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=== News Summaries from The Sports Network - Saturday, May 18th ===
=== Oxbow pulls off upset in Preakness ===
Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Oxbow took the lead out of the gate and went
on to win Saturday's $1 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course,
spoiling any chance of Kentucky Derby winner Orb becoming the first Triple
Crown champion in 35 years.
Trained by D. Wayne Lukas and ridden by Gary Stevens, Oxbow covered the 1
3/16-mile Preakness in 1:57.54 under overcast skies. The time was the slowest
in the Triple Crown's second leg since 1961.
Oxbow, owned by Calumet Farm, cruised to a 1 3/4-length victory over 8-1
second pick Itsmyluckyday with 10-1 Mylute finishing third.
The heavily favored Orb, fresh off his 2 1/2-length win in the Run for the
Roses two weeks back, was able to rally and finish fourth, followed by
Goldencents, Departing, Will Take Charge, Govenor Charlie and Titletown Five,
who was eased through the stretch.
Sent off as a 15-1 long-shot in the nine-horse field, Oxbow broke well from
the starting gate to take the early lead. The colt set the pace up the
backstretch with Orb, the 3-5 favorite, just a couple lengths back in fourth.
Around the final turn, Oxbow continued on the lead as Orb and jockey Joel
Rosario were shuffled back near the rail. Stevens, a member of racing's Hall
of Fame, had his mount just off the rail coming down the stretch and proved
too strong to allow Itsmyluckyday and Mylute to catch him.
"It's so special," said Stevens after winning his third Preakness. "Wayne
supported me, put me on my first Triple Crown winner. A lot people were trying
to get me off. He was the first guy to call me up in January, 'I'm gonna have
a colt for you, his name's Oxbow.' Here we stand. Ran a terrific race in the
Derby (sixth). We're kind of flying under the radar after the Derby, didn't
get a lot of respect, even with the great performance.
"I came back and breezed him on Monday and what you see right now is exactly
how he acted in his workout. We went just a nice easy workout, his mind was
right. We came in here with a lot of confidence. When I hit the half-mile pole
I told myself, 'Are you kidding me, is this happening?' The race was over at
the half-mile pole."
Stevens, who returned from retirement in 2013 after a seven-year hiatus, had
earlier won the Preakness with Silver Charm (1997) and Point Given (2001).
Lukas notched his sixth Preakness win, having previously saddled Codex (1980),
Tank's Prospect (1985), Tabasco Cat (1994), Timber Country (1995) and
Charismatic (1999).
"I'm happier for Gary and I'm just so happy for Mr. (Brad) Kelly," the Hall of
Fame trainer said. "You know, he's invested. He's trying to revitalize
Calumet. Now Calumet is back in a classic race. It's very gratifying."
Oxbow earns $600,000 with the upset victory and registers his third win in 11
career starts. The colt has banked $983,500 with just two stakes wins.
The colt won for the first time in his fourth start last November at Churchill
Downs. He closed his 2-year-old season with a fourth behind Violence in the
CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park.
As a 3-year-old, Oxbow won the Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds and finished
fourth in the Risen Star at the New Orleans track. He came back to finish
second to Will Take Charge in the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park, but finished
fifth in the Arkansas Derby to Overanalyze.
The Kentucky bred finished sixth at 24-1 in the Kentucky Derby after pressing
the blazing pace that was being set by Palace Malice.
Oxbow returned $32.80, $12.00 and $6.80. Itsmyluckyday paid $7.80 and $5.00
and Mylute paid $5.20 to show.
=== Pacers' Hill to play in Game 6 ===
Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Indiana Pacers point guard George Hill has
been cleared to participate in Saturday's pivotal Game 6 of the team's Eastern
Conference semifinal series with the New York Knicks.
Hill sat out Thursday's 85-75 loss to the Knicks with a concussion he
sustained while colliding with New York center Tyson Chandler during the first
half of Tuesday's Game 4. The Indianapolis native finished that game with a
team-best 26 points to lead the Pacers to a 93-82 triumph.
The 27-year-old was questionable heading into Saturday's matchup, but the
Pacers announced he has since passed the NBA's mandatory protocol for players
returning from concussions.
"Over the last two days under the care of the Indiana Pacers' medical staff,
George Hill has participated in each step of the NBA's Return-to-Participation
Exertion Protocol as part of the NBA's Concussion Policy," the Pacers said in
a statement. "During the process, George remained symptom-free after each step
including his workouts earlier today. After consultation with Dr. Jeffrey
Kutcher, the NBA's Director of Concussion Management, the Pacers' team
physicians have cleared George to play in tonight's game."
