Mitchell leads McIlroy

Rory McIlroy is playing in the final group for the first time since Riviera 15 months ago, before golf shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. His 3under 68 at the Well Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C., left him two shots behind Keith Mitchell.

Mitchell’s bogeyfree 66 left him at 9under 204, two ahead of McIlroy and Gary Woodland, whose 70 gave him a chance to win for the first time since his U.S. Open title at Pebble Beach in 2019.

Phil Mickelson fell from the ranks of contenders with a 76. Bryson DeChambeau traveled 1,800 miles between rounds; he thought he had missed the cut Friday and headed home to Dallas. He made it back to Quail Hollow with an hour to spare and shot 68, leaving him eight shots behind.

⏩ Defending champion Steve Stricker made a long eagle putt on the final hole for 7under 65 and the thirdround lead in the Regions Tradition at Birmingham, Ala., the first of five PGA Tour Champions majors. Stricker moved a stroke ahead of Alex Cejka (66) with the eagle that got him to 14under 202 at Greystone Golf & Country Club.

⏩ ANA Inspiration champion Patty Tavatanakit struggled on the front nine but recovered for a 2under 70 and a oneshot lead at 18under 198 over fellow Thai Atthaya Thitikul (68) and German Caroline Masson (67) heading into final round of the LPGA Thailand.

Soccer: Morgan Weaver buried her penalty kick after Portland goalkeeper Adrianna Franch stopped Nahomi Kawasumi’s attempt and the host Portland Thorns won the Challenge Cup, the National Women’s Soccer League preseason tournament, after a 11 draw with Gotham. ⏩ In MLS highlights, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez scored his leagueleading sixth goal and Jonathan dos Santos scored in the 79th minute to give the LA Galaxy a 21 lead over “El Trafico” rival Los Angeles FC. The Galaxy improved to 31 and are tied with San Jose atop the Western Conference. ⏩ Manchester City lost 21 to visiting Chelsea, leaving City one win from clinching a third English Premier League title in four seasons with three to play. ⏩ Elsewhere in Europe, Robert Lewandowski’s hat trick lifted his season tally to 39 goals, one off the alltime record of 40 by Bayern great Gerd Muller in the 197172 season, and Bayern Munich won its recordextending ninth consecutive Bundesliga title, beating Borussia Monchengladbach 60 . ... Atletico Madrid held on to its Spanish league lead by earning a draw against Barcelona . ... Neymar signed a threeyear contract extension, keeping the Brazil star at Paris SaintGermain until 2025.

Motor sports: Lewis Hamilton became the first Formula One driver to win 100 poles, taking the top spot for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix at Montmelo. Justin Allgaier held off JR Motorsports teammate Josh Berry in overtime to win the Xfinity event at Darlington, S.C.

Tennis: Aryna Sabalenka defeated topranked Ash Barty 60, 36, 64 to win the Madrid Open for her 10th WTA title — and first on clay.

In the men’s semifinals, Alexander Zverev followed his triumph over Rafael Nadal with a 63, 64 win over Dominic Thiem; and Matteo Berrettini beat Casper Ruud 64, 64.