Fowler leads, looks to put end to slump
Rickie Fowler shot a 4-under 66 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead after the third round of the Zozo Championship, putting himself in position for his first PGA Tour win in 31/2 years.
Fowler last won in 2019 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Keegan Bradley also had a 66 and was a shot back at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on the outskirts of Tokyo. Fellow American Andrew Putnam was a further shot behind after a 68 in the only PGA Tour event in Japan.
In a closely bunched field, 10 more players were between three and five shots off the lead.
“It's been a while since I've been in this situation,” Fowler said. “Obviously (I) remember being in those situations before. But no — it will be tough tomorrow.”
Fowler has been close in several majors, including a second-place finish in the 2018 Masters.
“Yeah, definitely had some tough times the last few years, but I always knew it was there,” Fowler said. “It was always just a fine line — a shot or two here or there. Just nice to kind of see it starting to build momentum and confidence and the ball rolling the right direction.”
• Fred Couples, 63, who hasn't won on PGA Tour Champions since 2017, shot his second consecutive 4-under 68 to tie for the lead at the SAS Championship at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, N.C.
Couples had four birdies on the back nine to move to the top of the leaderboard, along with rookie Y.E. Yang. The SAS is only Couples' eighth event this season. He has one top10 finish, a tie for second at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic in May.
Yang shot a 2-under 70 to tie Couples at 8 under. The South Korea native has three top-10 finishes in 2022, including a runnerup at the Ascension Charity Classic.
• Spaniard Adrián Otaegui grabbed a commanding six-stroke lead in the Andalucía Masters after carding a 7-under 64 over the third round.
Otaegui entered the day sharing the lead with countryman Ángel Hidalgo and Min Woo Lee of Australia. But Otaegui opened up a huge gap on the leaderboard after hitting eight birdies to go with a single bogey at Valderrama in Sotogrande, Spain.
Hidalgo (70) fell six shots back to tie with Swede Joakim Lagergren (67). Lee (71) was another shot behind.
• Peter Uihlein took a one-shot lead going into the final day of the LIV Golf Invitational-Jeddah after a 7-under 63 in the second round.
The American made seven birdies and one eagle to compensate for a double bogey on the 13th hole at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia.
Uihlein took over from previous leader Brooks Koepka, who had a 67.
Sergio Garcia (64) and Charl Schwartzel (67) were three strokes off the lead.
Wilder KOs Helenius
Deontay Wilder knocked out Robert Helenius in the first round in New York, powerfully punching his way back into the win column after consecutive losses to Tyson Fury.
• Claressa Shields avenged her only career defeat when she beat Savannah Marshall by unanimous decision and became the undisputed women's world middleweight champion in London.
Shields lost to Marshall in their amateur days in 2012 but, in a stunning bout at a sold-out 02 Arena, Shields relieved Marshall of her WBO belt to add it to her WBC, WBA and IBF crowns.
The judges scored it 9694, 97-93 and 97-93 for Shields (13-0). Marshall fell to 12-1.
Swiatek reaches final at San Diego Open
Displaying the resourcefulness and resilience you might expect from the World No. 1, Iga Swiatek came back to defeat Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 to advance to today's final at the San Diego Open.
Swiatek will meet the winner of Saturday's second semifinal between Danielle Collins and qualifier Donna Vekic.
Swiatek won her 63rd match of the 2022 season, equaling the 2016 total of Angelique Kerber for the most Hologic WTA Tour victories in the past six years. Swiatek, who defeated Pegula for the fourth time this year, will become the fourth woman to finish the year with more than 10,000 points in the WTA Tour rankings, after Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams.
• Top-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada will face J.J. Wolf of the United States in the final of the Firenze Open in Florence, Italy.
Auger-Aliassime beat home favorite and thirdseeded Lorenzo Musetti 6-2, 6-3 at the indoor, hard-court tournament.
Wolf beat Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer 6-4, 6-4 to reach his first ATP final.
Mutombo treated for brain tumor
Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo is undergoing treatment in Atlanta for a brain tumor, the NBA announced Saturday.
Mutombo has been one of the NBA's global ambassadors for years, and recently appeared at Hall of Fame enshrinement events in Springfield, Massachusetts and a pair of preseason games in Saitama, Japan.
He also appeared with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at an event in the Congo, Mutombo's native country, in August.
“He is receiving the best care possible from a collaborative team of specialists in Atlanta and is in great spirits as he begins treatment,” Mutombo's family said in a statement distributed by the NBA. “Dikembe and his family ask for privacy during this time so they can focus on his care. They are grateful for your prayers and good wishes.”
The family did not release any other details, including what prompted the tumor being discovered.
“We know he will approach this challenge with the same determination and grit that have made him a legend on and off the court,” Atlanta Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler said.
The 56-year-old Mutombo spent 18 seasons in the NBA, playing for Denver, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, New York and the then-New Jersey Nets. The 7-foot-2 center out of Georgetown was an eighttime All-Star, four-time defensive player of the year, three-time All-NBA selection and went into the Hall of Fame in 2015 after averaging 9.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game for his career.