But Dott, the 2006 Crucible champion, made his experience count in his third world final.
Michael Weiss, a two-time champion, made two key mistakes and fell to fourth.
Michael Weiss of Fairfax, Va., the defending champion, made two errors in his program, but his scores were not disastrous.
It once lured world-class players, and Viswanathan Anand, the current world champion, made his breakthrough there in 1991.
The Olympic champion made two aggressive runs on Mount Higashidate for a combined time of 2 minutes 43.49 seconds.
McIlroy, the reigning United States Open champion, made the putt as if standing on the practice green and not on the precipice of golf history.
Break The Walls Down Chris Jericho's music hit to roar from the crowd as the six-time World Champion made his return to Smackdown after a year's absence.
MADRID — Roger Federer, the second seed and the Madrid Open's defending champion, made an early exit on Thursday from what was his first clay tournament of the year.
Forty-six of the golfers in this week's field were not born when Couples, a two-time champion, made his Riviera pro debut Feb. 18, 1982.
Lewis let him linger there for a while, and then the P.A. system started pumping out Bob Marley's "Crazy Baldheads," and the champion made his entrance.
Contador, a two-time Tour de France champion, made the move 31 miles from the mountain finish, crossing the finish line 2 minutes 38 seconds ahead of Rodriguez.