The Pacers, who have won each of their five home tilts in this year's playoffs
by 11 or more points, can clinch a spot in the East finals against Miami with
a victory on Saturday.
=== Freeney headed to San Diego ===
San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - The San Diego Chargers have added
veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Freeney's deal is for two years.
Freeney spent his first 11 NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and has 107
1/2 career sacks in 163 games. He's reached double figures seven times and
last year, after switching from defensive end to outside linebacker in
Indianapolis' new 3-4 scheme, posted five sacks in 14 games.
The Chargers' need for an outside linebacker became more urgent on Tuesday
when Melvin Ingram tore his left ACL during offseason training activities. The
18th overall pick of the 2012 draft could miss the entire 2013 season.
Freeney visited the Chargers soon after Ingram's injury, meeting with new GM
Tom Telesco, who had been part of the Indianapolis front office for 15 years
before taking the San Diego job in January.
The 33-year-old Syracuse product was a member of the Colts' Super Bowl
championship team after the 2006 season and is a seven-time Pro Bowl
selection.
=== NHL fines Sharks $100,000 for Wilson comments ===
New York, NY (Sports Network) - The National Hockey League on Saturday issued
a $100,000 fine to the San Jose Sharks organization for comments made by
general manager Doug Wilson regarding the suspension levied to Raffi Torres
earlier in the week.
The fine was issued for violation of league rules which prohibit statements to
the media during the 48-hour period following a disciplinary decision. In
addition to an automatic penalty of $25,000, the Sharks were fined an
additional $75,000 under Article 6 of the League's Constitution due to the
inappropriate nature of the comments.
League discipline czar Brendan Shanahan passed down the suspension on Thursday
to Torres, who was banned for the remainder of the Sharks' second-round
series against Los Angeles for an illegal hit to the head of forward
Jarret Stoll during the second period of the Kings' 2-0 Game 1 win on Tuesday.
On Friday, Wilson revealed his thoughts about the suspension in a lengthy
statement, whose sentiments included the following:
"The Sharks organization fully supports the NHL in its efforts to remove
illegal and dangerous hits from the game but we strongly disagree with the
NHL's decision to suspend Raffi Torres.
"Upon review of the incident, it is abundantly clear that this was a clean
hockey hit. As noted by the NHL, Raffi's initial point of contact was a
shoulder-to-shoulder hit on an opponent who was playing the puck. He did not
leave his feet or elevate, he kept his shoulder tucked and elbow down at his
side, and he was gliding -- not skating or charging.
"As evidenced in the video, just prior to Torres making contact with the
opposing player, that player altered his posture to play a bouncing puck with
his hand, placing himself in a vulnerable position.
"Comparing the facts of this incident against the actual wording of Rule 48.1,
it appears that the NHL has not only made an inappropriate application of this
rule but is trying to make an example out of a player who is being judged on
past events, one who has changed his game dramatically this season and taken
only six minor penalties in 39 games."
The Sharks trail the best-of-seven series 2-0 with game 3 in San Jose on
Saturday night.
=== Switzerland, Sweden post shutouts to reach final at Worlds ===
Stockholm, Sweden (Sports Network) - Reto Berra stopped 29 shots and Nino
Niederreiter scored the game winner in the second period as Switzerland took a
3-0 victory over the United States in the semifinals of the 2013 World Hockey
Championship.
In the earlier semifinal game, Loui Eriksson scored twice on the power play
and Jhonas Enroth made 30 saves to lead Sweden in a 3-0 victory over
Finland.
The Swiss, who are in the final for the first time since losing to Canada
in 1935, will take on Sweden in the gold medal game on Sunday, while the
Americans face off against Finland in the bronze medal game tomorrow.
Julian Walker added an insurance goal halfway through the third period while
Reto Suri's empty-netter sealed the win for the Swiss, who last appeared in a
semifinal in 1998 and remain undefeated in this tournamnet with nine wins.
John Gibson stopped 28-of-30 shots for the Americans, who advanced to the
semifinals thanks to an 8-3 rout of Russia on Thursday.
The Swiss got the only goal they needed midway through regulation as
Martin Pluss fed the puck from the left to the right on a rush and
Niederreiter wristed it in.
Walker beat Gibson with a big slap shot over the glove with 9:49 left in
regulation, while Suri put the puck in the empty net with 19 seconds to
play.
