Scheffler eliminates European stalwarts in Dell Match Play
Scottie Scheffler delivered all the right shots Saturday and moved into the semifinals of the Dell Technologies Match Play by taking down Ian Poulter and Jon Rahm.
Scheffler was the highest seed remaining at No. 30, which is just a number the way he handled Austin (Texas) Country Club against two of Europe’s best in this format
The 24-year-old Texan made 15 birdies in the 31 holes required to get through his two matches.
“Being able to take down those two guys, and Xander (Schauffele) in the final match on Friday, like I said before, I think my game’s trending in the right direction this week,” Scheffler said.
He advances to a final day that features three Americans and one European — Victor Perez of France, who made short work of Sergio Garcia in their quarterfinal match.
Matt Kuchar, the only player to win every match he has played in this most unpredictable event, pulled out a 1-up victory over Jordan Spieth in the morning and then kept Brian Harman from a comeback by rolling in a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole of their quarterfinal match.
Kuchar and Scheffler will meet in one semifinal match. Perez will face Billy Horschel, who never led in his quarterfinal match until Tommy Fleetwood sent his tee shot out of bounds on their 19th hole, the par-5 12th.
CAMPOS HOLDS ON TO SHARE OF LEAD AT PUNTACANA CHAMPIONSHIP >>
Overnight co-leader Rafael Campos of Puerto Rico made a clutch birdie at 18 to grab a share of the third-round lead with Joel Dahmen at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in the Dominican Republic.
Campos finished with a 3-under 69 to stand at 10-under 206 with Dahmen, who started Saturday one shot back. Dahmen rebounded from two bogeys over his first eight holes to shoot 4-under 68.
INBEE PARK TAKES 5-SHOT LEAD IN BID FOR KIA WIN >> Inbee Park opened a five-stroke lead in a bid to win the Kia Classic. Second in the event in 2010, 2016 and 2019, the Hall of Famer shot a 3-under 69 to reach 12-under 204 at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad.
Mel Reid (71) is tied for second with Mi Jung Hur (67) and Minjee
Lee (68). NFL
RAVENS ADDING WIDE RECEIVER SAMMY WATKINS >> Wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who won a Super Bowl with Kansas City, has agreed to a one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens.
Entering his eighth NFL season, Watkins has 321 career receptions for 4,665 yards and 33 touchdowns. His teams have reached the postseason in each of the past four seasons, and in seven total playoff games and the Super Bowl, he’s made 26 receptions for 500 yards and one touchdown. CHARGERS ADD EXPERIENCED BACKUP QB >> Quarterback Chase Daniel signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, giving the team a veteran backup for starter Justin Herbert.
Daniel, 34, appeared in four games for the Detroit Lions last season, completing 29 of 43 passes for 264 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Figure skating
CHEN WINS 3RD STRAIGHT WORLDS, BEATING OLYMPIC CHAMP HANYU >> Nathan Chen put himself in the company of history’s best figure skaters, becoming the first American since Scott Hamilton to win a third consecutive World Figure Skating Championships men’s title in Stockholm.
Chen was dynamic in easily surpassing two-time Olympic champ Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan in the free skate and stamp himself as the man to beat at next year’s Beijing Olympics. Indeed, Hanyu struggled enough to fall to third place behind 17-year-old countryman Yuma Kagiyama, who took silver in his first senior worlds.
Motorsports NASCAR WORRIED ABOUT FIRST BRISTOL DIRT RACE >>
NASCAR feverishly tried to save its ballyhooed first Cup Series dirt race since 1970 from turning into a total disaster.
The Cup Series is slated to race today at Bristol (Tennessee) Motor Speedway, where 2,300 truckloads of red clay have filled the famed bullring for an experimental — some might allege gimmick — stab at grassroots racing. But the dirt, the 28-degree Bristol banking and the leaden 3,400-pound cars appear to be a terrible fit. Four Friday practice sessions ultimately showed the tires can’t sustain the heavy wear. The three layers of dirt acted as a cheesegrater and the tires in turn dug deep divots into the surface.
NACAR made several procedural changes Saturday in a desperate bid to save the show.
VERSTAPPEN TAKES POLE AT BAHRAIN GP AHEAD OF HAMILTON >> Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took a superb pole position for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and will start the race immediately ahead of Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen earned his fourth career pole to deny Hamilton his 99th, edging out the world champion by .39 seconds on his final attempt on the track in Sakhir, Bahrain.
Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas was .59 behind Verstappen in third, while Charles Leclerc qualified in an encouraging fourth for Ferrari.
College
SCHNELLENBERGER, COACH WHO BUILT MIAMI DYNASTY, DIES >> Howard Schnellenberger, who rose to prominence as the architect of the Miami Hurricanes dynasty in the 1980s, died Saturday at the age of 87, his family announced. No cause of death was given in the statement, which was released through Florida Atlantic University, whose football program he pioneered.
Schnellenberger was the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins for their perfect season in 1972 and again from 1975-78, before leaving to become the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes in 1979. He quickly turned the floundering Hurricanes program into a national force, culminating in a championship in 1983.
Horse racing VIOLA’S KNOWN AGENDA PREVAILS IN FLORIDA DERBY >>
Known Agenda ran away from the field in the Florida Derby, and might keep on going all the way to Churchill Downs to start the Triple Crown season. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. guided Known Agenda to the win in the Grade 1, $750,000 race at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, picking up 100 Kentucky Derby standings points — which will be more than enough to qualify him for that race in five weeks.
Soup and Sandwich was second and heavily favored Greatest Honour — who came into the race with more than enough points to get into the Kentucky Derby — settled for third.