Dixon wins IndyCar at Texas again in dominating fashion
FORT WORTH, TEXAS » Scott Dixon had another dominating victory at Texas, winning Saturday night in the first of two races on consecutive days at the IndyCar Series’ first oval track this season.
Dixon passed Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and polesitter Alex Palou at the start of the third lap and went on to lead 206 of 212 laps for his 51st career victory, his fifth at the high-banked, 1 ½-mile Texas Motor Speedway.
The 40-year-old New Zealander finished .2646 seconds ahead of fellow countryman Scott McLaughlin, a 27-year-old IndyCar rookie in his first oval race.
“Who doesn’t love Texas. I love this place,” Dixon said. “I was looking down, and looking in the mirror. He was fast.”
Dixon moved with one of matching Mario Andretti’s 52 victories for the second-most on the career list that A.J. Foyt tops with 67.
Xiyu has 1-stroke 54-hole lead
SINGAPORE » China’s Lin Xiyu tapped in on the 18th hole for her fourth birdie of the back nine and a 5-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the LPGA Tour’s HSBC Women’s World Championship.
Lin had a 54-hole total of 14-under 202 at Sentosa Golf Club.
Hannah Green shot her second consecutive 66 to move into a share of second place with world No. 2-ranked Inbee Park, who shot 70 with a birdie on the 18th after a double-bogey 7 on the 16th cost her the lead.
UConn’s Bueckers has surgery
STORRS, CONN. » UConn’s Paige Bueckers, the national women’s basketball player of the year, underwent surgery on her right ankle, the school announced.
Friday’s procedure was needed to repair an osteochondral defect, an injury that involves both the bone and the cartilage in the ankle.
The school said the surgery, which was performed at UConn Health ,was successful and Bueckers should be ready for the preseason in September.
Barty and Swiatek set up final
MADRID » Ashleigh Barty and Iga Swiatek, the two most recent champions of the French Open, will meet in the last 16 of the Madrid Open. They won their second-round matches on Saturday to set up the first-time meeting.
The top-ranked Barty needed three sets to beat 80th-ranked Tamara Zidansek. 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. Swiatek brushed aside Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-3 for the Pole’s ninth win in a row on clay.
Busch wins Truck Series race
KANSAS CITY, KAN. » Kyle Busch blew a restart in overtime that should have cost him a race he’d dominated at Kansas Speedway. Given a second chance, Busch corrected his mistake and earned the 61st Truck Series of his career.
The win was the fifth straight for Kyle Busch Motorsports and manufacturer Toyota has won all seven Truck Series races this year. Busch has won twice this year.
Busch won the first two stages and led a race-high 59 of the 140 laps. He got beat by Ross Chastain when the race first went to overtime as Busch struggled to get his Tundra through the gears. Chastain sailed past Busch and pulled Zane Smith with him as Busch plummeted into traffic. But a spin deeper in the field brought out the caution, set up a restart for a second overtime and gave Busch another chance.
Burns. Bradley tied
PALM HARBOR, FLA. » Keegan Bradley hit one of his worst shots of the round and it led to eagle. Sam Burns hit a pair of tee shots right where he wanted and they cost him bogeys.
They finished where they started y in the Valspar Championship, tied for the lead, and now they have company from Max Homa.
Both put a positive spin on a sloppy finish at Innisbrook.
Burns had a three-shot lead with five holes remaining, and he had to make an 8-foot bogey putt on the 18th hole for a 2-under 69 just to have a chance at sharing the lead.
Bradley, whose chip-in for eagle on the par-5 14th turned his fortunes quickly, was in the middle of the 18th fairway when he came up short in a bunker with a front pin. He blasted out to 7 feet and missed on the low side.