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CBSSports.com wire rep Until Chambers Bay morphed from an everyday public course into championship conditions, Mike Davis didnt know what to expect.

Davis, the U.S. Golf Associations director of rules and competition and responsible for developing the setup used at the U.S. Open, had some preconceived ideas of how Chambers Bay would play during the U.S. Amateur that ended on Sunday.

And after a week of watching the best amateur golfers in the world try and solve the hard fairways and sloping greens of the links course, Davis came away excited for what awaits five years from now when Chambers Bay hosts the U.S. Open.

“Its very fun to set it up,” Davis said.

Fun seemed to be the overwhelming word players and officials used to describe the way Chambers Bay played during the Amateur, won by Oklahoma States Peter Uihlein. Shot making was at a premium, as was imagination, taking away the idea of shooting right at pins or playing the hole exactly as it appeared.

Uihlein had a perfect example in Sundays final against David Chung. Knowing his downhill putt on the drivable par 4 12th hole had no chance of stopping near the hold, Uihlein rolled his putt past the hole, up a slope and watched it inch back toward the cup, settling just a couple of feet away.

“You cant really get close to the flags by hitting them at the flag. Youve got to use the slopes and be creative,” Uihlein said. “Youve got to hit every shot with a certain spin and height. Youve really got to control your ball.”

Chambers Bay was awarded the Amateur and the 2015 Open within a year of the course first opening. Its unique fescue grass, large footprint and setting on the shores of Puget Sound was the setting the USGA had been hoping to find to finally bring its national championship to the Pacific Northwest for the first time.

That meant the Amateur was a dress rehearsal for five years from now. The discoveries last week were plentiful.

For example, Davis learned that even with hard, brown fairways and greens, the grass at Chambers still needed sufficient water. During the stroke play portion of the Amateur, the firmness of the golf course got out of hand, Davis said.

The discovery: because of its sandy base, the golf course needed adequate water six, 12, 18 inches below the surface to maintain a level of fairness for players.

“There were some things that we did anticipate we thought might work really well. We had some questions about some things and there were some things that being very candid, we never had an idea, nor did the architects or any of the Chambers Bay people,” Davis said.

Davis said there will be plenty of adjustments to the golf course by the time its next in tournament conditions five years from now. Some fairways will be narrowed, others will be widened, and even others will be moved one direction or another. One major benefit for the USGA staff was seeing various weather conditions during the week and seeing winds blowing from three different directions.

Outside the ropes, there are issues with spectator transportation, crowd flow and fans climbing on the steep and slippery dunes around the course to be addressed.

“I think well spend the next few years trying to get that right because this was a dry run,” said the USGAs Tom OToole. “Thats why we came here. … A lot of notes this week [and] it will really help us in preparation for 15.”

By Art Spander
The Sports Xc Not so very long ago, Venus Williams was a tennis ingenue, the kid with beads in her hair and fire in her serve. Now, as U.S. womens tennis sinks to levels once unimagined, she has become the savior.

Its hard to believe that with her younger sister Serena, the worlds top player, missing because of an injury, Venus is the only American among the 32 seeded women in the U.S. Open.

Venus Williams pumps her fist after defeating Roberta Vinci of Italy to advance at the U.S. Open. (AP) But its not hard to believe that on a wonderfully warm evening during the Opens first day, Venus met her obligation.

On a questionable left knee that had kept her out of competition since a loss in the Wimbledon quarterfinals two months ago, Venus regained her touch and her confidence, defeating Roberta Vinci, 6-4, 6-1, on Arthur Ashe Court.

“I was pretty happy with my game,” said Venus, who turned 30 in June. “I hit everything pretty consistently. I had to. She didnt give me a lot of errors.”

What Venus gave was a needed jolt to the state of U.S. tennis, which, with Serena still recovering from a foot cut incurred after she won Wimbledon, is in limbo. No one, not even Venus, knew exactly how she would perform after rehabilitating the sprained left kneecap, which kept her out for eight weeks.

“I had a tough summer,” Williams said the other day. “I am still training. I am ready for the Open, thank God.”

She appeared ready against Vinci, ready to keep the stands full, ready to keep TV viewers watching, ready to keep the tournament in the headlines in a city where the Yankees are rolling and the Jets and Giants are preparing.

Opening Night. Big on Broadway, big at the U.S. Open. “Its a big deal,” said Venus. “Usually sold out. Everybody is watching. Theyre looking for big shots.”

And theyre looking for personalities, too. Hey, Bode Miller was in the house watching Venus.

“Theyre looking for big plays. When you get that applause, you know they appreciate it,” Venus added.

Venus play was big enough. It took the third-seeded Williams 1 hour, 14 minutes to get by Vinci, who is ranked 65th and only briefly, with a break in the seventh game of the first set, gave an indication she might make it interesting for Williams and the crowd.

“I definitely missed playing big points and being on court this summer,” Williams said of her return. “Not playing any matches wasnt ideal.

“Practice is so much different from a match. I thought I was hitting well, but there are things you only can take out of a match. I handled it well, and Im looking to build momentum for the next match.”

Venus won the Open in 2000 and 2001 and was a finalist in 2002 when she was beaten by Serena. But her Grand Slam success the last nine years has been on the lawns of Wimbledon, not the hardcourts of Flushing Meadows.

When asked what would make her happy at the end of this Open, Williams answered without hesitation: “Of course, Id like to be victorious. … Ive won it. Id like to do it again.”

Venus said for only a moment, when she landed hard on the leg in the first set, was there any worry about the knee, which was untaped, a surprise considering the last few years she has had tape on various areas of her legs. It was Vinci who did most of the running, not Williams.

“Maybe in the beginning,” was Venus response when someone wondered if she was conscious of protecting the knee. “But when you get into matches, theres adrenaline. That helps a lot. Being on court wipes a lot of things out of your mind.”

Not the intent on winning, however. If, 16 years distant from her pro debut, in a tournament at the building called the Oakland Coliseum, shes lost a step or an inch or two on her racket speed, Venus remains dedicated to her craft.

This was her 200th victory in a Grand Slam tournament. She has seven titles, five at Wimbledon. She knows what to do. She just has to do it.

“The more tournaments I had to pull out of,” Venus said of her summer, “the more I was like, Wow, whats going on? The mental game is obviously really important for me, to not give my opponents too many points.”

Without Serena, who was Tweeting to TV during the match from, apparently, somewhere out on Long Island, there can be no doubles for Venus. Thats disheartening, she said. Thats also advantageous because it means less stress on the knee.

The discu well, what Venus says the media sees as problems, as if only one seeded American woman and Andy Roddick being the only American male in the top 10 seeds is acceptable.

“I think us American players, we think we do a really good job of holding up the flag,” said Williams. “Weve been spoiled in American tennis since the very beginning to have so many great champions, such a tradition. There arent five Americans right now in the top 10, but at least theres one or two.”

Theres one in the womens draw, Venus Williams. And after a two-month layoff she won her first match. You are allowed to exhale.

Paris Saint-Germain has signed Ivory Coast defender Siaka Tiene from Valenciennes on a three-year contract.

PSG announced the deal on its website Tuesday but did not give any financial details.

The 28-year-old left back, who spent one year at Valenciennes, becomes PSGs third signing after midfielders Mathieu Bodmer and Nene.

Tiene has played 57 times for Ivory Coast. He played in two matches at this years World Cup, the 0-0 draw with Portugal and the 3-1 loss to Brazil.

PSG coach Antoine Kombouare had been looking for a reliable defender to help shore up a leaky defense that has conceded 10 goals in three straight losses.

Tienes arrival will likely push veteran Sylvain Armand onto the bench.

Bosnia midfielder Zvjezdan Misimovic is moving to Galatasaray from Wolfsburg on a four-year contract.

Misimovics departure Tuesday had been expected after Wolfsburg signed Brazilian playmaker Diego from Juventus last week.

Misimovic scored 17 goals in 65 Bundesliga games for Wolfsburg and was one of the key players in the team that won the 2009 title.

Birmingham has signed Chile winger Jean Beausejour from Mexican side Club America.

The 26-year-old Beausejour signed a three-year deal on Tuesday, shortly before the transfer window closed.

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish says that “Beausejour is an excellent, left-sided midfielder who had a tremendous World Cup with Chile.”

McLeish added that Beausejour “is strong and quick with the ability to beat his man and get crosses in.”

CBSSports.co Matt Kuchars fortunes took quite a turn Sunday, and so did his golf ball.

Kuchar beat Martin Laird in a playoff at The Barclays with a 7-iron out of the rough that rolled toward the back of the 18th green, then caught enough of the slope to turn back toward the hole and stop 30 inches away for a birdie.

It was a stunning conclusion to the first FedEx Cup playoff event.

Kuchar closed with a 5-under 66, and it didnt look as though it would be enough. Laird had a one-shot lead and needed two putts from just inside 25 feet for the victory, when he ran his putt 7 feet past the hole. He missed the par putt, setting up the playoff.

The timing could not have been better for Kuchar.

His first victory of the year came two weeks after he made his first Ryder Cup team, and the win can only give him a shot of confidence. Kuchar moved to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings by winning the first playoff event, giving him a good shot at the $10 million prize. And his third career win is likely to move him to a career-best No. 10 in the world ranking.

“Even if I had shut it down without a win, I would have felt it was a great year,” Kuchar said. “To win, its an incredible year.”

The Barclays: Final round Analysis Steve Elling
With his first victory of 2010, Matt Kuchar vaults onto the list of Player of the Year candidates. Read More >> Related links Final scores and earnings Scorecards: Kuchar | Laird

Tiger Woods continues to make progress, which in this case means he gets to keep going.

Woods, who started these playoffs at No. 112 in the standings, closed with a 4-under 67 to easily make the top 100 who advance to the second round next week at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Woods tied for 12th, his best finish since June, and moved up to No. 65.

Laird, who recovered from a shaky start, looked just as shaky at the end, especially with his putter.

He was tied with Kuchar when he had a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th, only to roll it nearly 8 feet beyond the hole. He made that birdie putt to take the lead, then repeated his mistake on the final hole in regulation.

This time, the comeback putt never had a chance. Neither did Laird in the playoff after Kuchars shot stopped so close to the cup. Laird hit out of the rough to about 50 feet and made par.

Matt Kuchar shoots 5-under 66 before earning his first victory of the season in a sudden-death playoff. (Getty Images) “Obviously, not the finish I was looking for,” Laird said. “But Im very proud of the way I played today. I was kind of battling all day, and probably holed two or three of the biggest putts Ive ever holed just to be where I was.”

The only consolation for Laird was being safe through next month in the playoffs. He was at No. 95, hopeful of advancing to the second round, and his runner-up finish puts him at No. 3 and virtually guarantees hell be among the top 30 at the Tour Championship who compete for the $10 million prize.

Steve Stricker closed with a 66 to tie for third with Kevin Streelman, whose parents grew up in this neighborhood and whose grandparents are buried in a cemetery next to the seventh hole. Two years ago at Ridgewood, Streelman narrowly missed a playoff. He also was on the bubble, starting at No. 102, and moved up to No. 18.

Rory Sabbatini had the low round of the day at 64 and tied for fifth.

The other big winner Sunday was Andres Romero of Argentina. He made back-to-back double bogeys to fall well outside the top 100, then made a stunning charge with four birdies over his final five holes. Romero holed a 40-foot putt on his final hole to finish at No. 100 in the standings and advance to Boston.

