GOLF
Kim holds 1-shot edge
Sei Young Kim is in position to defend her title in the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla., take player of the year honors, win the money title and possibly even move to No. 1 in the world. Kim took a one-stroke lead over top-ranked Jin Young Ko into the final round of the LPGA Tour season, shooting a 5-under 67 on Saturday in warmer conditions at Tiburon Golf Club to reach 13-under 203. Ko had a 69. For Kim to take the No. 1 spot in the world from Ko, she would have to win today and have Ko finish solo 10th or worse. Ko has held the top spot for 73 weeks in a row. Georgia Hall was third at 10 under after a 68. Kim is tied for the tour victory lead with Danielle Kang with two, winning the major KPMG Women's PGA Championship and Pelican Women's Championship in consecutive starts in October and November. The South Korean star played a 12-hole stretch from the second to the 13th in 6 under, then dropped a stroke on the par-4 18th. Ko had three birdies in a bogey-free round. Gaby Lopez (Razorbacks) shot a 70 on Saturday and is at 4 under after three days. Stacy Lewis (Razorbacks) turned in a 74 on Saturday and is at 4 over for the tournament. Maria Fassi (Razorbacks) shot a 78 on Saturday and is at 6 over for the tournament.
Tiger's son shines
The guy with a swoosh on his shirt and a Tiger head cover on his driver looked pretty good. So did Tiger Woods. Charlie Woods, the 11-year-old son of the 15-time major champion, made his national TV debut Saturday in the PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Fla. And according to his dad, he played just like he does at home. Never mind that he had some 250 people following along, more than his dad had watching him at the Masters. Charlie confidently twirled his club before shots, quickly picked up the tee on his drives and even pumped his fist on the par-5 third hole with a 3-wood into 3 feet for eagle. They finished the scramble format at 10-under 62, four shots behind Matt Kuchar and son Cameron. "I don't really care about my game," Woods said. "I'm just making sure that Charlie has the time of his life. And he's doing that." John Daly (Dardanelle, Razorbacks) and his son John Daly Jr. are also at 10 under in the 20-team field.
FOOTBALL
CFP semifinal moved to Texas
The 2021 College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl is relocating to Texas. The Tournament of Roses announced on Saturday the game will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in a move that would allow some family and friends of participants to attend the game. The Tournament of Roses was rebuffed in its two appeals to state health officials to allow 400-500 spectators in the 95,000-seat stadium for the Jan. 1 game. The idea of keeping the game in Pasadena lost steam after the failed appeals, according to individuals familiar with the discussions. Tournament of Roses officials made a concerted effort for family and friends to attend the game, but received a two-page letter from the state Thursday night denying the latest appeal.
Saints' Thomas on IR
The New Orleans Saints placed receiver Michael Thomas on injured reserve Saturday, a move that allows the Saints to give a healthy player Thomas' active roster spot for their final three regular-season games while resting their star receiver for the playoffs. Thomas, the 2019 AP Offensive Player of the Year, has been bothered by an ankle injury since Week 1 of the season and already had been ruled out on Friday for today's game against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. It will be the seventh time this season Thomas has been scratched from the lineup. Under current NFL rules adopted in response to the coronavirus pandemic, players may return from injured reserve after as few as three games.
Allen out vs. Steelers
Quarterback Brandon Allen (Fayetteville, Arkansas Razorbacks) is out for the Monday night game against the Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals said Saturday. Ryan Finley is expected to start in his place. Allen, 0-3 as a starter since rookie Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending injury, hurt his knee late in last week's loss to the Dallas Cowboys and hasn't practiced since. Finley, who has been the backup to Burrow, has played sparingly after the team decided to start Allen, a former practice team player, instead of him after Burrow was injured. Finley is 10 for 19 for 75 yards and 2 interceptions in 2020.
Ravens' CB fined $12,500
Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters can deny it all he wants, but the NFL thought he spit at Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry. The league fined Peters $12,500 on Saturday for his actions, which were followed by a back-and-forth verbal battle between the players last week. Peters was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct despite not being penalized during Baltimore's 47-42 win over Cleveland. TV footage caught Peters spitting in Landry's direction at the end of the first quarter. Landry had his back turned and didn't know what Peters had done until after the game. Landry responded by calling Peters "a coward." Peters said in a statement released by the Ravens that he didn't spit at Landry.
BASEBALL
MLB payrolls drop
Major League Baseball payrolls plunged to $1.75 billion during the pandemic-shortened season from $4.22 billion, and the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers led with $98.6 million -- the smallest for the top spender in 20 years. Base wages for 40-man rosters tumbled to $1.54 billion, according to information sent from Major League Baseball to teams on Friday night and obtained by The Associated Press. That was down from $3.99 billion in 2019. Prorated portions of signing bonuses totaled $120.6 million, down slightly from $122.8 million. Earned bonuses fell to $25 million from $26.9 million.
SKIING
Kilde earns downhill win
Defending overall World Cup champion Aleksander Aamodt Kilde won the classic Saslong downhill in Gardena, Italy, on Saturday for his second win in two days. After triumphing in Friday's super-G, the Norwegian finished the downhill against a backdrop of the Italian Alps 0.22 seconds ahead of Ryan Cochran-Siegle. The American earned his first career podium finish. In his nine-year World Cup career, Cochran-Siegle had previously racked up five top-10 results, including an eighth place in Saturday's super-G. The American's first podium came 50 years after his mother, 1972 Olympic slalom champion Barbara Cochran, won a silver medal at the 1970 Alpine skiing world championships at the same resort in northern Italy.
Goggia ends drought
Sofia Goggia had a gutsy run to win a women's World Cup downhill on Saturday for her first victory in the discipline in almost two years. A day after finishing runner-up to Corinne Suter in a race on the same hill, the Olympic champion from Italy turned the tables and beat the Swiss World Cup downhill champion by 0.24 seconds. Coming into this weekend, Goggia had not been on a downhill podium since winning in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in February 2019. It was Goggia's eighth career win. Breezy Johnson, who had her first career podium result on Friday, was three hundredths further back for another third-place finish.