Kim three shots ahead in Mediheal
South Korea’s Sei Young Kim fired a 4-under 68 on Saturday to take a three-shot lead over Englishwoman Charley Hull heading into the final round of the LPGA Mediheal Championship in Daly City.
Kim, ranked No. 15 in the world with seven career victories, made bogey on her opening hole but rebounded with an eagle at the fifth and birdies at 11, 15 and 18 to pull away from the field. The 26-year-old sits at 10-under 206 for the tournament.
The fifth-year tour veteran most recently won last July at the 2018 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, where she set the LPGA’s 72-hole scoring record at 31-under 257 and won by nine strokes. In eight starts this season, she has one top 10 -- a secondplace finish at last week’s LA Open.
Hull carded three birdies and one bogey in her round of 70.
BATTLE AT QUAIL HOLLOW >> Three golfers go into the final round of the PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo Championship tied atop the leaderboard after there was little separation at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.
Second-round leader Jason Dufner shot even-par 71 and finished the round in a tie with Max Homa and Joel Dahmen, who both shot 70s. The trio sits at 11-under 202 through 54 holes.
Dufner was 2 over through 13 holes, with three bogeys against one birdie, but made birdie on Nos. 14 and 15 to get back to even.
ROMO TAKES AIM AT U.S. OPEN >> Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo seems to be getting serious about this golfing thing.
Now CBS’ lead football analyst, Romo will make a run to qualify for the 2019 U.S. Open, a process that begins with a local qualifying round on May 13 at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, Golfweek reported.
Two previous tries at earning a spot at the U.S. Open have failed, but he did reach the sectional qualifying round in 2010, when he was still in the NFL.
College basketball
NCAA INVESTIGATING ARIZONA >> The NCAA is investigating the Arizona
men’s basketball program, the Arizona Daily Star reported.
The newspaper said a university spokesman confirmed the investigation Friday night following a response to an open records request.
The Tucson-based newspaper said the school declined the request, saying “investigations into the University of Arizona men’s basketball program are ongoing at this time.”
Arizona has been connected to the recruiting scandal in college basketball since the beginning, when former Wildcats assistant Emanuel “Book” Richardson was one of 10 people — and four college assistant coaches — arrested in September 2017 as a result of a federal investigation.
Richardson entered a guilty plea in January to charges he accepted $20,000 in bribes to influence certain Arizona players to hire aspiring agent Christian Dawkins and other financial advisers once they entered the NBA.
Dawkins and Merl Code, a former Adidas consultant, are on trial in federal court in New York for charges related to bribery. Closing arguments are expected to end Monday, with the case then going to the jury.
On Wednesday, federal prosecutors played a recording in a courtroom that suggested Arizona head coach Sean Miller paid former player Deandre Ayton $10,000 a month while in the Wildcats’ program.
In February 2018, when allegations surfaced that Miller was involved with paying Ayton, he vehemently denied it.
“Let me be very, very clear: I have never discussed with Christian Dawkins paying Deandre Ayton to attend the University of Arizona,” Miller said.
Motorsports
BELL TRIUMPHS AT DOVER >> Christopher Bell won the battle that counted by a few feet and that small victory launched him to his third NASCAR Xfinity Series triumph of the season in the Allied Steel Buildings 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was first off pit road after a Lap 155 stop under caution, narrowly beating Cole Custer, who had led the first 155 laps of the race. The work of Bell’s pit crew proved decisive, as the 24-year-old from Norman, Okla., controlled the race through two more restarts and beat Justin Allgaier to the finish line by 1.745 seconds.
Bell had already crossed the stripe before Zane Smith and John Hunter Nemechek wrecked coming to the checkered flag.
In addition to a gold Miles the Monster trophy, Bell collected a check for $100,000 as the final Dash 4 Cash winner of the season.
“Over the last couple of races, we’ve had great cars, but we haven’t been able to capitalize on it,” said Bell, who won for the second straight time at Dover and the 11th time in his career.
Tennis
TEICHMAN WINS PRAGUE >> Swiss qualifier and world No. 146 Jil Teichmann outlasted home favorite Karolina Muchova to win her first WTA title in a 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-4 marathon at the Prague Open in the Czech Republic.
Teichmann, 21, became the first qualifier to win the championship in Prague and the 20th different WTA champion in 21 events so far this season.