Mon, Apr 02, 2012 page18

• SPORTS BRIEFS

  • Agencies
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  GOLF

  Olesen up by three strokes

  Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark shot four birdies and an eagle for a five-under 67 to lead the Sicilian Open by three strokes on Saturday heading into the final round. Olesen, who was runner-up three times in his debut season on the European Tour last year, superbly managed the 25kph gusts off the Mediterranean. With the halfway lead shared by six overnight, only Olesen could break clear in the testing conditions to be at 12-under overall. The highlight of his round, the eagle on the par-five 14th, saw him reach the green in two, before sinking a difficult putt from 15 feet. “It was definitely not easy, but I played great,” Olesen said. “I am confident in my play for tomorrow, but there are a lot of good guys up there and I’m going to have to do my best.” At nine-under were Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium (69) and Andrew Parr of Canada (67). Irishman Peter Lawrie (72) remained in contention in a tie for fourth, with Lloyd Saltman of Scotland (69) and Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark (71). “I was pleased to shoot par in these conditions,” Lawrie said. “I think my experience of playing in Ireland certainly helped because I was struggling at times.” Little known American Scott Pinckney (70) was five shots off the lead, with two-time major winner John Daly (72) a shot further back.

  GOLF

  Oosthuizen in pole position

  South African Louis Oosthuizen posted a second straight 66 on Saturday to take a two-shot lead over Hunter Mahan after three rounds of the USPGA Tour’s Houston Open. Oosthuizen bounced back after two early bogeys, stringing together four straight birdies on the back nine as he took a 17-under total of 199 into the final round. “It’s a great leaderboard behind me,” Oosthuizen said. “It’s going to be tough, but I feel like I’m ready for it.” Mahan carded a 65 for 201 as the players put in another long day on the Redstone course to get the tournament, delayed by thunderstorms on Thursday, back on schedule. England’s Brian Davis shot a 69 and Carl Pettersson of Sweden a 67 to share third on 202. James Driscoll was alone on 204 after a 71, while defending champion Phil Mickelson posted a 70 to lead a group on 205 that also included Keegan Bradley (69) and Ryan Palmer (66). Three-time major champion Ernie Els, who must win to qualify for the Masters next week, was in a group on eight--under. The South African, who has not missed the Masters since 1993, did not think he had given himself much of a chance. “I needed to get to 10 or 11-under to really have a shot,” Els said. “I need a 62 or 63. It’s tough to do on a Sunday, but you might as well give it a go.” Ninety players made the 36-hole cut at two-under or better when the second round wrapped up on Saturday morning. Another cut was made after the third round, leaving 70 players in the field for the final round.

  RUGBY UNION

  Quins match sets record

  Harlequins’ win over Saracens in the English Premiership has set a world record for the number of fans at a club rugby match. While international rugby can attract huge crowds, club audiences are restrained by stadium size or relatively limited interest — even in the sport’s strongholds of England and New Zealand — but Saracens opted to stage the game against their London rivals at Wembley Stadium and Quins’ 24-19 win was watched by 83,761 fans. George Lowe scored one try and saved two as Harlequins extended their lead at the top of the Premiership. The old world record was 82,208 for a 2009 Heineken Cup quarter-final between Leinster and Munster at Dublin’s Croke Park.

  FOOTBALL

  Ryan Leaf arrested for drugs

  Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf, once a Heisman Trophy finalist and a first-round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers, was arrested in his hometown of Great Falls, Montana, on theft and drug charges, authorities said on Saturday. Leaf was arrested on Friday on suspicion of felony burglary and drug possession, as well as a misdemeanor theft charge, authorities said. No other details were immediately available. The arrest came just weeks after Leaf, 35, completed daily radiation treatments stemming from surgery last spring to remove a benign brain tumor. Leaf was one of college football’s brightest stars at Washington State University in the late 1990s and was considered a pro quarterback prospect on the level of Peyton Manning. Leaf was on probation from drug charges he faced in Texas three years ago when he was arrested in Montana.

  ATHLETICS

  Renowned runner dies

  Searchers have found the body of renowned long-distance runner Micah True, who vanished four days ago after going for a run near New Mexico’s Gila National Forest. New Mexico State Police Lieutenant Robert McDonald said True’s body was found on Saturday in a remote area of the Gila Wilderness. The Boulder Daily Camera reported that the cause of death was still unknown, but there were no obvious signs of trauma. A medical examiner was sent to examine the body. Authorities said the 58-year-old True, who lived in Colorado, went for a run on Tuesday morning and did not return. A search began the next day. True was an accomplished extreme-distance ultrarunner — taking on distances of 80km or more — who was featured in the bestselling book Born to Run.

  OLYMPICS

  Wariner eyes London spot

  Former Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner has his sights set on the London Games after recovering from a toe ligament injury that forced him out of last year’s World Championships. Wariner anchored his Central Texas All Stars squad to victory in the 4x400m relay at the Texas Relays meeting in Austin on Saturday in 3 minutes, 1.54 seconds, and said afterwards that his left foot was feeling fine. Wariner already has three Olympic golds — the 2004 Athens solo 400m and the 4x400m relays in Athens and Beijing 2008 — as well as the individual 400m silver in 2008. He is gearing up for the US Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, in June. He tore a ligament in a toe last year, which forced him out of last year’s World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. Wariner, who has not won a major international 400m title since the 2007 World Championships, plans to run his first individual 400m of the season at a meeting at Texas State University next week.

  RUGBY UNION

  Drowned players found

  South African police say the missing bodies of five rugby players who drowned when they went to cool down following a practice session on a beach have been recovered. The South African Press Association reports that Eastern Cape police say the final body was found on Saturday close to a river mouth near the south-coast city of Port Elizabeth. Twenty-one people, many of them members of the Motherwell Rugby Club from a nearby impoverished township, were swept out to sea in strong currents off Port Elizabeth on March 25. Fifteen people were rescued by lifeguards, while a sixth man was found drowned on the same day.
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