GOLF
Hoffman, Kisner lead
Charley Hoffman finished a lot better than he started, closing with three consecutive birdies for a 1-under 71 that allowed him to catch Kevin Kisner for a share of the lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Orlando, Fla., on Saturday. Hoffman opened with two sloppy bogeys and his fourth bogey dropped him four shots behind. The last of his three consecutive birdies came after a chopand-run from the rough left of the 18th fairway, and a 70-foot birdie from the fringe. Kisner ran his birdie attempt on the 18th about 6 feet by and three-putted from the fringe. He shot 68. They were at 11-under 205, three shots clear of Tyrrell Hatton, Marc Leishman and Matt Fitzpatrick. Rory McIlroy birdied his last two holes for a 65 and climbed within five shots. David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) had a 70 and is even par after three rounds.
Nordqvist moves ahead
Anna Nordqvist shot a tournament-record 11-under 61 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead over Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) and Ariya Jutanugarn into the final round of the LPGA Founders Cup at Phoenix. Lewis and Jutanugarn each shot 66 playing together for the third consecutive day. They have had identical scores each day, with Jutanugarn getting the spot in the final pairing with Nordqvist because her name was listed first on the tee sheet Thursday. Nordqvist played with Lewis and Jutanugarn the first two days. Playing in record 95-degree heat at Desert Ridge, Nordqvist broke the tournament 54-hole record of 19 under set by Ai Miyazato in 2013. Needing to hole her second shot on the par-4 18th to shoot 59, Nordqvist hit left of the pin and went through the green to the edge of the grandstand. She took a drop and nearly made her birdie try from the fringe.
Stricker out front
Steve Stricker shot a 10-under 63 in hot conditions Saturday to take a three-stroke lead in the Tucson Conquistadores Classic, putting him in position to win in his PGA Tour Champions debut. Tom Lehman was second after a 67. First-round leader Fred Couples had a 70 to fall into a tie for third with Kevin Sutherland (65) at 11 under. Bernhard Langer had a 68 to get to 7 under and match Gil Morgan’s tour record for consecutive rounds under par at 31. Glen Day (Little Rock) shot a 69 and is 5 under going into the final round.
FOOTBALL
Jets sign former Cowboy
The New York Jets have signed former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne to a oneyear deal. Claiborne, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, will help the Jets replace Darrelle Revis, who was released last week. The team announced the signing Saturday. Financial terms weren’t immediately available, but multiple outlets reported that the deal is for $5 million. Claiborne has been hampered by injuries during his career. He sat out the last nine regular-season games last year with a groin injury. Claiborne returned for the Cowboys’ NFC divisional-round playoff loss to Green Bay, but left that game with a rib injury. Claiborne has 4 interceptions, 26 passes defensed, a forced fumble and 4 fumble recoveries in 47 career NFL games. He was an unrestricted free agent after the 2015 season, but re-signed with Dallas on a one-year deal.
BOXING
Golovkin wins decision
Genady Golovkin outlasted Danny Jacobs in an exhausting 12-round defense of his middleweight titles Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. Both fighters are knockout artists, yet this one went the distance — the first time Golovkin has not had a KO in 24 fights, and his first time going 12 rounds. The Kazakh won 115-112 on two judges cards and 114-113 on the other. In the toughest fight of his career, Golovkin often was stymied by Jacobs changing to a left-handed style. But a series of hard rights throughout the bout were enough — barely — to bring his record to 37-0. With Madison Square Garden reverberating from chants of “GGG” or “Jacobs,” no one could be sure of the outcome right until the final punch. Jacobs is 32-2. On the undercard, Thailand’s Srisaket Sor Rungvisai stunned previously unbeaten Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, knocking down the Nicaraguan in the first round, bloodying his face with an unintentional head butt in the third, then winning a majority decision for the WBC super flyweight championship Saturday night in New York. Sor Rungvisai relentlessly attacked the cut over the right eye of Gonzalez, who clearly was hampered by the blood streaming down his face. In only his second fight outside Asia, Sor Rungvisai improved to 42-4-1 with 38 knockouts. Gonzalez, considered by many the best pound-forpound fighter in the sport, is 46-1.
TENNIS
Federer advances
Roger Federer defeated Jack Sock 6-1, 7-6 (4) Saturday to reach the BNP Paribas Open final in pursuit of his record-tying fifth title in the desert of Indian Wells, Calif. Federer will play Stan Wawrinka in an all-Swiss title match after Wawrinka eased past Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-3. Federer raced through the first set in 21 minutes, firing five of his eight aces in the match and breaking Sock twice. Sock settled down in the second set when neither player dropped serve and the 24-year-old American saved his only break point in the seventh game. Sock led 3-1 in the tiebreaker before Federer won six of the final seven points, closing out the victory on Sock’s netted backhand. Wawrinka breezed through his semifinal after needing thirdset tiebreakers to win his previous two matches. He advanced to his first Indian Wells final, having lost in last year’s semis. He dispatched Carreno Busta while never facing a break point in the 64-minute match. The Spaniard fell to 0-3 in his career against the Swiss.
BASKETBALL
Illinois hires ‘proven winner’ in Underwood
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Oklahoma State Coach Brad Underwood is leaving Stillwater for Illinois after just one season, calling the chance to lead the Fighting Illini a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Underwood spent three successful seasons at Stephen F. Austin before signing on to coach Oklahoma State for 2016-17. The Cowboys got off to a rough start to Big 12 play before rallying down the stretch to land an NCAA Tournament bid.
Oklahoma State fell to seventh-seeded Michigan 92-91 on Friday, closing out Underwood’s only season in Stillwater.
The Cowboys beat the Arkansas Razorbacks 99-71 at Stillwater on Jan. 28.
“We were looking for a proven winner who would build upon our proud tradition while developing an unmistakable identity for Illinois basketball. Brad’s teams play a fast, aggressive style and show unyielding toughness,” Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman said in a statement announcing the hire Saturday.
Underwood replaces John Groce, who was fired earlier this month.
The Fighting Illini went 95-75 in five seasons under Groce but made just one NCAA tournament appearance.
Underwood, 53, spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach at nearby Western Illinois and spent one season as the associate head coach at both Kansas State and South Carolina before landing at Stephen F. Austin.
Underwood is 109-27 as a Division I coach and reached the NCAA Tournament in each of his four seasons.
“The players, fans and administration at Oklahoma State have been absolutely incredible, and I want to thank them for the support they’ve given me and my family over the last year,” Underwood said. “However, during my time at Western Illinois, I always saw the Illinois coaching job as one of the truly best in the nation.”
Sports on 03/19/2017