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MCILROY, FOWLER PART OF FIVE-WAY TIE FOR LEAD
Jordan Spieth paced onto the green and marked one of the six balls on or around the putting surface in near darkness at the Abu Dhabi Championship Saturday in the United Arab Emirates.
Minutes earlier and on the same ninth hole, Rory McIlroy rummaged — in vain — through one bush, then another, on some wasteland for an errant ball belonging to his playing partner and then-tournament leader, Andy Sullivan.
It was an extraordinary end to a fog-hit, third day’s play at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
The final day promises to be just as dramatic.
Sullivan made a triple-bogey before the horn sounded to suspend play in the third round, to fall out of the lead he held all day and leave a five-way tie atop the leaderboard between McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Ian Poulter, Branden Grace and Joost Luiten. The quintet is on 10-under par.
“It’s a really bunched leaderboard,” said McIlroy, one of 60 players yet to complete their third round. “It will be a bit of a sprint to the finish.”
There are 21 players within three shots of the lead — and Spieth finally found some form to be among them.
The top-ranked American started the third round seven shots back, and finished it in the gathering gloom and in a six-ball — a career first — after barely beating the claxon on the 9th tee. Indeed, the horn sounded at the top of his backswing as he rushed to finish his round and avoid an early-morning return on Sunday.
Spieth is three shots off the lead after a 4-under 68, and in need of what he called a “crazy round” to take victory in his first regular European Tour event.
Sullivan is one of five players a shot behind, with 2012 champion Robert Rock, Henrik Stenson, Thomas Pieters and Rafael Cabrera-Bello — after his nightmare on No. 9, when he went way right off the tee. He searched for his ball in two separate bushes — McIlroy came over to lend a hand — but had to reload.
BOXING THURMAN, PORTER FINALIZE WELTERWEIGHT TITLE BOUT
Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter have been waiting to fight each other since their long-gone days as amateur boxers and occasional sparring partners. When the welterweight stars finally get in the ring March 12, they’ll be under a primetime network spotlight.
Thurman and Porter have agreed to fight for Thurman’s WBA title, the boxers announced Saturday. After months of negotiations and mutual accusations of avoidance, the deal is done for one of the most attractive fights in a high-profile division long dominated by Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.
Thurman and Porter have designs on becoming the top new star in the 147-pound class in the wake of Mayweather’s retirement and Pacquiao’s self-described probable retirement in April.
Judging by the intense stare-down in their first joint public appearance in downtown Los Angeles, the boxers realize their dream is one win away.
“When we faced off, I was just like, ‘Ooooh, I need this,’ ” Porter said.
The fighters will meet at Mohegan Sun Casino Resort in Uncasville, Conn., and their bout will be televised on CBS by Showtime’s boxing production crew. Showtime Sports executive vice-president Stephen Espinoza believes it will be the first primetime boxing event on CBS since 1978, when Muhammad Ali lost his heavyweight title to Leon Spinks.
Thurman (26-0, 22 KOs) has held a version of the WBA welterweight title since July 2013, defending it five times. He capably handled a significant step up in opposition quality during 2015, routing Robert Guerrero by decision and stopping veteran Luis Collazo after seven rounds.
Porter (26-1-1, 16 KOs) has been in major fights for years, and he won the IBF welterweight title by beating Devon Alexander in December 2013. He stopped veteran star Paulie Malignaggi in 2014, and he dominated Adrien Broner last July before surviving his first career knock-down in the 12th round to win a clear decision.
BASEBALL RAMIREZ READY TO PLAY 1B, EVEN AS HE EYES DH
Hanley Ramirez doesn’t expect any setbacks playing another new position with the Boston Red Sox this season.
Ramirez, a shortstop for most of his career, struggled to adjust after moving to left field last year, leading the team to relocate him to first base in 2016.
“I’ve always been an infielder, so it’s going to be easy,” Ramirez said Saturday at the Red Sox’s Baseball Winter Weekend event. “I think I know more territory and I’m going to feel more comfortable at first.”
Ramirez played 91 games in left before a nagging shoulder injury shut him down in September. The injury was a result of a crash into the left field wall at Fenway Park while chasing a fly ball in May.
In August, newly hired Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced he was moving Ramirez back to the infield. The decision wasn’t met with resistance from Ramirez.
“I take everything as a positive,” he said. “I decided to play outfield to win a world championship and then I ran into the wall, so (it’s) something that I can’t control. After I hit that wall, everything was in a different way. Everything started going down.”