“After the double bogeys, I figured it was lost,” Romero said. “I knew I had to make birdies to have a chance.”

Woods thought he had a chance, despite starting the final round nine shots behind. Practicing a drill on the putting green to keep his eyes over the ball, he took that to the course and pl but he was encouraged by his play heading into next week at the TPC Boston.

“I havent won all year,” Woods said. “But this is a week that I was very close. I felt that if I would have putted better for all four days, I would have been right there. Looking forward to next week.”

CBSSports.com wire re U.S. Open top seed Caroline Wozniacki won her third consecutive Pilot Pen tennis title Saturday, beating Russian Nadia Petrova 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

The victory capped a good week for the 20-year-old Danish star, who won in Montreal on Monday.

In the mens draw, Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky won his second tournament of the year, beating Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Stakhovsky is unbeaten in four career ATP finals, including a win in Hertogenbosch this year.

Wozniacki heads to New York with four wins this season, the most of any woman on tour.

“I feel great,” Wozniacki said. “I have a Tuesday start. So, you know, Im on a roll.”

She took the early lead, getting the only break of the first set in the sixth game. She broke Petrova again to open the second set and seemed to be in control.

But holding serve was a problem for both players in the second set, and the Russian found her return game. She broke Wozniacki three times, and was able to hold up 5-3 to win the set.

Wozniacki said part of the problem was the sun.

“It was really difficult to see the ball when you were throwing it up from one side,” she said. “That made it a little bit more difficult.”

Wozniacki went up 2-0 in the third, after Petrova appeared to pull something in her back and called for a trainer. She double faulted to go down 3-1, but fought back to 4-3. Wozniacki broke her again and served out the match.

“I was thinking, `OK, I have a great serve, Im standing on the right side, I almost have new balls. So this one should be mine now,” Wozniacki said.

Petrova, who received a last-minute wild-card entry into the tournament, was playing her first final since 2008. She served 12 aces Saturday and said she likes where her game is heading into New York.

“If my back would have been OK in the beginning of the third set, maybe the set would have been closer and Id have maybe a chance to really challenge her, maybe win the title,” Petrova said. “Unfortunately, it didnt happen.”

Stakhovsky found himself down early in the mens final, when Istomin broke him in the second game of the first set.

But that would be one of just three breaks in the match, and Stakhovsky got the other two, the final one coming in the fifth game of the final set.

“Hes serving very well,” Stakhovsky said. “Its not his first serve. His second serve, hes placing it very well. Hes moving the ball around. Its not easy to guess. Ive done a lot of mistakes from his second serve because he was placing the ball differently.”

But Istomin was just as baffled with Stakhovskys serve and had just three break points the entire match.

“Hes serving good, serve and volley,” he said. “[It was] tough because I was like returning and he finishes the point. I mean, hes playing well today.”

Stakhovsky became the first Ukrainian to win two tournaments in the same season since Andrei Medvedev in 1994.

“Im really glad to win this title,” he said. “It pushed me to another level again.”

Wozniacki is 13-0 in New Haven and has now won the tournament more than any player except Venus Williams, who took four consecutive titles between 1999 and 2002. A crowd favorite, she said she hopes to defend the title next year.

“I love this tournament,” Wozniacki said. “Its been great preparation for me the last couple of years, so I would love to come back.”

Tournament organizers hope she can. They have until the end of September to let the United States Tennis Association know if they have the funding to replace Pilot Pen, which is ending its run as the tournaments title sponsor.

Former France striker David Trezeguet is in Spain looking to finalize a two-year deal with newly promoted club Hercules.

The 32-year-old Trezeguet was meeting Monday with the Alicante-based team, two days after leaving Juventus, where he spent 10 seasons.

Trezeguet says this “new adventure” holds the same excitement as when he signed with Juventus, especially as he fulfills a dream of playing in Spain. Hercules is unlikely to challenge for titles even with Trezeguet, however, returning to topflight football for the first time in 13 years.

