A Japanese court has handed down a suspended sentence to Australian golfer Wayne Perske for possessing and using cocaine.

Masaaki Ono, an official at the Chiba District Court, said the 36-year-old golfer received a year and six months in prison, suspended for three years.

Perske was arrested in October after inhaling cocaine at a bar in Chiba, east of Tokyo, and carrying some 1.25 grams of cocaine in his pocket. A customer at the bar alerted police, leading officers to search and arrest him.

Japan has strict anti-drug laws. Possession of banned drugs can carry a penalty of up to seven years imprisonment.

The Australian Open will precede the Presidents Cup next November, a decision that will almost certainly prompt Tiger Woods to skip the Australian Masters.

The PGA of Australia announced Sunday that the Open, likely to be held at a Sydney-area course, will be held from Nov. 10-13. The Australian PGA at Coolum will be played Nov. 24-27, a week after the Presidents Cup between the United States and an International team at Royal Melbourne.

The PGA also said that the Australian Masters was tentatively scheduled for Dec. 1-4, but that was still to be confirmed. Tiger Woods has played the Masters the last two years, winning in 2009, and has said hed prefer to see it played the week before the Presidents Cup.

The Masters is scheduled to be played at Kingston Heath, another sandbelt course near Royal Melbourne and one which would have given Woods and other Presidents Cup players an ideal preparation for the team event.

IMG, which manages Woods, also runs the Australian Masters and had hoped to get the prime slot before the Presidents Cup to boost its field. The Australian Open in Sydney will now have that opportunity, although the likely course, The Lakes, doesnt have as much in common with Royal Melbourne as Kingston Heath does.

“We would like this date. Its critical to us,” Mark Steinberg, head of IMGs global golf division, said in November during the Masters.

“We feel like we took on the risk by moving to this date a few years ago, going up against some big events, and we made it successful. We feel we deserve to keep the date, now that its a coveted date for next year.”

Woods received a $3 million appearance fee – half of that paid by the Victorian state government – but in his first year, a government study showed the economic return was more than $30 million.

Max Garske, the chief executive of the PGA of Australia, said Sunday that the decision “was made in the best interest of both Australian golf and the PGA Tour of Australasia.”

“There were a number of factors that needed to be carefully considered in finalizing the scheduling for 2011, including the timing of a number of international events, the availability of certain venues and the domestic schedule that best serves the Australian golfing public,” Garske said.

“With the focus of the golfing world set to be firmly on Melbourne come mid-November 2011, it is a given that the Presidents Cup will offer up a number of benefits to events falling on either side. So with these factors in mind we feel we have made the decision in the best interest of the game.”

Tiger Woods had a cortisone shot in his right ankle 10 days ago to relieve lingering soreness. By Tuesday, he was back to work hitting balls and filming a commercial.

Mark Steinberg, his agent at IMG, said Woods had intended all along to have the shot after the Chevron World Challenge, which ended Dec. 5. Woods has nearly two months off before his next tournament at Torrey Pines.

“This was always the plan,” Steinberg said. “Hes looking at 2011 as a big year for him.”

At this years Masters, Woods revealed he ruptured the Achilles tendon in his right leg in December 2008 while recovering from knee surgery. Steinberg says it still causes soreness, prompting the cortisone shot.

Steinberg spoke in response to Internet chatter that Woods had torn his Achilles while skiing. He said Woods has not skied in more than three years.

Woods posted two tweets Tuesday of photos from his EA Sports shoot at Isleworth, referring to one as a “tough day at the office.”

Woods is coming off the first winless season of his career, although he showed strong signs of turning his game around at the Chevron World Challenge. He lost a four-shot lead on the final day and was beaten by U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell in a playoff.

Procter & Gamble Co. will not renew its endorsement deal with Tiger Woods at the end of the year, adding another name to the list of companies that cut ties with the golfer after last years revelations of marital infidelities.

The company used Woods, Roger Federer, Lionel Messi and dozens of other athletes as part of its three-year “Gillette Champions” marketing campaign. Gillette said Thursday it was phasing out that program and not renewing the contract with Woods and several other athletes. It stopped using Woods himself in the campaign months ago.

The golfer was once the most sought-after pitchman in sports and was the first athlete to earn $1 billion from endorsement agreements. However, many corporations cut ties or distanced themselves from Woods after the scandal that broke just over a year ago and dominated headlines for months.

Accenture LLP, AT&T Inc. and Gatorade all dropped Woods as an endorser. Companies such as Gillette and Tag Heuer didnt end their relationships outright but stopped featuring him in advertisements.

Nike Inc. and Electronic Arts, which had more invested in his skills as a golfer rather than a more general symbol of excellence, stuck with him. Woods is trying to rebuild his golf reputation after his first year as a pro golfer without a tournament victory and losing his ranking as the top player in the world.

