Vancouver sets down Quakes again
Alphonso Davies and Nicolas Mezquida scored on each side of halftime, and the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated the San Jose Earthquakes for the second time in a week with Saturday’s 2-1 win at BC Place.
Vako’s third goal in two matches made it 2-1 in second-half stoppage time, but the Whitecaps were able to hold on thanks to a late block from defender Kendall Waston. The Quakes were coming off a 4-3 win Wednesday against FC Dallas. The loss officially eliminated the Quakes from playoff contention. SOUNDERS ROLL >> Raul Ruidiaz scored from the run of play, Nico Lodeiro converted a penalty kick, and the Seattle Sounders took advantage of an own goal to beat Sporting Kansas City 3-1. The Sounders (129-5) extended their clubrecord winning streak to eight games. Sporting (137-6) saw its four-game winning streak halted.
Golf
SIMPSON ROLLS IN EAGLE TO TAKE LEAD >> Webb Simpson rolled in an eagle putt from 70 feet off the 18th green for an 8-under 63 to take a one-shot lead at the halfway point of the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston. Tyrrell Hatton had eight birdies with his storebought putter for a 63 and was one shot behind, along with Justin Rose (67).
Tiger Woods also got into the act. He shot a 66 to at least stay in the picture, though he was seven behind.
Simpson did most of his damage on the front nine and was playing a clean round when he opted to use his putter from left of the green on the par-5 closing hole. He hit it with the right pace on the right line and wound up with the lead at 11-under 131.
HALL TAKES CHARGE INTO FINAL
Georgia Hall ROUND >>
pulled away from Minjee Lee late in the third round to take a two-stroke lead in the Cambia Portland (Oregon) Classic. Hall shot a 3-under 69. to reach 18-under 198. Lee had a 68. The Australian lost a share of the lead with a bogey on 17. Marina Alex was third at 12 under, shooting her second 71.
KRAMER HICKOK HOLDS
ONTO WEB.COM TOUR FINALS LEAD >> Kramer Hickok shot a 2-under 68 to keep a one-stroke lead in the DAP Championship, the second of four Web.com Tour Finals events that will determine 25 PGA Tour cards. Hickok had a 12-under 198 total at Canterbury Golf Club in Beechwood, Ohio. WESTWOOD CHASING WIN >> Lee Westwood moved in sight of his first win in more than four years after taking a one-stroke lead in the Made In Denmark event after a 5-under 67 in the third round in Aarhus, Denmark.
Motors
KESELOWSKI GETS FIRST DARLINGTON WIN >> Brad Keselowski won his first race at Darlington, South Carolina, in a very Darlington way. Keselowski came out on top in the Xfinity race here after leaders Ross Chastain and Kevin
Harvick wrecked 37 laps from the end in an incident where the 2014 NASCAR champion drove into Chastain’s pit stall to complain and then pointedly said his 25-year-old colleague was too inexperienced and wreckless to drive at this level.
Keselowski easily got around the wreck and could not be caught as he led the final 35 laps. Cole Custer was second and Tyler Reddick was third. Denny Hamlin, who was the race’s defending champion and won the pole for Sunday night’s Southern 500, was fourth. HAMLIN WINS POLE FOR SOUTHERN 500 >> Denny Hamlin is at it again at Darlington Raceway. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver who swept both the Xfinity and NASCAR Cup Series races here a year ago got off to a strong start by winning the pole for Sunday’s Southern 500. It’s the first time Hamlin’s won the pole here but far from the first time he’s been on top.
Hamlin won his first Southern 500 in 2010. He’s finished in the top 10 in 10 of his 12 Cup starts at Darlington. Hamlin’s been even more dominant in Darlington’s Xfinity races, with five victories in his last eight starts.
In qualifying, Hamlin posted a fast lap of 173.571 mph to win his first Southern 500 pole, his third pole of the season and 29th of his NASCAR Cup career.
Kyle Larson will start alongside Hamlin in second with 2017 series champion Martin Truex Jr. third. POWER GETS POLE IN RETURN TO PORTLAND >> IndyCar’s championship race is the centerpiece of the longawaited return to Portland (Oregon) International Raceway, once a schedule staple for American open wheel racing and now a throwback to headier times.
The fierce championship battle puts the three challengers at the front of the field in today’s first IndyCar event at Portland in 11 years. Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power won the pole, teammate and defending series champion Josef Newgarden qualified second and Alexander Rossi third.
FERRARI LOOKS TO END ITALY DROUGHT >> Ferrari will be hopeful of ending an eight-year wait for a win at its home track after taking the front two places on the grid for the Italian Grand Prix for the first time since 2000. Surprisingly, it was Kimi Raikkonen who edged his teammate and title hopeful Sebastian Vettel in qualifying to clinch his second pole position in 10 years. Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton, who saw his advantage cut to 17 points last weekend, was third fastest missing out on pole at Monza for the first time in five years.
Cycling
VALVERDE BEATS SAGAN FOR WIN >> Alejandro Valverde beat Peter Sagan in an uphill sprint to claim his second win of this Spanish Vuelta. Valverde, who is second overall, closed to within 37 seconds of leader Rudy Molard thanks to the 10-second bonus he was awarded for claiming Stage 8.