Toliver’s hot shooting boosts Mystics past Liberty and into WNBA playoffs semifinals

Kristi Toliver scored 32 points, hitting a WNBA playoff-record nine 3-pointers, to lead the Washington Mystics to an 82-68 victory over the New York Liberty on Sunday. The Mystics will face the Lynx with Game 1 of the best-of-five series in Minnesota on Tuesday night. This is as far as the Mystics have gone in the playoffs since 2002 — the last time they made it out of the opening round of the postseason. Washington found itself down 13 points in the first half before rallying to 41-35 at the break. Then Toliver took over. She scored 16 points in the third quarter, hitting all four of her 3-pointers in the period. She could only shrug and smile as the fourth one went in to give the Mystics a 57-46 advantage with 2:48 left in the third. She set the Mystics franchise record for points in a game by the end of the third quarter. That 3-pointer, her eighth, also broke the previous WNBA record for 3-pointers made in a playoff game.

Montgomerie wins PGA Tour Champions tournament by a stroke in Japan

CHIBA, Japan - Colin Montgomerie made all the putts he needed on Narita Golf Club’s huge greens Sunday to win the Japan Airlines Championship — the first PGA Tour Champions event in Japan. The 54-year-old Scot two-putted for par from 50 feet on the par-4 18th, hitting his first to 1 1/2 feet, for a 5-under 67 and a one-stroke victory over Billy Mayfair and second-round leader Scott McCarron. Montgomerie finished at 14-under 202 and earned $400,000 for his fifth victory on the 50-and-over tour and first in nearly a year. He won 31 times on the European Tour and topped the tour’s money list a record eight times — seven in a row from 1993-99 and the last in 2005.

Xiong, Morikawa win again to move U.S. to cusp of reclaiming Walker Cup

Southern Californians and Pac-12 Conference golfers Norman Xiong and Collin Morikawa won their foursomes match Sunday to remain undefeated in the Walker Cup and help the United States move to the cusp of reclaiming the amateur trophy from Britain and Ireland. Xiong and Morikawa beat Connor Syme and Paul McBride 2 up at Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course. Xiong plays at Oregon and Morikawa at California. They have combined for four points, also having won their foursomes match and singles matches Saturday. The United States took an 11-5-lead into the deciding afternoon singles matches. It needs 13½ points to reclaim the cup it lost 16 ½-9 ½ two years ago at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.