Off the wire

GOLF

Rain shortens Safeway

Johnson Wagner chipped in for birdie and took a one-shot lead in the Safeway Open at Napa, Calif., by keeping bogeys off his card in the rain Saturday at Silverado. Wagner was at 15-under par through 15 holes when the third round was halted as rain caused puddles to form around the edges of the green. Scott Piercy was just short of the 16th green when he told tour officials he couldn't play his shot because of the water. Piercy was in the last group with Wagner and at 14 under. Pattron Kizzire was at 14 under through 16 holes. Paul Casey was two shots behind and in the final group. Casey hit a tee shot on the par-5 fifth hole that clipped a tree, ricocheted somewhere and was never found, costing him two shots. Phil Mickelson hit a wild tee shot on the par-5 18th and made bogey for a 69, leaving him six back. Tag Ridings (Arkansas Razorbacks) is at 7 under after a 1-under 71. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) is at 5 under after a 1-under 71. Bryce Molder (Conway) and David Lingmerth (Razorbacks) did not make the cut.

Lee in front by 3

Alison Lee took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship in Incheon, South Korea, putting the 21-year-old UCLA student in position for her first victory. Lee shot a 4-under 68 in calm and firm conditions at Sky 72. She saved par on 17 and birdied 18 to stretch her margin over U.S. Women's Open champion Brittany Lang, her U.S. Solheim Cup teammate. Lang had a 72, highlighted by a long birdie putt on par-3 eighth. South Korea's In-Kyung Kim was third at 9 under after a 69. Spain's Carlota Ciganda had a 69 to reach 8 under, and Cristie Kerr's 72 left her at 7 under with Taiwan's Candie Kung (69) and South Korea's Min-Sun Kim. Gaby Lopez (Arkansas Razorbacks) is 1 over after shooting an even-par 72.

Langer ahead by 2

Bernhard Langer birdied the final four holes for his second consecutive 5-under 67 and a two-stroke lead Saturday in the PGA Tour Champions' SAS Championship at Cary, N.C. Larry Mize and first-round leader Doug Garwood were tied for second at 8 under. Mize had a 69, and Garwood followed his opening 65 with a 72. Jeff Sluman (67) and Senior British Open winner Paul Broadhurst (69) were 7 under. The top 72 players on the money list after the tournament -- and one player in the top 10 in the event but outside the top 72 for the season -- will get spots in the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs opener, the PowerShares QQQ Championship at Sherwood in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Oct. 28-30. Defending champion Tom Lehman was tied for 10th at 4 under after a 68. Glen Day (Little Rock) was tied for 10th at 4 under after a 2-under 70. Mike Grob (Arkansas Razorbacks) is at 1 over after a 2-over 74.

Noren leads Masters

Alex Noren of Sweden moved in sight of a third European Tour title this year after shooting a second consecutive 6-under 65 to take a three-stroke lead at the British Masters at Watford, England, heading into the final round. Noren, who has also won the Scottish Open and the European Masters in the past four months, was 16 under par after finishing his third round Saturday by holing a 45-foot birdie putt. Richard Bland, who held a one-shot lead after the second round, shot 69 and is alone in second place. Peter Hanson (66), Tommy Fleetwood (68), Bernd Wiesberger (67) and Richard Sterne (67) were tied for third at 12 under and Lee Westwood was a shot further back after a 67.

HORSE RACING

Theory, Sky win

Theory, an odds-on favorite, and Thundering Sky, a 15-1 shot, won the $200,000 stakes on Saturday at Belmont Park. Theory easily took the Futurity for 2-year-olds as the 1-5 choice. The colt, unbeaten in two starts for trainer Todd Pletcher, won by 31/2 lengths over Star Empire. He ran the six furlongs in 1:09.91 with Javier Castellano aboard. Theory paid $2.70 to win. Thundering Sky took charge in the stretch with a four-wide rally and held off a late surge from Mom's On Strike by three-quarters of a length in the Pebbles for 3-year-old fillies on the turf. Antonio Gallardo rode for trainer George Weaver as Thundering Sky improved to 2 for 11 with her first stakes victory. She paid $33.80 to win. The time for the mile was 1:33.47.

Gray takes Handicap

Enola Gray won the $100,000 California Distaff Handicap by a length in her turf debut Saturday at Santa Anita. Ridden by Tyler Baze, Enola Gray ran 61/2 furlongs on the hillside course in 1:11.57 and paid $5.20, $3.60 and $3 as the 8-5 second choice. She was the lone 3-year-old filly in the field of five. Desert Steel returned $6.80 and $5, while Home Journey was another head back in third and paid $3.60 to show. Long Hot Summer, Enola Gray's stablemate and the 6-5 favorite, finished last. Trained by Phil D'Amato, Enola Gray earned $60,000, increasing her career purses to $304,100, with four victories in five starts.

FOOTBALL

Newton cleared

Cam Newton has been cleared from the NFL's concussion program and can play today when Carolina visits New Orleans. The team said Saturday in a short statement that Newton had passed the league's concussion protocol. Previously, Panthers Coach Ron Rivera said the quarterback and 2015 league MVP was expected to start against the Saints "barring a setback." Newton participated fully in practice Friday, but still had to meet with an independent doctor before being cleared to play. Newton hasn't spoken to reporters since suffering a concussion on Oct. 2 against the Falcons. The Panthers are 1-4 and have lost three consecutive games.

Ex-Auburn star dies

Former Auburn football star Quentin Groves, who played defensive end for the Tigers from 2004-2007 and shares the program record for sacks, has died. He was 32. Auburn spokesman Kirk Sampson said Saturday that Groves died in his sleep while visiting Trinidad, his wife's native country. Sampson said he didn't know the cause of death. Groves had said in 2008 that he was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which causes a rapid heartbeat. Groves, from Greenville, Miss., was an All-SEC performer for Auburn. He recorded 26 sacks and was a second-round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He signed with seven NFL teams from 2008-2014. The school said he is survived by his wife and two children.

Ex-Jets lineman dies

Dennis Byrd, the former NFL defensive lineman whose career was ended by a neck injury, was killed Saturday in a car accident. He was 51. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said Byrd was killed in a two-vehicle collision on Oklahoma 88 north of Claremore. He starred at Tulsa before playing for the New York Jets. The highway patrol said the crash happened about 11:15 a.m. between Oologah and Claremore. It said a 17-year-old Claremore youth driving a 2000 Ford Explorer veered into the oncoming lane, striking the 2004 Hummer H2 that Byrd was driving. Byrd was pronounced dead at the scene, and the 17-year-old driver and a 12-year-old passenger in Byrd's vehicle were taken in critical condition to Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa.

MOTOR SPORTS

Busch takes Lottery

Kyle Busch won the Kansas Lottery 300, his third consecutive Xfinity race, at Kansas City on Saturday, while Chase contenders Elliott Sadler and Daniel Suarez followed him to the line to help their championship hopes. Busch started from the pole and led 150 laps for his ninth series victory this season, though it wasn't easy all afternoon. He dropped a lap behind the leaders at one point before getting a wave-around. Fellow Sprint Cup regulars Joey Logano and Kyle Larson rounded out the top five on a damaging day for several drivers beginning the three-race round of eight of their title run. Justin Allgaier and Darrell Wallace Jr. were involved in a late wreck, though Allgaier's partially destroyed car was able to finish a lap down in 14th. Wallace wound up 33rd. Brendon Gaughan also had late trouble and finished 31st.

Sports on 10/16/2016

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