San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Concord’s Noh, 19, keeps share of lead
Yealimi Noh closed with a double bogey Saturday in the LPGA Tour’s Volunteers of America Classic, dropping the 19yearold from Concord into a tie with major champions Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu with a round left.
Two strokes ahead after a birdie on the par5 17th, Noh took two shots to get out of a airway bunker on the par4 18th and missed a 3foot bogey putt. She settled for an evenpar 71 and a share of the lead with the South Koreans at 4under 209 in The Colony, Texas.
“As soon as I finished, I wanted to see the leaderboard and to see that I’m playing with those two tomorrow,” said Noh, the 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior winner. “I’m really, really excited. Actually in the beginning of the week I was talking to my parents about Inbee and So Yeon and how I really wanted to play with them and see just how good they are and be right there next to them. So I’m excited for tomorrow.”
Ryu birdied five of the first eight holes in a bogeyfree 65, the best round of the event that is a tuneup for the U.S. Women’s Open next week at Champions Golf Club in Houston. Park, the tournament winner in 2013 and 2018, shot a 69. Emiliano Grillo steadied himself with two birdies over the last six holes for a 3under 68, giving the Argentine a oneshot lead at 16under 197 going into the final round of the PGA Tour’s Mayakoba Classic in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
ELSEWHERE Bay Area trainer Hess, 86, dies
Bob Hess Sr., a longtime figure at Golden Gate Fields and the now defunct Bay Meadows for five decades, died Saturday of the effects of COVID19 at Eden Hospital in Castro Valley. He was 86.
Hess, who was the father of trainer Bob Hess Jr., came to Golden Gate Fields in 1971 and was a highly respected conditioner throughout his career.
“Our hearts and prayers are with the entire Hess family at this time,” Golden Gate Fields general manager David Duggan said in a statement. “To lose a longtime trainer and friend is simply heartbreaking to our entire horse racing family.”
The track suspended all racing Nov. 13 after 24 track workers, including Hess, tested positive. More than 200 track workers eventually tested positive, and last week the track extended its ban on live racing through Dec. 25.
Hess was hospitalized in midNovember, subsequently released and then readmitted when symptoms returned.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Maria, and four children, Bob Jr., Howie, Erica and Anna. Services are pending. Kaepernick sets record: Nearly four years after his last NFL game, former 49ers Colin Kaepernick’s rookie jersey sold for a record $128,000 at auction Friday night — the most ever for an NFL jersey, according to TMZ Sports. The white No. 7 jersey was worn Oct. 2, 2011, when Kaepernick made his NFL regularseason debut (but did not throw a pass) in a 2423 win in Philadelphia. — Ron Kroichick
Soccer: Three Americans scored in Europe’s top five leagues on the same day for the first time in 15 years — since the father of one of them was among the U.S. players to score.
Gio Reyna scored his second Bundesliga goal in Borussia Dortmund’s 11 tie at Eintracht Frankurt. Weston McKennie got his first goal for Juventus in a 21 victory over city rival Torino in Italy’s Serie A, and Christian Pulisic scored his first goal this season in Chelsea’s 31 English Premier League win over Leeds.
The previous time three Americans scored in Europe’s top five leagues was on Aug. 27, 2005, according to Opta. Fulham’s Brian McBride scored in a 10 win over Everton, Manchester City’s Claudio Reyna scored the first goal in a 21 victory over Portsmouth, and Eintracht Frankurt’s Jermaine Jones scored in a 10 win over
Nuremberg.
Gio Reyna is the 18yearold son of former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna and U.S. women’s player Danielle Egan. Fans, about 2,000 per match at Chelsea and at West Ham in a 31 loss to Manchester United, were allowed to return in the first EPL games to welcome back spectators. Chelsea moved into the EPL lead, one point ahead of Tottenham and Liverpool, which both play Sunday. Thirdplace Real Madrid ended its winless run, with a 10 win over Sevilla, to ease the pressure on coach Zinedine Zidane, while Atletico Madrid won its seventh straight, 20 over Valladolid, to take the Spanish league lead. Kylian Mbappe came off the bench to score his 100th goal for Paris SaintGermain as the French league leader secured a 31 win at Montpellier.
NFL: The Seattle Seahawks became the last NFL team to place a player on the Reserve/ COVID19 list when injured defensive tackle Bryan Mone landed on the list. Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin, Miami’s leading rusher, was activated off injured reserve after missing four games because of a knee injury. Green Bay Packers center Corey Linsley has gone on injured reserve after hurting his knee during a victory over the Chicago Bears last Sunday. The Tennessee Titans suspended top draft pick Isaiah Wilson for Sunday’s game for violating club rules.