Bradley powers through the rain, seizes two-shot lead at Wells Fargo
Keegan Bradley did nothing special on the only easy scoring day this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, opening with an even-par 70 that left him around the cut line.
Since the conditions got tougher, Bradley has been the best player at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in Maryland.
Bradley shot the lowest score for the second straight day Saturday, a 3-under 67 that gave him a three-day total of 8-under 202 and a two-shot lead over former Cal standout Max Homa in British Open weather on a U.S. Openstyle course.
About 2 inches of rain has fallen since Friday morning, yet the low-lying course near the Potomac River has held up well enough to avoid any delays in play. Temperatures dropped into the low 40s Fahrenheit on Saturday.
“It felt like a Patriots playoff game out there in December,” said Bradley, who grew up in New England. “It was fun, but I'm glad to be done.”
Bradley was one of four players to shoot in the 60s. The scoring average was 73.7, the highest relative to par on the PGA Tour since the final round of the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
Although he has only one win in the past nine years, the 35-year-old Bradley has been solid recently, with top-10 finishes in three of his last five events, including fifth at the Players Championship during another week of bad weather.
Jason Day's retooled swing couldn't hold up for a third straight day. The leader after 18 and 36 holes, Day began struggling with his driver before it spilled over to the rest of the bag. He found the same pond on consecutive holes — a driver that never crossed dry land on the par-4 fourth, leading to triple bogey, and a 3-wood that hooked violently on the fifth.
Day appeared to lose his grip on the club when he hit another hook into a water hazard with his second shot on the par-5 10th, even though he had half a dozen gloves hanging from the ribs of his umbrella. He shot 79 to fall seven shots off the lead.
TOMS SEIZES ON DUKE'S MESS TO LEAD CHAMPIONS >>
David Toms flipped the script at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic in Duluth, Ga. with a four-shot swing on the 15th hole and closed with pars for a 1-under 71 that gave him a two-shot lead over Ken Duke going into the final round on the PGA Tour Champions.
Toms was in danger of falling two shots behind when his long birdie putt on the 14th went past the hole and nearly off the green. He made the 12-footer for par, and then seized on the big mess Duke made out of the next hole.
Duke's 20-foot birdie putt from above the hole had too much pace and trickled — and trickled some more — until it picked up steam and rolled some 35 yards down the fairway. His wedge was too weak and rolled off into a bunker, and he made triple bogey.
Toms rolled in his birdie putt and went from one behind to a three-shot lead. Toms was at 8-under 136. Ernie Els finished with three birdies over his last five holes on the front nine for a 68. He was part of the group four shots behind at 4-under 140 that included Jay Haas (69) and Fred Couples (70).
Motorsports
FERRARI IN FRONT ROW FOR MIAMI GRAND PRIX >> Ferrari stormed to the front of the grid for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix as Formula One championship
leader Charles Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. locked up the front row in qualifying.
It's the first time Ferrari will lead the field to green in the United States since Michael Schumacher won the pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2006. It's the first front row this season for Sainz, who has been outqualified by Leclerc in all five sessions.
Leclerc has won three poles this year headed into today, the first F1 race at the purpose-built circuit around Hard Rock Stadium. The race marks the first of two this year in the U.S. — which has not hosted two F1 races in the same year since 1984.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen led the final qualifying segment until the Dutchman made a rare error and both Ferrari's surged ahead of him in the final seconds. He'll start third today; Leclerc and Verstappen have split the first four races, two wins apiece. LOGANO ON NASCAR POLE; ELLIOTT, HARVICK, HAMLIN IN BACK >> Former NASCAR Cup Series champions Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick will start at the rear of the field today at Darlington Raceway.
Denny Hamlin will be back there, too.
Elliott and Harvick had problems in practice. Hamlin had problems in qualifying later in the day.
All three will have lots of ground to make up on polesitter Joey Logano. Logano reached 170.720 mph and turned a fast lap of 28.805 seconds to clinch the top spot in qualifying, edging Kyle Larson.
Larson will start second, one row ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr. Brothers Kyle and Kurt Busch will share the third row, assuming Kyle makes the race. The younger Busch is awaiting the birth of his second child through a surrogate mother.
Harvick blew a left-rear tire in practice and did enough damage that he was unable to make a qualifying attempt.
Hamlin, who won last year's Southern 500 at Darlington, damaged the diffuser during his qualifying run. Replacing it forced him to the rear of the field.
WNBA
IONESCU SCORES 25 POINTS, LIBERTY BEAT SUN IN OPENER >> Ex-Miramonte High of Orinda star Sabrina Ionescu had 25 points and six assists and sparked a late run to help the New York Liberty beat the Connecticut Sun 81-79 in the season opener for both teams.
Natasha Howard scored 16 points, Sami Whitcomb had 15 points and five assists for New York.
Alyssa Thomas led Connecticut with 25 points.
Soccer DODGERS OWNERS, INVESTORS BUY CHELSEA FOR RECORD $3.1 BILLION >>
Chelsea is being sold to a consortium fronted by American sports investor Todd Boehly, ending 19 years of ownership and lavish investment by Roman Abramovich until the Russian oligarch was sanctioned and forced to offload the Premier League club.
The sale price of 2.5 billion pounds ($3.1 billion) is the most lucrative-ever for a sports team worldwide but Abramovich cannot receive the proceeds, which he hopes will go to a foundation for the victims of the war in Ukraine.
Chelsea said terms for the buyout had been agreed with a consortium also features Mark Walter, who is also part of the Dodgers group, Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and funding from private equity firm Clearlake Capital.