Sweden reached the final for the second time in the last three years. The
Swedes were beaten by Finland in the final two years ago and haven't won World
Championship gold since 2006.
The Swedes will try to become the first host country to win it all since the
Soviet Union won in Moscow in 1986.
The Swedes were unable to cash in a power play early in the contest, but
converted their second of the first period at the 10:33 mark when Sedin's shot
from the right circle hit Eriksson and went past goaltender Antti Raanta.
Finland failed on two power-play chances late in the first and the Swedes
again found the net with the man-advantage late in the second. Eriksson snuck
into the slot, took Sedin's centering feed from behind the net and snapped a
shot into the top left corner for a 2-0 edge with 3:47 to play in the stanza.
Enroth turned aside 19 shots through the first 40 minutes, then stopped all 11
he faced in the third before Sedin found the empty net in the final minute.
Raanta made 28 saves in defeat for Finland.
=== Hurricanes' Staal has MCL sprain ===
Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal has been
diagnosed with a third-degree sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his
right knee, the team announced Saturday.
The ligament doesn't need to be surgically repaired, but Staal will require
three months to recover. The Hurricanes do expect the 28-year-old center to be
ready for the start of the 2013-14 season.
Staal suffered the injury while playing for Canada at the World Hockey
Championship in Stockholm. He absorbed a knee-on-knee hit from defenseman
Alexander Edler in the first period of Thursday's shootout loss to Sweden in
the quarterfinals.
Edler received a five-minute major, along with a game misconduct, and was
subsequently suspended for the rest of the tournament.
Staal registered 18 goals and 35 assists while playing all 48 games for the
Hurricanes during the lockout-shortened campaign.
=== Havlat to make return in Game 3 ===
San Jose, CA (Sports Network) - Sharks forward Martin Havlat will make his
long-awaited return to action in Game 3 of a Western semifinal against the Los
Angeles Kings.
San Jose head coach Todd MacLellan revealed the news on Saturday, saying:
"He's come to see me and he thinks he's ready to go, so we'll find a spot for
him."
Havlat hasn't played since the opening game of the first round against the
Vancouver Canucks with an undisclosed lower-body injury.
The Sharks return home after dropping the first two games in the series in Los
Angeles.
=== Cardinals' Garcia heading to DL ===
St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - The St. Louis Cardinals will place pitcher
Jaime Garcia on the 15-day disabled list because of a left shoulder strain,
general manager John Mozeliak announced Saturday.
Garcia, who was limited to just 20 regular-season starts and 121 2/3 innings
last season due to shoulder woes, has been tagged for 11 runs and four homers
in a span of 11 1/3 innings over his last two outings. He began the year
winning four of his first five decisions while pitching to a 2.25 earned run
average over seven starts.
The left-hander served up a pair of two-run homers to Milwaukee's Aramis
Ramirez while lasting 5 1/3 innings in the Cardinals' 7-6 victory over the
Brewers on Friday.
Garcia joins fellow starters Chris Carpenter (shoulder) and Jake Westbrook
(elbow) on the DL.
Mozeliak also stated the club will recall reliever Mitchell Boggs from Triple-
A Memphis to take Garcia's spot on the roster.
Boggs recorded a 2.21 ERA and 34 holds as the Cardinals' primary setup man
last season, but was banished to the minors earlier this month after going 0-2
with a 12.66 ERA and blowing two save chances in 14 appearances.
=== Yankees pick up Brignac from Colorado ===
Bronx, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Yankees have acquired utilityman
Reid Brignac from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for cash considerations.
Brignac had been designated for assignment by the Rockies on Thursday. He was
hitting .250 with a homer and six runs batted in over 29 games for Colorado.
The 27-year-old veteran spent his first five years with Tampa Bay. He saw his
most extensive playing time in 2010 with the Rays, batting .256 with eight
homers and 45 RBI in 113 games.
Brignac gives the Yankees more versatility, especially in the infield with
injuries to Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Kevin Youkilis and Eduardo Nunez. He
has played second base, third base and shortstop in the infield while also
seeing time at the corner outfield spots.
The Yankees tried to fill the infield role with a Colorado player earlier this
season, but Chris Nelson struggled in his brief stint in New York. He hit just
.222 with two runs batted in during a 10-game audition before being designated
for assignment on Wednesday.