Gillette is also letting its contracts with other athletes, including soccer players such as Messi, Thierry Henry, and Kaka end as part of the conclusion of the marketing program.

Gi such as Federer, NHL star Alex for new local marketing campaigns.

Tiger Woods had a cortisone shot in his right ankle 10 days ago to relieve lingering soreness. By Tuesday, he was back to work hitting balls and filming a commercial.

Mark Steinberg, his agent at IMG, said Woods had intended all along to have the shot after the Chevron World Challenge, which ended Dec. 5. Woods has nearly two months off before his next tournament at Torrey Pines.

“This was always the plan,” Steinberg said. “Hes looking at 2011 as a big year for him.”

At this years Masters, Woods revealed he ruptured the Achilles tendon in his right leg in December 2008 while recovering from knee surgery. Steinberg says it still causes soreness, prompting the cortisone shot.

Steinberg spoke in response to Internet chatter that Woods had torn his Achilles while skiing. He said Woods has not skied in more than three years.

Woods posted two tweets Tuesday of photos from his EA Sports shoot at Isleworth, referring to one as a “tough day at the office.”

Woods is coming off the first winless season of his career, although he showed strong signs of turning his game around at the Chevron World Challenge. He lost a four-shot lead on the final day and was beaten by U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell in a playoff.

Augusta Chronicle columnist and golf writer Scott Michaux break down the happenings in the midst of the games so-called holiday break.

The Golf Writers Association of America recently named its players of the year, and it was a clean sweep for the internationals, including Graeme McDowell as male player of the year. Is that a surprise?

ELLING: First, the GWAA has been handing out awards since 1975, and this Yani Tseng and Bernh swept the balloting. There is little reason to second-guess the winners, though I personally believed Germanys Martin Kaymer, who had four global wins against full fields, had a better year than did McDowell, who closed with a spectacular rush at the Ryder and in dispatching Tiger Woods in a glorified exhibition earlier this month. If there was one thing that rankled about the membership vote, its that Jim Furyk finished second in the male Player of the Year results, behind McDowell and ahead of Kaymer. There is absolutely no way Furyk, who had three wins in the States, had a better year than Kaymer, who won a major. Its disappointing that the voting membership of an organization like the GWAA doesnt quite grasp that this isnt a PGA Tour award. Its for the best player in the world, and this year, all three winners came from outside the U.S. borders. The way things are going with the increase in international stars dominating the games highest levels, the membership better quickly learn that fact. Otherwise, to throw around a term raised not long ago by a certain world No. 1, it looks like “protectionism.”

MICHAUX: I think the GWAA made the right calls (even though I, too, voted for Kaymer) in every category. The LPGA and senior POYs were slam dunks with a couple of multiple major winners. And this was the most diversely deserving trio of male contenders in 15 years. Kaymer was more consistent and had a streak of sustained brilliance starting with his PGA victory and culminating in the top European Tour money honors. But McDowell had the higher-profile moments, upstaging a handful of giants at Pebble Beach, owning the climactic moment at the Ryder Cup and then brilliantly dismissing a resurgent Tiger in his own event. Those signature scenes were tough to top in the voting conscience. But your umbrage with those who voted for Furyk puzzles me. It was a completely legitimate vote to cast for a guy who won more events than anyone else on the worlds most competitive tour. Furyk, in fact, won three events that rated cumulatively higher in world ranking points than the non-majors Kaymer won. And he, too, was a leading Sunday contender at the PGA before a rules mishap derailed his march to the top of the leaderboard. Theres plenty of room in these subjective arguments to disagree, and a strong case could be made for a three-time PGA Tour winner and reigning FedEx Cup champion.

According to news reports that hardly shook the rafters of the game, Davis Love and Jose Maria Olazabal will be formally installed as opposing 2012 Ryder Cup captains sometime early next year. Bet you boys were shocked?

ELLING: What, were there any other candidates? The news that Ollie will get the nod was first reported a month ago in a Sunday paper in Scotland, and it didnt exactly cause any han is one of the most respected players on both sides of the pond and a former member of both the PGA and European tours. About the only other whispers as far as other Euro candidates were generated by journeyman and Ryder assistant Paul McGinley, who doesnt remotely possess Ollies pro pedigree or g who else is there? Love has played on multiple Ryder and Presidents cup teams, is about remember, this is an exhibition, an and was the only real option. Paul Azinger, who won the Cup in 2008, said he didnt want to reprise the role, so Love was clearly the most deserving man standing. Anybody else mentioned in conversation was either too young or paled in comparison next to Love. These two go back years, and in fact, Love played against Ollie in a two-man format three times in his first Ryder Cup back in 1993, with Ollie and partner Seve Ballesteros winning two of three points. Love is a NASCAR man, and to me, these guys were the obvious picks by several laps over anybody, everybody, else.

MICHAUX: Excellent choices. Deserving of the honorary posts. No real complaints. But I might offer one little quibble. At age 48 (in 2012), Love is young enough that he could have been shelved until the 2014 matches, where he would be a great U.S. ambassador overseas in Scotland. You need to send your most diplomatic envoys on the road trips, and Love is both diplomatic and appropriately glib to shine in that environment. For the next homestand, it would have been nice to see Mark Calcavecchia get the nod. Calc, like Love, is a one-time major winner with a lot more near-misses in his bag. Like Love, Calc had his share of Ryder Cup glory (and ignominy). He participated in four Ryder Cups spanning 15 years (1987-2002) and actually had a better winning percentage than Love (6-7-1 compared to Loves 9-12-5). Calc is one of the most entertaining characters in golf, with a sharp wit and a fearless personality that would have kept the matches interesting throughout the buildup and between sessions. As one of the most popular guys on tour, U.S. players would have loved competing for him. And since the Americans are already the most fashion-impaired team, Calc could have really made a statement with the bowling-style uniforms that his favorite hobby suggests he might prefer. It might have sparked a whole new fashion trend in golf, with FootJoy selling three-toned bowling style golf shoes and Nike embarking on a Charlie (Sheen) Harper-inspired line of polyester shirts. Alas, Calc is already 50, and history suggests his window closes after 2012. Too bad he got passed over.

It was yet another horrid week for Tiger Woods on the public-opinion front with the news that he hasnt spoken with his three half-brothers in years and that he will miss his sons birthday in the spring while playing in Europe. After all the water under the bridge, can he ever rebuild his credibility?

ELLING: Just when it seemed like the seas had finally calmed, two brutal reports surfaced last week that again painted Woods as self-absorbed, which is hardly headline news, really. First, an Internet report noted that despite promises he made this year, he will miss his sons birthday in the spring while chasing an appearance fee on the European Tour. Then CNN broadcast a lengthy interview with his half brother, Earl Woods Jr., in which his older sibling noted that he hasnt spoken with Tiger since early 2006, at their fathers funeral. Not for lack of trying, either. T Earl Sr. wa even though one of his three half-brothers has multiple sclerosis and is in poor health, Earl Jr. told the network. There is no bad blood in the family, Earl Jr. insists, which almost makes it worse. To wit, why has Tiger cut them off? Few of us would want our family lives dissected in such public fashion, but the latest batch of news relating to Woods is just plain disheartening in a manner thats completely different from his earlier scandals and marital troubles. If he wants to truly reinvent himself, maybe he ought to start at home? The bloodlines in families are complex and run deep with emotion. But this isnt an enjoyable holiday tale of togetherness or anything that will help his rehab in the eye of public opinion.

MICHAUX: This really isnt a subject I am comfortable weighing in on. Who knows what goes on in any given family? We dont know anything about the motivation of either side. Its a little unfair that Tiger gets exposed like this and held up for unfair ridicule when we all know that there are legions of other athletes with their own family sagas that are able to function (or dysfunction) behind closed doors. This is truly not our business and I have no judgment to pass. As for going overseas to play on his sons birthday, I can see where it might not leave the best impression considering his emotional comments last April. But there are some real differences here that people need to understand. Tiger was remanded into his own therapeutic custody a year ago for a lengthy stay in rehab that prevented him from having any contact with his son around his birthday. They were still a family unit at the time, so his absence was obviously missed. This year he is taking a business trip on that particular date. And with the family split, that typically means that young Charlie is probably going to have two different birthday celebrations with his divorced parents. Again, we dont know the specifics. This is all just unfair piling on in a mans private affairs that are frankly not our business.

Ernie Els won the South African Open for the fifth time Sunday after beating compatriot Retief Goosen by a single shot.

The South African shot a final-round 6-under 66 at the rain-delayed tournament as he carded five birdies, an eagle and a bogey to finish with a 25-under 257 overall.

In the third round, also played Sunday, Els had three bogeys on his first five holes, but recovered with seven birdies the rest of the way to stay one shot ahead of Goosen.

Els said of Goosen: “We have played against each other since we were kids, and I know hes a very good player.”

Fellow South African and British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen finished third, four shots behind Els. Charl Schwartzel, also of South Africa, was fourth, 7 shots back, after a final-round 65.

Heavy rain has forced organizers to take a hole out of play for the marathon final day of the European Tours South African Open.

The downpour early Sunday left the green on the par-3 fourth waterlogged and players will play only 17 holes where the course has been reduced to a par-69.

Rain had already delayed the 100th version of the event.

The European Tour and South Africas co-sanctioning Sunshine Tour said the unusual decision to eliminate a hole was not unprecedented, pointing to two occasions at the Dutch Open in the late 1960s when anti-apartheid protesters had dug up a green and the event was played over 17 holes.

Four-time winner Ernie Els has a two-shot lead over Retief Goosen going into the final day.

Graeme McDowell has picked up another award.

The U.S. Open champion has been voted player of the year by the Golf Writers Association of America.

McDowell received 87 votes to beat Jim Furyk (61) and Martin Kaymer (51). The Northern Irishman won three times this year and captured the decisive match in the Ryder Cup for Europe against the United States.

McDowell also won the Golf Writers Trophy from the British-based Association of Golf Writers. He shared European Tour player of the year with Kaymer.

Yani Tseng won female player of the year from the GWAA, topping Cristie Kerr and Ai Miyazato. Bernhard Langer was the overwhelming choice as the senior player of the year.

They will be honored April 6 in Augusta, Ga.

Tiger Woods humbling return to the public eye, from his televised confession to a winless season on the golf course, was voted the sports story of the year by members of the Associated Press.

Tiger Woods admission of infidelity takes the cake in 2010. (AP) The fallout from Woods admission of infidelity edged a very different sort of story: The New Orleans Saints winning their first Super Bowl championship, giving an emotional boost to their hurricane-ravaged city.

It was late 2009 when Woods pristine image unraveled after he crashed his SUV into a tree outside his home, unleashing salacious revelations of extramarital affairs. The story was a late addition to last years voting and wound up fifth.

But the twists and turns werent over for Woods. Many more developments were still to unfold in 2010.

There were 176 ballots submitted from U.S. news organizations that make up the APs membership. The voters were asked to rank the top 10 sports stories of the year, with the first-place story getting 10 points, the second-place story receiving nine points, and so on.

The Woods saga received 1,316 points, with the Saints title getting 1,215 and the NBA free-agency frenzy coming in third with 1,085.

Major League Baseballs ongoing travails with performance-enhancing drugs was the top story last year.

Here are 2010s top 10 stories:

1. Tiger Woods: Woods returned to public view with a 13½-minute statement in February, then came back to golf at the Masters in April with a fourth-place finish. That Woods went winless on the PGA Tour for the first time in his career and lost his No. 1 ranking for the first time in years. In August, he and Elin Nordegren divorced.

2. Saints win: New Orleans residents loved their Saints for not abandoning the city after Hurricane Katrina, but it was hard to imagine the team bringing much joy on the field after 42 mostly losing seasons. Then Drew Brees and Co. upset the mighty Indianapolis Colts in their first Super Bowl, to the delight of French Quarter revelers and fans nationwide who adopted the Saints.

3. Free-agency frenzy: NBA fans were captivated by the mystery of where MVP LeBron James and other marquee free agents would land. Few would have guessed that three of them would sign with the same team: the Miami Heat, who became basketballs Evil Empire by adding James from Cleveland and Chris Bosh from Toronto to Dwyane Wade.

4. World Cup: A World Cup of firsts ended gloriously for Spain and for Africa. South Africa hosted the continents first World Cup without the pitfalls many predicted. And the Spaniards brought home the first World Cup title to the soccer-mad country with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in extra time.

5. Giants win: The Giants hadnt won the World and since 1954 overall. This didnt seem to be the year to end the drought when they barely squeaked into the playoffs. But with dominant pitching and clutch hitting, they beat the Texas Rangers in five games.

6. NFL concussions: New posters distributed to teams before the season warned of concussions dangers in much harsher language than before. Another sign of how big the issue had become: increased reporting of concussions by players. At midseason, the NFL cracked down on helmet hits with huge fines and threatened suspensions.

7. Jimmie Johnson: The NASCAR driver extended his record with his fifth straight Sprint Cup title. Perhaps most impressively, he did it despite not being in top form all season. Johnson became the first driver in the Chases seven-year history to overcome a points deficit in the finale.

8. Brett Favre: This comeback was nothing like last years magical run to the NFC title game for the 41-year-old quarterback. His Minnesota Vikings struggled badly, and the NFL launched an investigation into whether he sent lewd photos of himself to a Jets employee. After voting began, his record streak of 297 starts ended.

9. UConn wins: The Huskies womens basketball team extended their record winning streak to 78 games with a second straight national championship in April, becoming the first team to post consecutive unbeaten seasons. And Connecticut is a powerhouse again this season.

10. Wooden dies: The Wizard of Westwood died June 4 at the age of 99. John Wooden coached UCLAs mens basketball team to 10 NCAA championships, including seven in a row from 1967-73 and an 88-game winning streak.