Miscellany

Emerson Fittipaldi was released from a Miami hospital three days after back surgery, and the champion driver headed to his Florida home for a long recovery.

Fittipaldi, 50, had surgery to rebuild a section of his lower back that shattered when his ultralight plane crashed near his ranch in Brazil on Sept. 7.

Greg Norman retained the top spot in the world golf rankings after tying for third in the Lancome Trophy in Paris. Norman, who has 11.51 points, lengthened his lead over Tiger Woods to .19 points from .05 points.

Defending champion Boris Becker will face Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman in the first round of tennis’ richest tournament, the Grand Slam Cup in Munich, Germany.

The tournament, which runs Sept. 23-28 and carries a purse of $6 million, also will pit Pete Sampras against Felix Mantilla of Spain in the first round.

The women’s division of the Jan. 18 Houston Marathon will carry the added significance of hosting the USA Track and Field national championship and also serve as the first qualifer for the 2000 Olympic Trials. The women will be competing for $100,000 in prize money.