To open a spot on the roster for Brignac, the Yankees designated infielder
Alberto Gonzalez for assignment. Gonzalez, acquired from the Cubs on May 9,
appeared in three games for the Yankees this week and was 3-for-9 at the
plate. He also got the final out on the mound in Wednesday's 12-2 loss to
Seattle.
=== Orioles bring up Jurrjens, Reimold to DL ===
Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - The Baltimore Orioles have selected the
contract of pitcher Jair Jurrjens from their Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk and
placed outfielder Nolan Reimold on the 15-day disabled among a host of moves
before Saturday's game against Tampa Bay.
Jurrjens was scheduled to make his Orioles debut Saturday against Blue Jays
after posting a record of 4-1 with a 3.14 ERA in eight starts for the Tides.
He was signed to a minor league contract in the offseason, but didn't make the
big league club out of spring training after pitching to a 4.91 ERA in six
outings.
The 27-year-old right-hander had spent the past five seasons with Atlanta and
was an All-Star with the Braves in 2011 when he was 13-6 with a 2.96 ERA. His
year was cut short by a knee injury and he struggled to regain his form in
2012, going 3-4 with a 6.89 ERA in 11 games, including 10 starts.
Reimold is bothered by a right hamstring strain. The DL move is retroactive to
May 12. He is batting just .188 with four homers and nine runs batted in over
31 games this season.
The Orioles also optioned pitcher Alex Burnett to Norfolk and recalled pitcher
Jake Arrieta from the minor league club, while opening a spot on the 40-man
roster for Jurrjens by transferring second baseman Brian Roberts to the 60-day
disabled list.
=== Athletics reinstate OF Young ===
Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - The Oakland Athletics reinstated outfielder
Chris Young from the 15-day disabled list Saturday.
Young was placed on the disabled list May 4, retroactively to April 30, due to
a strained left quadriceps, which he suffered during a 19-inning marathon game
against the Los Angeles Angels on April 29.
The 29-year-old Young is hitting just .172 with four homers and 15 RBI in 23
games this season.
In addition, the Athletics designated first baseman Daric Barton for
assignment. Barton was selected from Triple-A Sacramento on May 8 and batted
.143 with one home run and three RBI in eight games.
=== Braves' O'Flaherty lands on DL ===
Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - The Atlanta Braves placed relief pitcher Eric
O'Flaherty on the 15-day disabled list prior to Saturday's game against the
Los Angeles Dodgers.
O'Flaherty, who allowed a solo homer to the Dodgers' Scott Van Slyke in an
inning of work in Friday's win over Los Angeles, is dealing with an elbow
strain.
The left-hander has compiled a 3-0 record and a 2.50 earned run average over
19 appearances this season and becomes the second key member of the Atlanta
bullpen to land on the DL in as many days. Jordan Walden was shelved on Friday
due to inflammation in his right shoulder.
Atlanta recalled pitcher Cory Rasmus from Triple-A Gwinnett to fill the roster
spot.
The 25-year-old, and younger brother of Blue Jays outfielder Colby
Rasmus, has converted all seven of his save opportunities while posting
an 0.93 in 19 games for Gwinnett this season.
=== Alexander leaves Stetson to take Lipscomb job ===
Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Casey Alexander resigned after two seasons
as head coach of the Stetson University men's basketball team to take a
similar job with Lipscomb, another Atlantic Sun Conference squad.
Alexander, a native of Nashville, made his decision to return home to take the
reins of his former school's rival.
In his two seasons leading the Hatters program, Alexander posted a 24-36
overall record, including a 17-19 record in A-Sun play.
"I'm making this move with mixed emotions because there are so many people at
Stetson I hate to disappoint, most notably our returning players and signees,
because they are the face of the program," Alexander said.
He takes over at Lipscomb for Scott Sanderson, who stepped down as the
school's coach after 14 years at the helm. Sanderson guided the team to a
222-201 record during his tenure, and this past season Lipscomb went 12-18,
but beat Sweet 16 surprise team Florida Gulf Coast twice during the regular
season.
"Lipscomb University is a perfect fit for my family and me," Alexander said.
"We couldn't be more excited about this opportunity. The philosophy of the
Lipscomb program is a great alignment with what we stand for."
Prior to taking his first head coaching role at Stetson, Alexander spent 16
years at Belmont under head coach Rick Byrd.
=== Nadal to meet Federer in blockbuster Rome final ===
Rome, Italy (Sports Network) - Make it 8-for-8.