Trezeguet scored 171 goals for Juventus, winning four Serie A titles. He was a member of Frances 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship winning teams.

France coach Laurent Blanc called up midfielder Yohan Cabaye and defender Anthony Reveillere for European Championship qualifiers against Belarus and Bosnia-Herzegovina as cover for the injured Lassana Diarra.

The versatile Diarra picked up a hamstring strain in Real Madrids Spanish league opener at the weekend and was ruled out for both games on Monday.

“Lassana could have played in two areas, as a defensive midfielder or a right back,” Blanc told a news conference. “We therefore thought it would be useful to call back a right back and a holding midfielder.”

Diarras withdrawal is another blow to Blancs side, which begins Euro 2012 qualifying at home against Belarus on Friday and at Bosnia-Herzegovina on Sept. 7.

Blanc will also be without Lyon playmaker Yoann Gourcuff, who is suspended after being sent off at the World Cup, and the injured Samir Nasri.

Blanc, a former Manchester United defender who replaced Raymond Domenech after the World Cup, was also unable to call on Nicolas Anelka, Patrice Evra, Franck Ribery and Jeremy Toulalan after they were suspended by the federation for the squads training strike in South Africa.

“Those things also happen at club level,” said Blanc, who coached Bordeaux to the French title in 2009. “But our problem is that most of the unavailable players usually play in the same area (midfield).”

Frances injury concerns could soon worsen after striker Karim Benzemas training session was cut short Monday after receiving a knock on his right ankle.

France spokesman Philippe Tournon said Benzemas injury “doesnt look serious.”

Reveillere has played six times for France and was part of the squad that crashed out in the group stage of the World Cup in South Africa.

Cabaye made his international debut last month in Blancs first game in charge, a 2-1 loss at Norway in a friendly.

“Its a bit unexpected and I had traveled to the south of France to be with my wife and daughter,” Cabaye told LEquipes website. “But I cant wait to be there and to start training. The France squad is an exceptional thing.”

Last week, Blanc picked nine World Cup players, including in-form Chelsea winger Florent Malouda.

“We will never forget what happened in South Africa,” Malouda said at Frances training camp. “But we need to soldier on and think about the future. We will give our best answer on the field. This will be the best therapy for all of us.”

In South Africa, France exited a major tournament in the first round without winning a game for the second consecutive time. The players also embarrassed their country with a training strike intended to protest Nicolas Anelkas expulsion from the squad following a foul-mouthed tirade at Domenech.

France will play its first home game since the World Cup against Belarus at Stade de France, and Blanc is hoping the fans wont take it out on his players.

“I dont know what the fans are hatching for us, but hopefully we will receive a positive welcome,” Blanc said. “I hope the people who will be there will be in the mood for football. If some of them want let off steam, I would advise them to go somewhere else.”

France, which has won the European Championship twice and the 1998 World Cup, recently dropped to the 21st place in the FIFA rankings, and Blanc needs to rebuild a team that was left in ruins by his predecessor.

“Im encouraging everyone to show humility,” Blanc said. “Im hearing that we have two easy games to play. But the reality is far different from this.”

Blanc said his main task is to restore confidence in his players, who will practice with former France great Zinedine Zidane at Wednesdays training session.

“I didnt ask Zinedine Zidane to come here for a speech,” Blanc said. “People who know him understand this is not his stuff. But he has things to share, and hopefully he will help us to reinforce the idea that the national team is a crucial element in the players career.”

Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano passed a medical to seal his transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona on Monday.

The 26-year-old Mascherano underwent a five-hour “exhaustive” review, according to team doctor Ricard Pruna.

Mascherano agreed to a four-year contract, with Spanish reports putting the fee for the ball-winning midfielder at ?22 million ($28 million).

Mascherano, who also played at West Ham and Corinthians, is a natural replacement for the departed Yaya Toure in the Spanish champions lineup.