Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 13, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba Available at Manitoba Liquor Marts - while supplies last! DON’T MISS THE HOLIDAY ISSUE Read the Winter 2024 issue at winnipegfreepress.com/fp-features P I C K U P Y O U R C O P Y T O D A Y ! M A N I T O B A W I N T E R 2 0 2 4 T O P M A N I T O B A S K I S P O T S M A N I T O B A ’ S P R E M I E R F O O D , D R I N K A N D L I F E S T Y L E M A G A Z I N E I N S I D E S A V O U R HONOLULU — Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., delivered another theatrical finish Sunday, this time chipping in for eagle on the 18th hole to get into a playoff at the Sony Open and winning with a superb pitch that set up birdie to defeat Nico Echavarria. Taylor never looked like a winner at Waialae, especially after missing two short birdie chances down the stretch. That changed all so suddenly when his eagle chip from 60 feet rolled in on the par-5 closing hole for a 5-under 65. Echavarria joined him with a great bunker shot for a tap-in birdie on the 18th and a 65. They fin- ished at 16-under 264. Taylor has five PGA Tour titles and won the last three in a playoff. He had to hole a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th on the first playoff hole to stay alive. Playing the 18th again, Taylor went from a fairway bunker to 46 yards short of the cup. His pitch was close to perfect, landing on the front of the green and rolling with the grain and wind to just inside 3 feet. Echavarria was just on the collar at the back of the green, but his 40-foot eagle putt came up 7 feet short and he missed the birdie putt. “I’m a bit stunned this worked out this way,” Taylor said with a smile. So was Echavarria, who won in Japan last fall and finished one shot behind at Sea Island at the end of last year. His approach to the 18th on the first playoff hole looked to be about 20 feet away on the fringe until the wind gave it a nudge off the green into the rough. “I misjudged the lag putt on the last hole. I didn’t think it was going to be that slow. Didn’t consider the wind,” Echavarria said. “The wind kind of held it and my lag putting today was a little off, which is a strength of mine. But, I mean, just one bad putt can’t define a great week.” The victory sends Taylor to the Masters again, a big perk after a dismal end to last season. He had won the Phoenix Open with clutch putts in a play- off last year. His best playoff win was at home in the Canadian Open in 2023 when he made a 70-foot eagle putt. Stephan Jaeger and J.J. Spaun both left Waialae with plenty of regrets. From the time they made the turn, it looked like a duel between them to de- cide the winner, and they put on a great show until the final three holes. Jaeger holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the 14th to catch Spaun, who then followed by making a par putt from just inside 30 feet to stay tied for the lead. MONDAY JANUARY 13, 2025 ● SPORTS EDITOR: JASON BELL 204-697-7285 ● SPORTS@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM SPORTS SECTION C CONNECT WITH MANITOBA’S BEST SPORTS COVERAGE ▼ ● TAYLOR, CONTINUED ON C5 JASON BEHNKEN / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COMMAND CELEBRATION Washington Commanders placekicker Zane Gonzalez (middle) is mobbed by teammates after kicking the winning field goal as time expired to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 in an NFL wild-card playoff game in Tampa, Fla., Sunday. More on NFL playoffs / C2 Bombers re-sign star DE Jefferson D EFENSIVE end Willie Jefferson is remaining with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The 6-7, 248-pound Jefferson agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension Sun- day with the CFL club. The veteran was slated to become a free agent next month. The 2025 season will be Jefferson’s 11th in the CFL and sixth with Winnipeg, which have included two Grey Cup championship victories. Jefferson was named a CFL all-star last season for the sixth time after registering a team-high six sacks — just two off the league lead — with 25 tackles, two fumble recover- ies and a forced fumble. He also had 10 pass knockdowns. Jefferson has registered 74 career sacks, with 43 coming with Winnipeg, tying him for sixth overall in club history. Jefferson, who will turn 34 at the end of the month, is also the only CFL player with at least 50 sacks and 50 pass knockdowns (he has 78, ranking fourth all-time). Before joining the Bombers, Jefferson played previously for Edmonton (2014-15) with a Grey Cup win, and Saskatchewan (2016-18). — The Canadian Press JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES Willie Jefferson: back for sixth season with Bombers. Canada blanks U.S to claim women’s world U18 crown VANTAA, Finland — Marilou Grenier stopped 14 shots as Canada defeated the United States 3-0 on Sunday to capture the gold medal at the world women’s under-18 hockey championship. Dorothy Copetti and Stryker Zablocki had third-period goals to cement the Canadian win. Caileigh Tiller opened the scoring on the power play in the first as Canada outshot the U.S. 30-14, including by a 14-5 margin in the second. Sydney Sawyer added two assists for the Ca- nadians, who have now won eight gold medals at the U-18 worlds. A trio of 17-year-old Manitobans earned gold medals: forward Hayley McDonald from East St. Paul, and twins Kate Manness (forward) and Sara Manness (defence) from La Salle. “This has been so amazing; we have such an amazing staff and have shared in all of this. I am so happy and so proud of everybody on our team,” said head coach Vicky Sunohara. “We spoke about getting one per cent better every day and the team really showed that. They wanted to get better every day and be better for each other. It was a full team effort all tournament long.” Grenier recorded her fourth win in as many starts. She finished the tournament with a 1.00 goals-against average and .935 save percent- age, along with two shutouts. Canadian captain Chloe Primerano of North Vancouver, B.C., was named Best Defender for the second straight year. She also joined Zablocki — who led the tournament in goals (8) and points (12) — on the media all-star team. Earlier, Czechia defeated Sweden 2-1 in the bronze medal contest. — The Canadian Press MATT YORK / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Nick Taylor celebrates after chipping in for eagle on the 18th green during the final round of the Sony Open golf tourna- ment, Sunday, at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. Taylor takes another playoff DOUG FERGUSON Canadian wins fifth PGA Tour title, last three in extra holes ;