Rafael Nadal has played eight tournaments this year and has now reached the
final in each one after a straight-set win over Tomas Berdych in Saturday's
semifinals at the Italian Masters.
The fifth-seeded Spaniard needed just 78 minutes in a 6-2, 6-4 romp Saturday
and will play two-time Rome runner-up Roger Federer in Sunday's marquee
finale.
Nadal has won five of his first seven events in 2013, a season that didn't
start until February after his seven-month layoff because of a knee injury. He
lost to unheralded Argentine Horacio Zeballos in the final at Vina del Mar to
start his year, then won titles in Sao Paolo, Acapulco and Indian Wells before
a loss to Novak Djokovic in the Monte Carlo finale. He has followed that wins
in Barcelona and Madrid.
The 11-time Grand Slam champion appears to be in superior form heading to the
French Open, which he has dominated with seven titles in eight years, and will
try to capture the Rome crown for a seventh time. He is 40-2 all-time at Foro
Italico, winning titles previously in 2005-07, 2009-10 and again last year.
Nadal had little trouble Saturday, breaking serve twice in the opening set
while losing just one point on his own serve. He then broke Berdych at love in
the ninth game of the second set and closed it out in the next game.
The victory gave Nadal a 14-3 lifetime mark against Berdych, including 5-0 on
clay. The two also met in the quarterfinals of this event last year.
Berdych had beaten two-time Rome champ Djokovic in the quarterfinals on Friday
to deny a rematch of last year's final between the world No. 1 Serb and Nadal.
Nadal, on Sunday, will try for his 56th career title overall and his 41st on
clay. He is currently tied with Thomas Muster for the second-most clay titles,
trailing only Guillermo Vilas' 45.
Federer, meanwhile, battled past Frenchman Benoit Paire 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to
reach his first final of the year.
Sunday's match will mark the 30th meeting between the two rivals and second
this year. Nadal cruised to a 6-4, 6-2 win in the quarterfinals at Indian
Wells to improve to 19-10 against the Swiss superstar.
Nadal also won the only previous meeting between the two in Rome, a 6-7 (0-7),
7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5) best-of-five thriller in the 2006 finale. The
two haven't met in a final since Nadal's four-set triumph in the 2011 French
Open.
This week's big winner will earn $650,000.
=== Serena continues roll into Rome final, Azarenka next ===
Rome, Italy (Sports Network) - Serena Williams appears unstoppable.
Williams ran her winning streak to 23 straight matches Saturday with a 6-3,
6-0 demolition of Romania's Simona Halep in the semifinals of the Italian Open
and will set her sights on a fourth straight title on Sunday against Victoria
Azarenka.
The last player to beat Williams was Azarenka in the final of the Qatar Open
back in February. Williams will get a chance to avenge that defeat, as
Azarenka reached the final with a 6-0, 7-5 triumph over Italian crowd favorite
Sara Errani.
Since the setback to Azarenka in Doha, followed by an injury withdrawal in
Dubai, Williams has won titles in Miami, Charleston and last week in Madrid.
Only four times during the 23-match streak has she been taken to three sets
and no one has done so this week at the Foro Italico.
In powering past Laura Robson, Dominika Cibulkova, Carla Suarez Navarro and
Halep, Williams has dropped a mere 10 games. Three times, including Saturday,
she's completed an unblemished set.
Halep actually broke serve to grab a 2-1 lead early in Saturday's match, but
it was all Williams from there. Williams broke right back -- the first of her
five break conversions -- and fired five aces while winning 57 of the 89
points played in a match that took just 65 minutes.
Azarenka won the first seven games of the match against Errani, who threatened
to take the second set after a break gave her a 5-4 lead and thrilled the home
crowd. Instead, Azarenka broke right back and won the next two games to reach
her third final of 2013.
Sunday will mark the third scheduled meeting of the year between Williams and
Azarenka. Azarenka pulled out of a semifinal meeting in Brisbane because of
injury and Williams went on to win that tournament to start the year, but the
Belarusian claimed a 7-6 (8-6), 2-6, 6-3 win over the American in the Doha
final.
"She played well in Doha," said Williams. "I had opportunities I wasn't able
to use and Vika played well in the important points. It was a tough
tournament, though, and I was happy to be in the final."
The two could have met in the Australian Open semifinals, but Sloane Stephens
beat Williams in the quarters and Azarenka went on to win the season's first
Grand Slam for a second straight year.
Azarenka is 16-11 all-time in finals, including 2-0 in 2013. This will be her
first trip to the Rome finale.
