In an elite field at the Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oak, Calif., which is loaded with players from the top 50 in the world ranking, Fred Couples can claim he belongs because of his age.

He's still only 49.

The oldest player at Sherwood Country Club, whose world ranking has fallen to No. 175, the ageless Couples continues to hang around some guys half his age. Even with a mud-ball bogey on the final hole yesterday, he had a 3-under 69 to finish three shots behind Jim Furyk and keep in the mix going into the weekend of Tiger Woods' event.

"I can hang around anybody," Couples said. "Playing well is a shock."

Furyk shot a 71 and was at 5-under 139, two shots clear of Anthony Kim (70), Camilo Villegas (67) and K.J. Choi (71). Couples and Steve Stricker (71) were another shot behind.

"I hung in there today," Furyk said. "That's the best I can say."

Couples has been doing that longer than most. He was a PGA Tour rookie the year before Villegas was born, and he won the first of his 15 tour titles two years before Kim showed up on earth.

Couples was No. 1 in the world until his career was slowed dramatically by back problems, and it got so bad last year that he managed to play only three times. Through it all, his raw talent has kept him in the picture.

Even playing only 18 times this year, he nearly made $1 million and easily kept his card.

BOXING

BIG FIGHT FOR HOLYFIELD

Evander Holyfield insists he has at least one more great fight left in him. If he summons it tonight in Zurich, Switzerland, he'll become the oldest man to regain a world heavyweight title.

Standing between the 46-year-old American and a record fifth championship is the tallest and heaviest boxer to hold a major belt, Russia's Nikolai Valuev.

"I've been boxing for 38 years and have always had to make adjustments to fight someone," said Holyfield, now over a decade removed from his two wins over Mike Tyson. "Sometimes his arms are going to be longer than yours. This time they're a lot longer."

Holyfield (42-9-2, 27 KOs) will also concede nearly 100 pounds to the 7-foot Russian, who has lost once in 50 career bouts and comes in as the bookmakers' overwhelming favorite. The 35-year-old Valuev tipped the scales at 310.8 pounds yesterday.

SOCCER

HOWARD, LLOYD TOPS

Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard was selected as U.S. soccer male athlete of the year and midfielder Carli Lloyd was picked as the top female.

Howard had consecutive shutouts in World Cup qualifiers against Guatemala, Cuba, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Lloyd, the first midfielder to win the women's honor since Shannon MacMillan in 2002, scored as the United States beat Brazil, 1-0, in overtime in the gold-medal game of the Beijing Olympics.

SPEED SKATING

OHNO STARTS FAST

Defending champions Apolo Anton Ohno and Katherine Reutter opened the U.S. Short Track Championships in St. Louis with victories yesterday.

Ohno, winner of five Olympic medals and the current overall world champion, won the men's 1,500 meters in 2 minutes, 23.927 seconds.

Reutter won the women's 1,500 meters in 2:23.446.