Sports Briefs: Flutie, Toronto win CFL crown

Monday, Nov. 25, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

The elements couldn't slow down Doug Flutie, so what chance did the Edmonton Eskimos have?

Flutie battled through blowing snow and arctic temperatures to lead the Toronto Argonauts to a 43-37 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos Sunday night in the Canadian Football League's Grey Cup at Hamilton, Ontario.

"You can't shut Doug down," said Eskimos defensive back Glenn Rogers Jr. "You just have to keep him under control."

Edmonton didn't do a very good job of that either.

Flutie quashed talk that he couldn't play in cold weather by running for a touchdown and keeping the CFL's top defense off balance.

Flutie, who was the CFL's outstanding player this season, was also named the game's top performer. Teammate Mike Vanderjagt, who kicked five field goals, was voted the top Canadian.

The win returns the Grey Cup to Canada as the Baltimore Stallions claimed the CFL championship last year.

South Africans take World Cup

South Africans Ernie Els and Wayne Westner won the World Cup of Golf Sunday in Cape Town with a remarkable 29-under-par 547 total, beating Americans Tom Lehman and Steve Jones by 18 strokes. Els closed with a 5-under 67 to win the individual title at 16-under 272 on the Erinvale course. Els and Westner, second in the individual competition, shared $400,000 as the winning team, with Els getting an additional $100,000 as the individual champion.

In another golf tournament:

* Greg Norman won his fifth Australian Open title at Sydney, shooting a 3-under-par 69 for an eight-stroke victory. Norman, who earned $151,570 for his 77th career victory, had an 8-under 280 total on The Australian course. Tiger Woods finished 12 strokes back.

Wallace edges Earnhardt

A problem with his brake pedal helped Rusty Wallace prove to Japanese race fans that NASCAR drivers are a resilient bunch -- especially when misfortune paves the road to success. Under the formula applied to the Suzuka Thunder Special 100 -- a postseason exhibition race -- Wallace was able to overcome his mechanical problem. Because the top 10 finishers were inverted after a break at the midway mark Sunday, Wallace was able to start third in the second-half dash of 50 laps. Driving a Ford, Wallace, the 1989 Winston Cup champion, finished 1.192 seconds ahead of the Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt.

Sykora wins at Park City

Thomas Sykora felt like a winner, which was to be expected because he won the race. Norway's Kjetil Andre Aamodt finished third and thought of it as a victory. "I had a feeling yesterday that I'd win," Sykora said Sunday after his premonition paid off with a World Cup slalom triumph by .29 seconds over Austrian teammate Thomas Stangassinger at Park City, Utah. "I saw the slope, and I thought I could win the race." What Sykora saw when he gazed upon Park City's Clementine run was a gnarly, ice-covered mountainside that dropped onto a difficult, speed-robbing flat into the finish area. Sykora negotiated both with aplomb in completing two runs in 1 minute, 46.03 seconds.

U.S. soccer team triumphs

U.S. soccer coach Steve Sampson likes what he's seen -- and what he hasn't seen. With Joe-Max Moore scoring in the 34th minute, the United States beat Trinidad and Tobago 1-0 at Port-Of-Spain Sunday to virtually clinch a spot in the final qualifying round for the 1998 World Cup. The Americans are 3-0 and haven't allowed a goal in their last seven qualifying games since 1989. The victory left the United States in first place in its CONCACAF semifinal group. The top two teams in the group move into the six-team regional finals, scheduled for next year. The Americans play at Costa Rica (2-1) next Sunday and will advance with a victory.

Rebels get volleyball recruit

Lorna Lyttle, who has helped the Golden West College volleyball team to a 19-1 record and the No. 2 ranking in California, has committed to attend UNLV next fall. Lyttle is a 5-foot-9 outside hitter who is second on the Huntington Beach, Calif., team with 258 kills and third with 27 service aces and 44 blocks.