Williams won the Rome crown in 2002, coincidentally the only year she won the
French Open, and last week in Madrid secured her 50th career title. She is
bidding for her fifth win of 2013.
Azarenka's victory over Williams in Doha was just her second in 13 all-time
matchups. Williams had won nine straight in the series, including last year's
U.S. Open final and the only previous meeting on clay in last year's Madrid
title match.
=== Bradley still on top in Texas ===
Irving, TX (Sports Network) - Keegan Bradley scrambled to a 2-under 68 on
Saturday to remain atop the leaderboard after three rounds of the Byron Nelson
Championship.
Bradley finished 54 holes at 13-under-par 197. He will go for his second win
at this event, and fourth PGA Tour title on Sunday.
Sang-Moon Bae carded a 4-under 66 to get within one of Bradley at minus-12.
Tom Gillis is just two off of the lead as he posted a 3-under 67 in round
three to end at 11-under 199.
Scott Piercy is alone in fourth at 10-under 200 after carding a 66 at the TPC
Four Seasons Resort on Saturday.
Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel managed a 1-under 69 to end three
rounds tied for fifth at minus-8. He was joined there by Gary Woodland (68),
Harris English (68) and John Huh (69).
Bae birdied the first two holes to get within one of Bradley, who responded
with a 13-foot birdie putt at the third. Both Bae and Bradley stumbled to a
bogey at the fifth.
Bradley, who won this title in 2011, also bogeyed the sixth to cut his lead to
one over Bae and Gillis. Bradley birdied the par-5 seventh to push his
advantage back to two.
However, Bae answered with an 11-foot birdie effort at the eighth. Bradley
responded with a birdie from 14 feet out on No. 9. Bradley poured in a 34-foot
birdie try at the 11th.
Bae got back within one thanks to a birdie on the 13th. After Bae pitched his
third to the par-5 16th within tap-in range, Bradley blasted from a bunker to
12-feet.
Bradley rolled that in to remain two ahead of Bae, who kicked in his birdie
chance. Bradley parred the 17th, then bogeyed the last after his drive stopped
inside the hazard line.
The 2011 PGA Champion chipped back to the fairway from within the hazard, then
2-putted for bogey from 24 feet out after he left his approach on the front
fringe. The closing bogey trimmed his lead to one.
"I played really solid today, one of the most solid rounds of the year, so I'm
really excited," Bradley stated. "(The birdie putt at 11) was a big putt.
Tommy was in there close so I wanted to answer him. I got a really good break
(there at 18) for the ball not to go in the water."
Bae 2-putted for par on the final two holes to end one back.
"I played really strong and hit a bunch of good shots," said Bae. "I'll just
play my game tomorrow."
Gillis is lurking two back. He opened and closed his front nine with birdies,
while making seven consecutive pars in between. Around the turn, Gillis moved
to 11-under with a birdie on the 11th.
At the par-3 17th, Gillis stumbled to a bogey. He bounced right back with a
birdie at the last, where he holed out from a bunker, to end 54 holes two off
the lead.
NOTES: Bradley owns the 54-hole lead for the second time in his PGA Tour
career, and second time this season. He failed to hold the first one, losing
in a playoff to Bill Haas at the Northern Trust Open ... Bradley is looking to
join Tom Watson (1980) and Mark Hayes (1976) as the third wire-to-wire winner
at this event ... After 83 players made the cut on Friday, there was a
secondary cut after the third round, which reduced the field to 72 players ...
Among those that won't play the final round are Chad Campbell, Pat Perez,
Vijay Singh and Tim Herron.
=== McDowell exacts revenge, advances to World Match Play semis ===
Kavarna, Bulgaria (Sports Network) - Graeme McDowell avenged last year's World
Match Play Championship defeat on Saturday and advanced to the semifinals with
a 2 & 1 victory over Nicolas Colsaerts.
Eliminated by Colsaerts in last year's title match and the 2011 quarterfinals,
McDowell atoned at Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort and sent the reigning
champ packing.
"I'm happy to get through and excited to be in the semifinals," said
McDowell. "It's a very historic event and a trophy with a lot of legendary
names on it. The golden years at Wentworth I remember watching a lot of my
heroes win it and I would dearly love to add my name to the list."
A rematch was set up Saturday morning when Colsaerts prevailed over Gonzalo
Fernandez-Castano and McDowell ousted American Bo Van Pelt. The Northern
Irishman carried the momentum into the afternoon showdown and jumped ahead by
three in the early going before holding on for the win.
