Putnam ties lead

Andrew Putnam matched the best round of his short PGA Tour career with a 6-under 64 and tied Dustin Johnson atop the St Jude Classic in Nashville yesterday. In position to reclaim the No 1 ranking with a victory, Johnson had a 65 to match Putnam at 15-under 195. A two-time winner on the Web.com Tour, Putnam birdied No 18 to tie up Johnson once again after a bogey-free round. Now he will play in the last group on the final day for the first time on the PGA Tour with Johnson. Stewart Cink, who had a hole-in-one on No 8, matched his low round of the year with a 64 to get to 10 under.

Alingering ankle injury could rule Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck out of Friday’s NRL clash against the Cowboys and New Zealand’s mid-season test against England in Denver.

The 25-year-old fullback missed Saturday’s 34-14 win over Manly in Christchurch after failing to recover from an ankle sprain suffered in the round 12 loss to South Sydney a fortnight ago.

Tuivasa-Sheck underwent a fitness test in Auckland yesterday but there are no guarantees he’ll be fit to play the Cowboys or available for the Kiwis test at Mile High Stadium on June 23.

“We’ll give him every opportunity. There’s no certainty he’ll be right,” Warriors coach Stephen Kearney told Newstalk ZB.

“It’s obviously a short turnaround. We’ve got one training session on Tuesday before we head to Townsville on Wednesday, so we’ll just see how he pulls up.”

New Kiwis coach Michael Maguire attended the Christchurch game and will spend the next couple of days in Auckland to assess the fitness of the Warriors’ Kiwi internationals, with his side expected to be announced on Wednesday or Thursday.

If fit, Tuivasa-Sheck is a guaranteed selection and a leading contender to captain the side.

But the uncertainty over his fitness, combined with his status as Warriors skipper, means he may feel an added sense of responsibility to put his health and the club’s NRL finals hopes before his international ambitions.

“If he’s available, then obviously he’s selected,” said Maguire. “That’s a decision Steve and Roger will have to make but also with the understanding that it’s a Kiwi jersey and it’s a big opportunity for any player.”

Kearney would not be drawn on whether he expected Tuivasa-Sheck to recover in time to make the longhaul trip to Denver.

“My focus is on making sure that we’re getting him right to play for us on Friday, so we’ll see what happens,” he said.

If Tuivasa-Sheck misses the Cowboys match, backline utility Peta Hiku would likely replace him for a third time this season. The first five of Hiku’s 10 tests were at fullback.

Meanwhile, three-try hero David Fusitu’a believes the Warriors outside backs can get even better after steamrolling Manly.