Windermere, Fla. — Tiger Woods finally gave his side of the story Sunday — on his Web site, not to police — and took the blame for an “embarrassing” car crash that gave him cuts, bruises and public scrutiny like never before.

His statement failed to clear up any questions about the middle-of-the-night accident outside his Isleworth estate in which his wife told police she used a golf club to smash the back windows of the Cadillac SUV to help him out.

“This situation is my fault, and it’s obviously embarrassing to my family and me,” Woods said on his Web site. “I’m human and I’m not perfect. I will certainly make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

The statement was posted around 2 p.m. Sunday, about an hour after Woods’ attorney told the Florida Highway Patrol that for the third straight day golf’s No. 1 player would be unavailable to talk to troopers.

This time, the meeting was not rescheduled.

Even so, Sgt. Kim Montes of FHP said troopers went to Woods’ $2.4 million estate anyway, only for attorney Mark NeJame to turn them away. The attorney gave troopers Woods’ driver’s license, registration and insurance as required by law for such accidents.

Woods said the crash was a private matter, and he intended to keep it that way.

“Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible,” he said. “The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false.”

Woods is scheduled to compete at his Chevron World Challenge, which starts Thursday in Thousand Oaks, Calif., although his tournament director did not know Woods’ status for the tournament.

“We have been informed by the Florida Highway Patrol that further discussion with them is both voluntary and optional,” Mark Steinberg, his agent at IMG, said in an e-mail. “Although Tiger realizes that there is a great deal of public curiosity, it has been conveyed to FHP that he simply has nothing more to add and wishes to protect the privacy of his family.”

golf

Molinari brothers win title

Shenzhen, China — Francesco and Edoardo Molinari became the first brother combination to win the World Cup of Golf, giving Italy its first title in the team event with a one-stroke victory over Sweden and Ireland on Sunday.

The Molinaris closed with a 4-under 68 in the alternate-shot final round on Mission Hills’ Olazabal Course.

Auto racing

Schumacher could return

Sao Paulo — Michael Schumacher says he has fully healed from his neck injury and indicated that he has not ruled out a return to Formula One next season.

Schumacher made the comments in Brazil, where he competed in a charity karting race hosted by former Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa.

Tennis

Davydenko triumphs

London — Nikolay Davydenko won the first big tournament of his career Sunday, running down just about every ball and using a consistent serve to beat U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3, 6-4, to win the ATP World Tour Finals.

Davydenko was coming off his semifinal victory over top-ranked Roger Federer and dominated his service games against Del Potro, losing only five points on serve in the first set and eight in the second.

College football

Texas DB charged with DWI

Pearland, Texas — Texas freshman defensive back Marcus Davis is out of jail on bond after he was charged with suspicion of driving while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance.

Pearland police Lt. Onesimo Lopez said Sunday that Davis was arrested early Saturday. Police received a call at 6:48 a.m. reporting a possible drunk driver behind a blue SUV riding on the rim of at least one blown tire.

Marshall coach resigns

Huntington, W.Va. — Marshall football coach Mark Snyder resigned Sunday, a day after the Thundering Herd lost, 52-21, to UTEP to finish the regular season at 6-6.

Snyder, who went 21-37 in five seasons, said in a news release that he made the decision after meeting with AD Mike Hamrick.

Virginia fires Groh

Richmond, Va. — Virginia fired Al Groh after nine seasons as football coach at his alma mater Sunday, ending a tenure marked by his inability to beat rival Virginia Tech.

Groh’s dismissal came less than 24 hours after the Cavaliers (3-9, 2-6 ACC) lost, 42-13 at home, to the No. 11 Hokies, finishing their worst season since they were 2-9 in 1982. It also was their eighth loss to the Hokies in Groh’s nine tries.

Groh went 59-53 with the Cavaliers and guided them to five bowl games.

FSU’s Bowden mulls future

Tallahassee, Fla. — Bobby Bowden plans to meet with Florida State president T.K. Wetherell later in the week to discuss his future at the school.

Bowden said Sunday that he wants to coach another year, which would be his 35th in Tallahassee, but he’s not sure whether he’ll be given the chance.

Adams steps down at Valpo

Valparaiso, Ind. — Stacy Adams stepped down as Valparaiso’s football coach Sunday, a week after the Crusaders finished the season 1-10.

“I certainly did not meet my own, nor the university’s expectations as head coach,” said Adams, 15-40 in five seasons as head coach. “If I can’t do that, then I want to allow someone else the opportunity to do so.”

Florida, Alabama 1,2 in AP

New York — For the second straight season, the Southeastern Conference championship game will be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup.

Again, it’ll be Florida against Alabama, but this time the Gators will be top-ranked.

Florida extended its lead in the AP college football poll Sunday, receiving 46 first-place votes after routing rival Florida State 37-10.

The Crimson Tide received seven first-place votes and 1,416 points to edge No. 3 Texas, which received seven first-place votes and 1,414 points. The top six in the latest poll were unchanged for the third consecutive week. TCU is No. 4, followed by fellow unbeatens Cincinnati and Boise State.

E. Illinois assistant dies

Effingham, Ill. — Eastern Illinois assistant football coach Jeff Hoover was killed in a car crash as he returned home from a playoff game against Southern Illinois. He was 41.

Hoover and his family were riding with strength coach Eric Cash and his family late Saturday when their Chevrolet Suburban swerved to miss a deer and rolled over just south of Effingham, athletic department spokesman Rich Moser said Sunday.

Porter takes over Memphis

Memphis, Tenn. — LSU assistant coach Larry Porter, who has built a reputation for being one of the nation’s best recruiters, will try to rebuild Memphis.

Porter replaces Tommy West, who was fired Nov. 9 after nine seasons. West coached the Tigers (2-10) the rest of the season, which ended with a 33-30 overtime loss Friday at Tulsa.

NBA

Winless Nets fire Frank

Los Angeles — The winless New Jersey Nets fired coach Lawrence Frank on Sunday, several hours before they matched the worst start in NBA history with their 17th straight loss.

Assistant Tom Barrise temporarily replaced his friend, but the Nets remained 0-for-the-season with a 106-87 loss to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Though Frank’s departure has been widely expected, several of Frank’s players claimed they were stunned when their energetic coach showed up at their morning team meeting in Los Angeles not wearing his Nets gear.

Senator pressures NBA

New York — A U.S. senator from New York doesn’t want NBA players taking to the court wearing jerseys made in Asia.

“Basketball is an American game,” Sen. Charles Schumer said.

Schumer held a news conference Sunday outside the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue, where he urged the league to intervene and stop adidas from moving production of the NBA’s official uniforms to Thailand, or pull out of its contract with the sports-apparel giant.