Poulter pulls ahead in tight RBC Heritage
Ian Poulter is ready for a break after a long, eventful stretch on tour. He has one more important goal to accomplish, though, at the RBC Heritage before any time off.
“We’ll see if we have a last bit of plaid to put in the closet,” said a grinning Poulter, referring to the tartan jacket given to the winner at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, S.C.
Poulter will have that chance Sunday after shooting a fourunder 67 to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the RBC Heritage, putting him in position for his second victory in three weeks. He won the Houston Open on April 1.
Luke List and Si Woo Kim are tied for second. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson is 10 shots behind Poulter. Steve Flesch needed 38 holes to win the Mitsubishi Electric Classic in Duluth, Ga., for his first PGA Tour Champions victory. Flesch, 50, birdied the second hole of a playoff with Scott Parel in an event completed a day early because of forecast rain and lightning . ... Brooke Henderson pulled away at gusty Ko Olina Golf Club in Hawaii to win the Lotte Championship for her sixth LPGA Tour victory . ... Irish golfer Paul Dunne has a oneshot lead at the Spanish Open through the third round. Nacho Elvira of Spain is in second.
ETC. Michigan’s Wagner declares for draft
Moe Wagner is entering the NBA draft, and this year it sounds like that decision is final. The Michigan big man announced his plans Saturday with an essay written for the Players’ Tribune, saying he’s decided to sign with an agent and enter the draft.
“I’m ready. I feel like this is the right time for me,” Wagner said. “I feel like I’m ready to move on to this new challenge in life — to give it my best, and to do whatever it takes to make it at the next level.”
Wagner helped the Wolverines reach the NCAA title game, where they lost to Villanova.
The Knicks have reached out to many agents as they attempt to fill their coaching vacancy, including
the representatives for Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, David Fizdale and Jerry Stackhouse ,a league source confirmed to Newsday. Fizdale attended Golden State Warriors practice Friday and told reporters that he will be meeting with the Knicks and Suns about their coaching openings. The Knicks fired Jeff Hornacek after he went 60-104 in two seasons.
Magnum Moon was a dominating winner of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, winning his fourth consecutive start to stay undefeated. The 100 points he earned, added to the 50 from the Rebel Stakes, easily secured the 3-year-old son of Malibu Moon a spot in the Kentucky Derby. At Keeneland, trainer Keith Desormeaux’s My Boy Jack won the Grade 3 Lexington and should also make the field at Churchill Downs . ... In his 14th attempt to win the Grand National, horse racing’s most grueling jumps race in northern England, Davy Russell rode Tiger Roll to victory in a photo finish over Pleasant Company. Defending champion Steve
Johnson wore down Taylor Fritz 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-2, breaking his 20year-old countryman twice in the third set after letting two match points slip away in the second in the U.S. Men’s Clay Court semifinals. Johnson will play Tennys Sandgren, another American who advanced to his first ATP World Tour final by neutralizing Ivo Karlovic’s huge serve in a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) victory.
Ryan Preece captured the Xfinity Series race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and took home the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus prize. He became the seventh winner this year in the Xfinity Series in as many races, beating Justin Allgaier and Daniel Hemric to the finish line. Elliott Sadler finished fourth.
University of Oklahoma president David Boren had a minor stroke before the unveiling of a statue honoring former football coach Bob Stoops and was taken away on a stretcher. The school revealed his condition Saturday evening.