pair of birdies on the final four holes left him in the mix. Na shot 69 and was at 10-under 210 with Stephen Marino (68).

Another shot back was a group that included Chad Campbell, who sized up the situation for everyone chasing Choi.

He’s going to be tough, Campbell said. He hits a lot of fairways, and that’s what you have to do out here.

Choi is 4-0 on the PGA Tour when he has the lead going into the final round, and his average score is 67 in those situations.

Choi is popular in these parts, with several fans showing up Saturday with South Korean flags, and his group of friends dressed in yellow. He birdied his first two holes from inside 10 feet and nearly made an ace on the fourth as he quickly expanded his lead.

I figured I’d lose some ground to K.J., Marino said. I think I can (catch him), but I’ll need some help from him.

It looked early on that Choi wouldn’t leave anyone with a chance.

He hit his approach to 3 feet on the opening hole for birdie, made a 10-foot birdie on the next hole, and his tee shot on the par-3 fourth took a few hops and hit the back of the cup before spinning 12 feet away. He had to settle for par. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Choi leads by four at Sony Open – found here.

Body of child thrown off bridge found, 3 others missing

MOBILE, Alabama (AP) — A duck hunter found a body Saturday of one of four children allegedly thrown from a coastal bridge by their father, raising hopes that the other bodies will be recovered, a sheriff said.

A search for the children — ranging in age from a few months to 3 years — began Tuesday near the mouth of Mobile Bay after prosecutors said the father, Lam Luong, confessed.

About 9 a.m. Saturday, a duck hunter found the body of an infant about five miles west of the bridge in a marshy area.

Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran said a chaplain informed the children’s family of the discovery Saturday morning.

Their mother, 23-year-old Kieu Phan, had gone with Luong to report them missing Monday evening. Watch the mother grieve

Cochran said searchers using sonar technology saw images Friday that they believed were three bodies. Watch emotions run high during the search

Currents were so strong divers were unable to get to the location, Cochran said. Divers re-entered the water Saturday beneath blue skies.

Luong, 37, a shrimp boat worker, was being held without bond on four counts of capital murder.

If convicted, he could be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole.

District Attorney John Tyson Jr. said Luong had confessed to throwing Ryan Phan, 3, Hannah Luong, 2, Lindsey Luong, 1, and Danny Luong, 4 months, off the three-mile-long bridge after an argument with his wife.

Luong later recanted, claiming two Asian women took the children and never returned them. But a witness saw Luong on the bridge with the children, and another saw him leave the area without the children, Cochran said Friday.

Luong’s appointed attorney, Joe Kulakowski, was meeting with Luong on Saturday and not immediately available for comment. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Body of child thrown off bridge found, 3 others missing – found here.

Adult, fetus found in shallow grave may be missing Marine

JACKSONVILLE, North Carolina (CNN) — The remains of an adult and a fetus were found Saturday in a shallow grave in the backyard of the primary suspect in the death of a pregnant Marine, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown announced.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean in the death of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach.

He is charged with first-degree murder, although authorities have not positively identified the body as hers.

This is consistent with what we were looking for: A pregnant lady who is the victim Maria Lauterbach and her unborn child, Brown said.

The body was charred, and the fetus was in the victim’s abdomen, Brown said, describing the scene in gruesome detail.

The fetus was developed enough that the little hand was about the size of my thumb. The little fingers were rolled up, he said.

One of the things that will probably stick with me for a long time, and forever, is that little hand, the way those fingers were turned, that had been burned off the arm. That is bizarre. That is tragic. And it’s disgusting. Watch Brown describe the scene

The remains were taken to the Onslow County medical examiner’s office. They will next be sent to the chief medical examiner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for DNA testing and comparison with dental records.

Lauterbach, 20, disappeared, when she was eight months pregnant, from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in mid-December, not long before she was to testify at a military hearing about her rape accusation against Laurean.

Laurean is believed to have left the base at 4 a.m. Friday, and a nationwide manhunt is under way. Watch authorities search for a grave

Lauterbach’s relatives believe her pregnancy was the result of the alleged rape, said Lauterbach’s uncle, Peter Steiner, a Kentucky psychiatrist.

Investigators told CNN that Laurean vanished four hours before his wife, Christina, approached Brown with a note from her husband claiming that Lauterbach had committed suicide and he buried the body.

We believe our suspect has fled the state of North Carolina; removed himself as far from here as he can get, Brown said Saturday. Watch Brown describe the cavity where the body was found

Brown said Friday that blood spatter evidence was found inside Laurean’s home, even on a ceiling. There was evidence of an attempted clean-up, including an attempt to paint over the blood spatter, he said.

Evidence now is saying what he’s claiming happened did not happen like he said it happened, Brown said of Laurean.

Lauterbach’s mother, Mary Lauterbach, reported the young woman as missing from Camp Lejeune on December 19. Mary Lauterbach said she had not talked with her for five days. Watch police face unanswered questions

Laurean, 21, of Nevada, is believed to be driving a black Dodge pickup with North Carolina license plate TRR1522. Laurean repeatedly refused to meet with investigators, finally telling them that his attorney wouldn’t let him.

The sheriff described him as dangerous, especially if cornered.

Military officials said Laurean was not taken into custody after Lauterbach reported the alleged rape because there was information the two carried on some sort of friendly relationship after she filed the complaint against him.

The information … leads us to believe that she still had some kind of contact with him, said Paul Ciccarelli, agent in charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service at Camp Lejeune, this week.

Because of that, Laurean wasn’t considered a flight risk, he said.

Steiner disputed that, and said his niece had no relationship with Laurean.

Ciccarelli also said the rape investigation is still active. See a timeline of the case

On Friday, authorities questioned Lauterbach’s roommate, Sgt. Daniel Durham, but said he had no apparent ties to her disappearance or death. Authorities have not released any details from that interview.
Adult, fetus found in shallow grave may be missing Marine – found here.