Kim holds off Cantlay with late-round birdies
Si Woo Kim birdied two of the final three holes to finish a rock-solid, 8-under 64, coolly rallying past latecharging Patrick Cantlay by one shot to win The American Express on Sunday for his third PGA Tour victory.
Kim began the final round in the desert at La Quinta with a share of the lead as he attempted to win for the first time since the 2017 Players Championship.
The 25-year-old South Korean didn’t flinch when Cantlay shot a 61 and surged out of 13th place to the front while breaking the Stadium Course record by two strokes.
Playing six groups behind Cantlay, Kim comfortably birdied the par-5 16th to pull even. Kim then buried a 19-foot birdie putt on the island green on the 17th to take the lead, joyously pumping his fist when his perfectly paced putt dropped.
Kim wrapped up his third bogeyfree round of the tournament — all on the Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course — with a two-putt par on the 18th to finish at 23-under 265.
Australia’s Cameron Davis shot a 64 to finish in a career-best third at 20 under. Tony Finau had a 68 and finished fourth after starting the final round with a share of the lead in his quest to land his long-awaited second PGA Tour win.
Third-round co-leaders Max Homa and Finau both faded, with Homa struggling to five bogeys in a 76, leaving him at 11 under.
Cantlay, after making the cut on the number, made 20 birdies in his final two rounds,
JESSICA KORDA WINS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS PLAYOFF >> Jessica Korda followed up a sizzling 60 on Saturday with a playoff win over Danielle Kang to capture her sixth career LPGA Tour victory at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Korda carded a final-round 66 to tie Kang at 24-under 260 for the tournament, then drained a long birdie putt on the par-3 18th in the first hole of the playoff to seal the victory.
Kang started the day with a twoshot lead.
HATTON CLAIMS ABU DHABI TITLE >> England’s Tyrrell Hatton fired an error-free final round to finish at 18-under overall and win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship by four strokes after overnight leader Rory McIlroy faltered to finish third.
Hatton kept his composure and carded 66 in the final round with six birdies to stave off Australian Jason Scrivener, who also carded a 66 to move up five places and finish second.
McIlroy, who held a one-shot lead heading into the final round, recorded four birdies offset by four bogeys
as he finished on 13-under overall.
Men’s college basketball
BEY’S 28 GETS WASHINGTON PAST UTAH >> Jamal Bey scored a careerhigh 28 points, shooting 10 of 11 from the field and 4 for 4 from 3-point range, as Washington defeated visiting Utah 83-79 in Seattle. Quade Green added 20 points, and Erik Stevenson added 18 for the Huskies (3-11, 2-7 Pac-12), who won their second in a row after snapping an eight-game skid Wednesday.
Brandon Carlson led Utah (6-7, 3-6) with 18 points.
Soccer
QUAKES SELECTED FOR NATIONAL TEAM MATCH >> San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski and midfielder Jackson Yueill are among 25 players selected to represent the United States men’s national team in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago on Jan. 31 in Orlando, Fla.
The group was selected from an initial list of 12 senior USMNT players and 26 U-23 players that began training on Jan. 9 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Both Marcinkowski and Yueill were with the U-23s along with 17-year-old Quakes forward Cade Cowell, who will return to San Jose.
Forward Jordan Morris departed camp when he went on loan from Seattle of Major League Soccer to Swansea of England’s League Championship.
The full roster is expected to be available for a pair of March exhibitions and the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Honduras in June, followed by a game against Mexico or Costa Rico in either the championship or third-place match. Qualifying for the 2022 World Cup is scheduled to start in September.
Baseball
YANKEES ACQUIRE RHP TAILLON FROM PIRATES>> The New York Yankees acquired right-hander Jameson Taillon from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for four minor league prospects. The Pirates received pitchers Miguel Yajure and Roansy Contreras, shortstop Maikol Escotto and outfielder Canaan Smith in the deal.
Taillon, 29, recorded 14 wins with Pittsburgh in 2018 before appearing in just seven games the following season. He missed all of the 2020 campaign while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery.
MMA
POIRIER KNOCKS OUT MCGREGOR >> Dustin Poirier stopped Conor McGregor with a flurry of punches midway through the second round late Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, avenging his loss to the Irish superstar with a knockout victory at UFC 257.
Poirier (26-7) caught McGregor with a series of shots to the head before buckling his knees with two left hands. Poirier then sent McGregor (22-5) to the canvas with a short right hand and finished it swiftly, setting off stunned excitement among the few thousand screaming fans allowed inside the Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
Track and field
AMERICAN CROUSER SETS WORLD INDOOR SHOT PUT RECORD >> Olympic champion Ryan Crouser broke the world indoor shot put record at an American Track League meet in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Crouser tossed the shot put 22.82 meters (74 feet, 10½ inches) on his first attempt to break the mark of 22.66 (74-4¼) set by Randy Barnes on Jan. 20, 1989. Crouser’s record is pending ratification.