Thomas’ 63 puts him in tie for lead with Leishman
AUTO RACING: Pole-sitter Alexander Rossi won the IndyCar Grand Prix at The Glen, holding off Scott Dixon at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International . ... Pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton won the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Italy, and moved ahead of Sebastian Vettel to take the lead in the drivers’ standings . ... Roush Fenway Racing and driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. extended their sponsorship deal with Fifth Third Bank for three years.
CYCLING: Colombian Miguel Angel Lopez won the mountainous 15th stage of the Spanish Vuelta, while Tour de France winner Chris Froome tacked a few seconds onto his overall lead.
GOLF: PGA champion Justin Thomas made three long birdies en route to a tournament-best 63, giving him a share of the lead with Marc Leishman going into a Labor Day finish in the Dell Technologies Championship in Norton, Mass . ... Stacy Lewis came through for her hurricaneravaged hometown of Houston and ended a long winless streak. Lewis won the Cambia Portland Classic, with her $195,000 in winnings going to the relief efforts. Lewis, 32, won her 12th LPGA Tour title and first time since June 2014, ending a frustrating stretch that included 12 runner-up finishes. ... Scott McCarron won the Shaw Charity Classic for his fourth PGA Tour Champions title of the season. McCarron closed with a 3-under 67 to beat Miguel Angel Jimenez by a stroke at Canyon Meadows in Calgary, Alberta . ... Haydn Porteous shot a 3-under 69 to win the Czech Masters in Prague by two strokes for his second European Tour championship. NFL: RB Jonathan Williams was cut by the Bills after they claimed three players off waivers. The Bills also released WR Philly Brown and LB Gerald Hodges and claimed TE Khari Lee ,LB Deon Lacey and rookie OT Conor McDermott . ... Clark Hunt, the owner of the Chiefs, is being accused in a lawsuit of improperly receiving hundreds of millions in state investment money through a kickback deal with New Mexico officials . ... The Packers signed free-agent LB Ahmad Brooks and claimed edge rusher Chris Odom off waivers from the Falcons . ... The Jets claimed four players off waivers, including former Giants TE Will Tye. Also claimed were WRs Damore’ea Stringfellow and Kalif Raymond, and LB Edmond Robinson . ... K Cody Parkey was claimed by the Dolphins, who released Andrew Franks, their kicker the last two seasons . ... The Jaguars added five players off waivers and cut third-string QB Brandon Allen . ... Former Broncos QB Kyle Sloter signed with the Vikings’ practice squad . ... The Rams claimed DT Quinton Jefferson and centers J.J. Dielman and Aaron Neary off waivers . ... The Chargers claimed OL Michael Schofield and DB Jeff Richards off waivers . ... The Cowboys released DT Cedric Thornton . ... The Titans re-signed WR and KR Eric Weems a day after waiving him. They also placed WR Harry Douglas on IR . ... The 49ers claimed DL Xavier Cooper off waivers from the Browns . ... The Buccaneers traded S J.J. Wilcox to the Steelers and added 11 players who were in training camp to the practice squad . ... The Raiders brought back LB Shilique Calhoun and seven others released on cut-down day to their practice squad.
NORTON, Mass. — PGA champion Justin Thomas ran off eight birdies on a long, wet TPC Boston for a tournament-best 63, giving him a share of the lead with Marc Leishman going into a Labor Day finish in the Dell Technologies filled with the game’s best players.
The FedEx Cup playoff event in Boston has a history of delivering big moments, and this was set up for another.
Leishman, who won at Bay Hill this year, also played bogey-free for a 65 on Sunday to join Thomas at 12-under 201.
Eight players were separated by three shots going into the final round, a listed that included Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey and Jon Rahm. Still very much in the mix was Phil Mickelson, only four shots behind.
“There is a heightened something to these playoff events that bring out certain champions for the most part,” Spieth said Sunday after finishing with two straight birdies to nudge closer to the lead, just two shots behind. “It’s going to be a throw-down tomorrow.”
Thomas had his third round this season at 63 or better — a list that includes his 59 at the Sony Open and a 63 at the U.S. Open — to turn a five-shot deficit into a share of the lead and a chance to win for the fifth time this year.
He birdied six of the first 10 holes, the longest at about 12 feet. He played down the 13th fairway on the redesigned 12th hole for the third time this week and holed a 50-foot birdie putt, and then added a pair of 25-foot birdie putts.