GOLF
Furyk, Day share lead
Jim Furyk had a bogey-free round of two-under 69 that left him tied with Jason Day going into the final round at The Barclays in New Jersey. As steady as Furyk was on a cloudy Saturday at Ridgewood, Day was all over the place. He lost a ball in a mound of high grass and took double bogey on the par-five 13th, the third-easiest hole at Ridgewood in the third round. He took four shots to get down from a bunker on the par-five 17th for a bogey. Each time, the Australian bounced back with one or more birdies. Day, who has made 13 birdies the past two days, wound up with a 68. They were at nine-under 204. Fifteen players were separated by three shots going into the final round. Adam Scott, tied for the lead going into the third round, made only one bogey and shot 75 to fall five shots behind. The Open and PGA champion Rory McIlroy, going after his fourth straight victory, made an early move before he was slowed by a pair of bogeys around the turn. He could only manage a 70 and was five behind.
GOLF
Dredge takes lead
Bradley Dredge shot a flawless six-under 66 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead after the third round of the Czech Masters. The Welshman, seeking his third European Tour victory, produced six birdies for an overall 12-under 204 at the Albatross Golf Resort near Prague. His countryman and second-round leader Jamie Donaldson shot a 71 to sit tied for second with Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark (68), still on course to secure a spot on Europe’s Ryder Cup team. Donaldson opened with an eagle on the par-five first hole, but had a double bogey on the eighth and three more bogeys in his worst round of the tournament. He needs a top-seven finish guarantee a spot in next month’s match against the US.
SOCCER
Guangzhou coach banned
Guangzhou Evergrande coach Marcello Lippi has been slapped with an initial one-match ban for angrily confronting the referee during an Asian Football Confederation AFC Champions League match, the confederation announced yesterday. The incident happened during last week’s quarter-final first leg away to Australia’s Western Sydney Wanderers, which China’s Guangzhou lost 0-1. The punishment was imposed on the Italian World Cup-winning coach for walking onto the pitch to confront referee Mohammed Abdulla Hassan following the sending off of a second Guangzhou player. Lippi, who coached Italy to win the World Cup in 2006, will now be banned from the touchline during Wednesday’s second leg at home. Lippi could face further sanction as the league said the final decision of the disciplinary committee will be issued following the completion of a full investigation.
ATHLETICS
Bolt breaks indoor record
Six-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt broke 10 seconds for the first time this season when he won a 100m race under a closed roof at the National Stadium in Warsaw on Saturday. The Jamaican clocked 9.98 seconds into a slight breeze at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in front of a 20,000 crowd on a new track laid down the side of the infield. Bolt’s first Polish outing was his third race this season as he builds up to Thursday’s Diamond League meeting in Zurich and saw him set a new best time for the infrequently run 100m indoors. The world record holder beat the previous unofficial indoor best mark of 10.05 set by Namibian Frankie Fredericks in 1996.
SOCCER
Player killed after fan unrest
Cameroon player Albert Ebosse died on Saturday after he was hit by a projectile allegedly thrown from the stands following his team’s loss in the Algerian championship, Algeria Press Service news agency reported. Ebosse, who was 24, was declared dead after he was rushed to a hospital at Tizi Ouzou, east of the capital Algiers, where the match took place. He scored the lone goal for his club JS Kabylie in the home match in what turned out to be a 2-1 defeat against USM Alger, on the second day of the tournament. Fans had started throwing objects from the stands inside the Tizi Ouzou stadium after the match as the players were returning to their changing room. Ebosse joined Kabylie last year, and was their top goal scorer last season. The Algerian Ministry of the Interior ordered an investigation into the incident.
CYCLING
Movistar win opening stage
Giro d’Italia champion Nairo Quintana got his quest to win the Tour of Spain off to a flying start as his Movistar team won the opening stage team time trial on Saturday. Spaniard Jonathan Castroviejo led his team to victory in a time of 14 minutes, 13 seconds to take the leader’s jersey, 6 seconds ahead of Cannondale and Orica Green-Edge. However, it was a poor start for last year’s Tour de France champion Chris Froome as he lost 27 seconds on Quintana as Team Sky finished back in 11th. “We have been preparing all season for a team time trial like this one,” Castroviejo said.
CYCLING
Van Garderen extends lead
The US’ Tejay van Garderen won the individual time trial at the USA Pro Challenge cycling race, stretching his overall lead to 92 seconds ahead of yesterday’s final stage. Saturday’s triumph put 26-year-old defending champion Van Garderen in position to capture the crown again over the final 125km from Boulder to Denver, Colorado. “This is incredible,” Van Garderen said. “My team is riding amazing. Everyone is having a great time.” BMC Racing’s Van Garderen, the last man on the 16km layout thanks to his 20 second lead through the first five stages, won the time trial for the second year in a row in 24 minutes, 26.5 seconds, defeating compatriot Tom Danielson by 53 seconds.
CRICKET
Clarke mulls travel strategy
Michael Clarke might opt to alter his travel plans for future overseas tours as the Australia captain races against time to recover from a hamstring injury for today’s first one-day international against Zimbabwe. Clarke, who has had a five-month layoff since leading Australia to a 2-1 test series triumph in South Africa, experienced pain in his left hamstring during the team’s first training session on Friday. The 33-year-old, who has battled a chronic back problem throughout his career, suspected the lack of rest after a 15-hour flight from Sydney to Harare might have caused the injury. “What I’ve learned through my career is that I probably need more time than most in regards to the gap between getting off a plane and training at full intensity,” Clarke told reporters in Harare. “If it means I have to fly a couple of days earlier than the boys on the long trips, then that’s what I’ve got to do.” Australia coach Darren Lehmann believed Clarke had a 50/50 chance of making the team for the opening game of a tri-series tournament, which also features South Africa.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping