Stewart Cink closed with consecutive birdies on Saturday to take a two-shot advantage after the third round of the US$6 million PGA Travelers Championship.
The highest-ranked player in the field at No. 5, Cink fell into a share of the lead with Heath Slocum following a bogey at the par-3 16th hole.
However, Cink rebounded to roll in birdie putts at his final two holes to finish off a solid 5-under-par 65, which moved him to 15-under 195 overall.
PHOTO: AFP
“I don’t usually think about it in that term, you know, with the target score,” Cink said. “But I think if I could get to 20-under tomorrow, I will have given myself a really good chance to win. So it would be great to get to 20 and finish there.”
■ BMW INTERNATIONAL
AFP, MUNICH, GERMANY
Germany’s Martin Kaymer hammered home his Ryder Cup credentials by storming into a six-shot lead after three rounds of the BMW International Open on Saturday.
Kaymer, the 2007 rookie of the year, knocked in a 25-foot putt on the final green for a five under par 67 to take him to 18 under par 198 and six clear of his closest rival, South African Charl Schwartzel. Joint third, one further back, are English trio Paul Casey, Ross Fisher and Benn Barham and Frenchman Thomas Levet.
Kaymer, who won his maiden tour event in Abu Dhabi in January, is bidding to become the first home winner of this event in its 20-year history.
■ LPGA WEGMANS
AFP, PITTSFORD, NEW YORK
Norway’s Suzann Pettersen made birdie on her final two holes to card a 5-under-par 67 on Saturday in the third round of the US$2 million LPGA Wegmans event.
Starting the day a shot off the lead, Pettersen, who was in the last group out, had to contend with a 72-minute lightning delay in the middle of the afternoon.
By then, the 27-year-old Solheim Cup star had picked up three birdies in 11 holes to move to the top of the leaderboard.
Pettersen returned from the wait in the clubhouse to record a pair of pars and then picked up shots at the long 17th and the par 4 18th, and is at 14-under 202 overall.
Pettersen holds a three-stroke lead over second-round leader Morgan Pressel, who is in a three-way tie for second.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite