GOLF
Simpson takes lead
Webb Simpson shot a 3-under 67 on Saturday to break out of a crowd and take the third-round lead at the Dean & DeLuca Invitational at Fort Worth. At 9-under 201, Simpson was two strokes ahead of Danny Lee and Paul Casey after both of them made long birdie putts at the 18th hole. Stewart Cink and Kevin Kisner were three strokes off the lead. After being among four players who shared the 36-hole lead, Simpson went ahead alone to stay after consecutive birdies to start his back nine. He made a 6-foot birdie putt at the 387-yard 10th and a 12-footer at the 630-yard 11th before finishing with seven consecutive pars. It is only the second time in 12 years at Colonial for the 54-hole leader to have more than a one-stroke advantage. Defending champion Jordan Spieth shot a 68 with a caddie switch after making the turn, and was at 4 under. Lee and Kisner were also tied for the second-round lead, along with Scott Piercy who shot a 72 to fall five strokes back. David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) had a 3-under 67 and is even par going into the final round.
Feng ahead by 1
Shanshan Feng shot a 6-under 66 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the LPGA Volvik Championship at Ann Arbor, Mich. Feng is 15 under for the tournament after a bogey-free round. Lizette Salas (67) is in second place, one shot ahead of Suzann Pettersen (69). Second-round leader Sung Hyun Park (72) is tied for fourth with Jeong Eun Lee (68) at 12 under. Feng, of China, has six career victories, the most recent at last year's TOTO Japan Classic. Feng birdied the last two holes Saturday at Travis Pointe Country Club. She took over sole possession of the lead when Salas bogeyed No. 18 moments later. Former Arkansas Razorback Stacy Lewis, who shared the first round lead with Wei-Ling Hsu, shot a 68 and is 11 under. She is tied for sixth with Jennifer Song and Minjee Lee. Gaby Lopez (Razorbacks) also had a 68 and is 8 under. Hsu is also at 8 under going into today's final round.
Singh out front
Vijay Singh used his power to take advantage of rain-softened Trump National, shooting a 5-under 67 to move one shot ahead of Bernhard Langer in the third round of the Senior PGA Championship at Sterling, Va. Singh, 54, is 10 under par for the week on the par 5s at the 7,100-yard course on the shores of the Potomac River. He routinely outdrove Langer, 59, by 30 yards and got up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 18th to maintain his one-shot advantage. Langer stayed close to Singh despite an off day by his standards. After missing just three greens in regulation in the first two rounds, he missed seven greens on Saturday. He shot 70. His two-putt birdie on 18 was his only birdie on the back nine. Billy Andrade made three birdies on the back nine to shoot 69 and was three shots back. Bob Estes shot 67 and was alone in fourth, five shots behind. Glen Day (Little Rock) had a 72 and is 2 under. John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 70 and also is 2 under.
Dolt leads Grace by 1
Andrew Dodt of Australia will take a one-stroke lead into the final day of the BMW PGA Championship at Virginia Water, Surrey, England, after shooting a 4-under 68 in the third round on Saturday. South Africa's Branden Grace is a shot behind Dodt, a two-time winner on the European Tour, after a 70 at Wentworth. Lee Westwood (72) and overnight co-leader Francesco Molinari (74) are a further two shots back. Thomas Pieters and Scott Jamieson shared the lead with Molinari after the second round of the tour's signature event but shot 78 and 76, respectively, to drop off the leaderboard. Pep Angles (Central Arkansas) did not make the cut.
TENNIS
Wawrinka keeps title
Stan Wawrinka warmed up for the French Open by retaining his Geneva Open title on Saturday, beating Mischa Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. The top-seeded Wawrinka clinched by breaking serve with a fierce forehand crosscourt pass to beat left-hander Zverev's advance to the net. Wawrinka's first title in 2017 is the 16th of his career, and the seventh on clay including the 2015 French Open. The Swiss is the No. 3 seed at Roland Garros, and first plays the 152nd-ranked Josef Kovalik of Slovakia. Zverev, who came through qualifying, still seeks a first career title at age 29. The Russia-born German's second runner-up finish comes more than six years after his first, at Metz, France.
Tsonga tops Berdych
Second-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France won his first title on clay when he defeated Tomas Berdych 7-6 (2), 7-5 in the Lyon Open final on Saturday. Tsonga dropped just three points behind his first serve, hit 13 aces, and saved all two break points to down his third-seeded Czech opponent. Tsonga's victory came a day before the French Open starts in Paris. No Frenchman has won the Roland Garros title since Yannick Noah lifted the Mousquetaires Cup in 1983.
Bertens defends Cup
Kiki Bertens defended her Nuremberg Cup title with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Czech qualifier Barbora Krejcikova in the clay-court tournament final on Saturday. Top-seeded Bertens had little difficulty against the 254th-ranked Krejcikova, hitting seven aces to win in under an hour at the French Open warmup. Krejcikova, 21, was playing her seventh match of the week and her first WTA singles final. Bertens is hitting form at the right time ahead of the French Open, reaching the quarterfinals in Madrid, then semifinals in Rome and now her third career title in Nuremberg.
Stosur wins at Strasbourg
Sam Stosur rallied past fellow Australian Daria Gavrilova 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 to win the Strasbourg International on Saturday and remain the top player in her country. Gavrilova, who was chasing her first WTA title at the French Open warmup, would also have dethroned Stosur as the Australian No. 1 player with a victory. Stosur made the decisive break for a 4-2 lead in the decider after Gavrilova double-faulted. The 2011 U.S. Open champion served out to love to finish the nearly three-hour final. Stosur has been the Australian No. 1 for 450 consecutive weeks, since October 2008.
TRACK AND FIELD
Farah's final time?
Mo Farah pounded his chest after crossing the finish line on a U.S. track for perhaps the final time. Farah won the 5,000 meters at the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday in 13 minutes, 0.70 seconds. The British distance specialist, who won Olympic gold in both the 5,000 and 10,000 at the Rio Games last year, plans to retire from track races after the World Championships in London this August. He's said that after that he'll likely focus on the marathon. American Ronnie Baker bested both countryman Justin Gatlin and Canadian Andre De Grasse to win the men's 100, while Tori Bowie prevailed over a strong field that included Allyson Felix and Jamaican Elaine Thompson to win the 200 on a brilliantly sunny but breezy day.
BOXING
Groves wins vacant belt
George Groves became a world boxing champion at his fourth attempt when he stopped Fedor Chudinov in the sixth round for the vacant WBA super middleweight belt on Saturday at Sheffield, England. Chudinov had lost only once, and started better until he clashed heads, cutting Groves over his left eye. Groves rallied from there, a right hook starting a barrage in the sixth round which forced referee Steve Gray to stop the dazed Russian from continuing. Chudinov's second consecutive loss, after a points loss to titleholder Felix Sturm last year, dropped his record to 14-2. Groves, from London, improved to 26-3 (19 KOs). Groves lost his three previous world titles fights to Carl Froch, twice, and Badou Jack. Groves took on new trainer Shane McGuigan and won four consecutive to get back into title contention.
Sports on 05/28/2017