McDowell will face South African Branden Grace, who took down red-hot Brett
Rumford in the morning, then dispatched Chris Wood, 2 & 1, in the
quarterfinals.
Grace, who won four times on the European Tour in 2012, highlighted his round
with three straight birdies from the fifth, and won the match when Wood 3-
putted at the 16th and 17th.
"It's been a long day and I can't remember the last time I played 36 holes in
a day," said Grace.
The other semifinal match pits Thomas Aiken against Thailand's Thongchai
Jaidee. The former took down Italian Francesco Molinari, 3 & 2, while the
latter dispatched Scott Jamieson, 4 & 3, in the quarterfinals.
"Thirty-six holes a day is definitely starting to take its physical toll,"
admitted Aiken. "I wish I was a little bit fitter, but I think if you can get
through the match tomorrow morning you'll be extremely focused for the
afternoon."
Jaidee has already defeated Aiken this week, taking down the Scotsman, 1-up,
in Friday's second round.
Colsaerts appeared poised for another McDowell ousting when he birdied the
par-4 third to go 1-up, but the Northern Irishman rallied with four birdies
over the next five holes to gain an advantage he would not relinquish.
Around the turn, Colsaerts sent his drive into a bathroom on the short par-4
10th. The Belgian took a penalty drop, halved the hole, and then pulled within
one courtesy of a birdie on No. 13 and a McDowell bogey on the next.
"I'm sure it's going to make the news, some Belgian dude dropping the ball in
a toilet," joked Colsaerts. "It's fun to be recognized for stupid stuff like
that."
That was the end of the run, however, as McDowell exacted his revenge with a
winning birdie on the par-4 17th.
NOTES: McDowell is playing his first European Tour event of the year after
posting four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, including a victory at the RBC
Heritage ... Rumford was coming off back-to-back victories at the
Ballantine's Championship and China Open. He was looking to join Nick Faldo
and Seve Ballesteros as the only players in European Tour history to win three
consecutive events ... Ian Poulter, the 2011 champion and European Ryder cup
hero, was eliminated on Friday. He won the WGC-Accenture Match Play title in
2010 ... The 24-man field was divided into eight groups of three players,
with everyone playing two matches and the top two players from each group
advancing to the single elimination matches on Saturday and Sunday.
=== Tullo snares Madeira lead ===
Santa Cruz, Madeira (Sports Network) - Mark Tullo carded a 4-under 68 on
Saturday and grabbed a 1-shot lead through three rounds of the Madeira Islands
Open.
Craig Lee led Tullo and Peter Uihlein by a single stroke when the suspended
second round wrapped up Saturday morning. The trio jostled for position much
of the third round before Tullo birdied the par-3 17th at Club de Golf do
Santo da Serra to separate himself.
Tullo, who is seeking his first European Tour win, is 12-under 204 through 54
holes, one shot ahead of Lee (70) and Uihlein (69).
"I played really good today," said Tullo. "I had a good back nine and the
putter worked pretty well for me."
Morten Orum Madsen jumped seven spots into a share of fourth courtesy of a
third-round 67. The Dane is joined at 8-under by Jarmo Sandelin, who carded a
70.
Jose-Filipe Lima (66) and Daniel Im (67) are tied for sixth at 6-under, while
Richard Bland (70), Rikard Karlberg (71), Roope Kakko (71) and Chris Paisley
(68) are knotted in eighth at minus-5.
Six-time European Tour winner Thomas Levet stumbled to a third-round 75 and
dropped into a share of 12th at 4-under.
Defending champion Ricardo Santos, the highest ranked player in the field at
world No. 145, made the cut on the line, then shot 69. He sits at 1-under
through 54 holes.
Friday's second round was suspended for over an hour due to fog and several
players had yet to finish when darkness forced another stoppage. Lee, Tullo
and Uihlein were done, however, and when the second round finally concluded,
the final group set forth on a tightly-contested third round.
Lee initially fell off the pace with a bogey on the second, but he righted
himself with back-to-back gains from the third to jump back into solo first.
The 34-year-old maintained a narrow advantage around the turn, but Tullo and
Uihlein both notched consecutive birdies from the 11th to pull even at 11-
under.
The overnight leader, Lee, parred his last seven holes, leaving Tullo and
Uihlein to jostle for position.
Both players went bogey-birdie from the 13th before Tullo grab sole possession
of the top spot with a 10-foot birdie make on No. 17.
