USC’s Nam leads LPGA’s event at Palos Verdes GC
Malia Nam took a onestroke lead into the weekend in just her second career LPGA Tour start, shooting a 2-under 69 on Friday in the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship at Palos Verdes Golf Club.
One of seven former USC players in the field at the scenic course overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Nam, 24, — from Hawaii — played more than 100 rounds on the layout during her time with the Trojans.
“I’ve seen every single inch of this golf course, good and bad,” Nam said. “It’s funny, because in college I never really played well here. This is actually the first time that I think I shot consecutively under par, so I’m a bit surprised myself.”
Playing in the final group of the day to tee off on No. 10, Nam pulled even with defending champion Ruoning Yin and Madelene Sagstrom with a birdie on the par-3 sixth and took the lead with a birdie on the par-5 seventh. She parred the final two holes to finish at 8-under 134.
Yin closed eagle-birdiebirdie for a 65. Ranked fourth in the world, Yin followed her maiden LPGA Tour win last year at Palos Verdes with a major win at the KMPG Women’s PGA.
Sagstrom had three late birdies in the afternoon. The Swede won the 2020 Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio for her lone tour title.
Rose Zhang (68), Leona Maguire (65) and former UCLA player Alison Lee (70) were 6 under.
• Stewart Cink made a great escape from the pine straw for an unlikely birdie and had a 4-under 67 that gave him a five-way share of the lead in the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Fla., and a chance to entertain thoughts of winning for the second straight tournament.
There are differences for Cink. The course is a lot longer. The guys he is trying to beat are a lot younger.
Cink, 50, who blew a chance to win on the PGA Tour Champions two weeks ago was tied at 6-under 136 with Kevin Streelman (72), rookie Chandler Phillips (68), Brendon Todd (69) and Mackenzie Hughes (68).
• Thongchai Jaidee fired a 9-under-par 62 in Friday’s opening round of the Hoag Classic at Newport Country Club that was good enough for a one-shot lead over World Golf Hall of Famer Padraig Harrington and Paul Broadhurst.
Claire Emslie and Marta traded goals in the second half as Angel City and the Orlando Pride played to a 1-1 draw at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando late on Friday night.
Marta thought she had the opening goal for the Pride in the 23rd minute, but it was called back due to a foul on the play.
After coming out of the halftime break scoreless, