Former two-division champion Dan Henderson won a close split decision over former middleweight champ Rich Franklin at UFC 93 last night in Dublin, Ireland, while Mauricio "Shogun" Rua also made a winning return to the Octagon.

Henderson relied on his world-class wrestling to trap Franklin on the ground throughout the fight, eventually scoring enough points to win the bout and a coaching job on season nine of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show.

Two judges scored the three-round light heavyweight fight 29-28 for Henderson. The third had it 30-27 for Franklin.

"I felt that this was a good fight style-wise for me," said Henderson, a former PRIDE champion. "I felt that I could take him down. He did well from the outside, but I did well from the inside and on top."

Henderson (24-7), from Temecula, Calif., landed the first big blows in the opening round, and a clash of heads near the end of the first round opened a cut on Franklin. The smaller Henderson kept chasing Franklin (26-4-1) in the second round, finally taking him to the mat and landing a number of punches right up to the bell.

Franklin, fighting out of Cincinnati, tried to get back in the fight in the final round, but it was too late and the result went to the judges.

"My only disappointment is that I didn't do more in the third round," Henderson said.

In the co-main event, Rua returned from a knee injury and a surprise loss to Forrest Griffin to beat veteran Mark Coleman by technical knockout.

The 44-year-old Coleman (16-9), who had not fought in the UFC since 1999, appeared to be winning the crowd of 9,369 at O2 Arena when Rua landed seven unanswered blows in the third round and the referee halted the fight.

Rua (17-3) will next face UFC superstar Chuck Liddell.

GOLF

NORMAN, HAAS CAPTURE EARLY SKINS FOR $90,000

Greg Norman celebrated his debut at the Wendy's Champions Skins Game by draining an 8-foot putt worth $30,000 on the first hole yesterday at Royal Ka'anapali Golf Course on Maui.

Norman and partner Jay Haas also won two skins and $60,000 on the third hole, when Haas buried a 9-foot birdie putt. Their $90,000 total puts them in the lead after the front nine.

The final nine will be played today, beginning at 9 a.m. Admission is free.

Fuzzy Zoeller, who won this event last year with Peter Jacobsen, rolled in a 35-foot birdie on the fourth hole, giving him and new partner Ben Crenshaw $30,000. This is the first skins game Crenshaw has played.

"I listened to my caddie Mr. Crenshaw, and he read it perfectly," Zoeller said. "I was lucky it went in, that's all I can tell you."

The teams of Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, and Gary Player and Bernhard Langer were shut out on opening day.

Today's opening hole (No. 10) is worth $220,000 and six skins, after Watson drained a 10-foot par putt on No. 9 to prevent Langer and Player from cashing in on $180,000.

"Standing on the tee tomorrow, I'm sure everyone's going to be a little more serious, especially as the purse builds," Haas said.

The total purse is $770,000, including a $100,000 skin on the 18th hole.

Format is alternate shot and a team must win a hole outright or the cash carries over.

AUTO RACING

SOUTH AFRICAN WINS DAKAR RALLY IN A VOLKS

Giniel De Villiers of South Africa won the Dakar Rally yesterday, holding off Mark Miller of the United States and NASCAR driver Robby Gordon.

De Villiers finished in 48:10:57 after driving more than 5,600 miles through Argentina, over the Andes and into Chile.

He won the 14th and final stage from Cordoba to Buenos Aires in 1 hour, 35 minutes, 43 seconds in his Volkswagen. De Villiers defeated Miller, his Volkswagen teammate, by 8:59. Gordon drove a Hummer and finished 1:46:15 off the lead.

De Villiers won four stages en route to his first overall title. He took the lead Thursday after Carlos Sainz of Spain withdrew after a crash. De Villiers led Miller by just over two minutes heading into the final stage.

The 30th Dakar Rally was held outside Africa for the first time. The 2008 race was canceled because of potential terrorist attacks in Mauritania.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

TEXAS COACH GARRIDO SUSPENDED FOR DUI

The University of Texas has suspended Longhorns baseball coach Augie Garrido indefinitely without pay after he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.

Austin police arrested Garrido, the NCAA's career leader with 1,668 victories, near downtown Austin just before 1 a.m. yesterday morning.

Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said in a statement that Garrido told him that he's "devastated and realizes he's made a serious mistake." Dodds added that Garrido will be suspended with pay until university officials can gather more information.

The university's statement contained no details on the 69-year-old coach's arrest.

Garrido has won five national championships, and was the first coach to win College World Series titles with two schools.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

HAMELS, PHILLIES AGREE TO 3-YEAR, $20.5M DEAL

Cole Hamels can afford the finest mantel for his World Series MVP award.

The 25-year-old left-hander has agreed to a three-year, $20.5 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, three people familiar with the negotiations said yesterday.

The people spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because an official announcement hasn't been made. A news conference is planned for today.