"I hit 17 greens for the third consecutive day and that's the key on this golf
course," he said. "I had one bad drive which resulted in a bogey, but I'm
really happy with the way I'm playing, shot-by-shot and day-by-day.
"There will be no different strategy here tomorrow, I just want to hit the
same shots and do the same things and we'll see what happens."
NOTES: Tullo recorded two wins on the Challenge Tour in 2010 ... On Friday,
Uihlein recorded eight birdies and an eagle through 12 holes en route to a 64
... Lee is seeking his first European Tour win. He placed 115th place in the
2012 Race to Dubai ... Nine of the past 10 champions at this event have been
first-time European Tour winners ... This event is running opposite the World
Match Play Championship in Bulgaria.
=== Chella Choi grabs 1-shot lead in Mobile ===
Mobile, AL (Sports Network) - Chella Choi carded a 6-under 66 on Saturday to
grab a 1-shot lead after three rounds of the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic.
Choi, who will go for her first LPGA Tour title on Sunday, ended 54 holes at
17-under-par 199. She broke Stacy Lewis' 54-hole scoring record by three
strokes. Lewis set the old mark of 202 last year en route to victory.
Anna Nordqvist also set a record on Saturday as she fired an 11-under 61 for a
new course record. That record was a day old as Sydnee Michaels carded a 62 on
Friday.
Nordqvist ended three rounds at 16-under-par 200 and she was joined there by
second-round leader Jessica Korda, who carded a 3-under 69 in round three.
Karrie Webb, who was paired with Korda on Saturday and will be again on
Sunday, also shot 69 to end 54 holes at minus-15.
Jennifer Johnson is alone in fifth at 14-under 202 after a third-round 65 on
the Crossings Course, which is part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at
Magnolia Grove.
Lewis (63) and Michaels (69) share sixth place at minus-13.
Korda was the overnight leader, but when she stumbled to a bogey on the
second, that created 5-way tie for the lead at 12-under. She bounced back with
a birdie at the third, but fell one back when Webb birdied three and four.
Nordqvist, who ran off five straight birdies from the third, and had back-to-
back birdies at 10 and 11, joined Webb at 14-under with an eagle on the par-5
13th.
The Swede dipped one back with a bogey at 14, and Choi made a charge to grab
her first share of the lead. Choi drained three birdies in a row from the
fourth to get to minus-14, where she was tied with Webb.
Korda carded three birdies in a 4-hole span from the sixth to jump to 16-
under, where she was tied with Nordqvist atop the leaderboard. Nordqvist
posted three birdies in a row from the 15th before making par at the last.
"It's one of those days, where you feel like all your hard work and your
patience is paying off," said Nordqvist. "You look back and you see yourself
with a lot of confidence and know you can do it and believe in yourself."
Choi parred seven and eight, then faltered to a bogey on the ninth to make the
turn at minus-13, where she was three back.
Around the turn, Korda tumbled three strokes behind Nordqvist. Korda bogeyed
the 11th and double-bogeyed the 12th to dip to 13-under. She had taken the
last two weeks off with a wrist injury, and confirmed to Golf Channel that she
re-injured herself on No. 11.
While Korda was sliding backwards, Choi flew up the leaderboard. The 22-year-
old Korean converted a birdie chance at the 11th, and followed with birdies at
12 and 13 to join Nordqvist at minus-16.
Choi, who was one group ahead of Korda, birdied the par-5 16th to take the
lead for good. Choi then parred the last two to finish at minus-17.
"I think today was really good, I'm really happy," Choi said. "But tomorrow is
another day."
Korda poured in a 33-foot eagle putt at 16 to get within one of the lead. She
finished right there with a pair of pars on the last two holes.
"I didn't hit a bad shot. I hit a great shot down 12 and I ended up in a
divot. I actually tried to hit it properly and I hit it really deep. The
ground just came up faster than I thought it would and I kind of hurt my wrist
a little bit," Korda explained. "And that got plugged on the side of the
bunker, so the only way I could go was sideways, so you take what you can get.
"Then the hole after, my wrist hurt a little bit, so I just went bad shot
after bad shot. I was just happy to get out of that hole."
NOTES: Choi leads after 54 holes for the first time in her LPGA Tour career
... Korda's bogey on the second snapped a streak of 50 consecutive bogey-free
holes ... Webb made the cut for the 53rd straight LPGA Tour event.
05/18 21:15:39 ET
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