Fowler in driver’s seat at Honda Classic
Winless in more than a year, Rickie Fowler finished strong Saturday for a five-under 65 and built a four-shot lead going into the final round of the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Fowler made two birdies over the last three holes at relatively benign PGA National as everyone else around him was making mistakes.
Fowler holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 16th, got a potential break with a ruling behind the 17th green that allowed him to use a putter instead of a wedge, and then closed with a drive so bold and big that he had only a seven-iron into the par-five 18th that set up a twoputt birdie. That put him at 13under 197.
Fowler was four shots ahead of Tyrrell Hatton of England, playing his first PGA Tour event in Florida. Martin Kaymer (68) was part of a large group at seven-under 203.
Amy Yang had a four-stroke lead in the LPGA Thailand at 17 under with five holes left when third-round play was suspended because of darkness.
England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff and South Korea’s Sei Young Kim were 11 under, and Thai sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn were in the group at 10 under — all still on the course.
The Joburg Open was reduced to 54 holes after more rain left the course waterlogged and forced another suspension in play. England’s Paul Waring and South Africa’s Darren Fichardt shared the lead at 11 under, with Waring completing a 67 in his second round early Saturday.
Jets release Mangold
The New York Jets on Saturday released center Nick Mangold, the longest-tenured member of the team. An 11-year pro and a leader in the locker room, Mangold, 33, has said he doesn’t plan to retire. A first-round draft pick in 2006 who played his entire career with the Jets, Mangold is a two-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler. The move saves New York just under $9.1 million against the salary cap.
In Florida, Milos Raonic and Jack Sock advanced to the Delray Beach Open championship match with straight-set victories. The top-seeded Raonic beat No. 7 seed Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3, 7-6 (6). Sock, seeded third and ranked 21st in the world, topped Donald Young, 6-4, 7-6 (2).
Elina Svitolina of Ukraine is set to debut in the top 10 after winning her second title of the season at the Dubai Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates. Svitolina dominated Caroline Wozniacki, 6-4, 6-2, in the final.
Kelsey Plum surpassed Jackie Stiles to become the NCAA’s alltime scoring leader with a careerbest 57 points in the final regularseason game of her career, leading No. 11 Washington past Utah 84-77. Plum hit 19 of 28 shots and was 13 of 16 at the free-throw line, surpassing Stiles’ mark of 3,393 points midway through the fourth quarter. Plum now has 3,397 career points.
Deontay Wilder stopped Gerald Washington in the fifth round to retain his WBC heavyweight title at Birmingham, Ala. Wilder (38-0, 37 knockouts) seemed mostly cautious with his right in the early rounds but staggered Washington (18-1-1) and sent him down with a hard one followed by a left. He came right back at the former USC football player and Navy mechanic, pummeling him against the ropes. Referee Mike Griffin stopped the fight after Wilder punctuated his barrage with a left uppercut that wobbled Washington.
A 17-year-old transgender boy completed an undefeated season by winning a controversial Texas state girls wrestling title in an event clouded by criticism from those who believe the testosterone he’s taking as he transitions from female to male created an unfair advantage.
The family of Mack Beggs has said he would rather wrestle boys, but state policy calls for students to wrestle against the gender listed on their birth certificates. So the junior from Euless Trinity beat Chelsea Sanchez, 12-2, in the 110pound weight class to improve to 57-0. Beggs fell to his knees for a moment after the win as a mixture of cheers and boos rained down on him. Oklahoma quarterback Baker
Mayfield was arrested and charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest early Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.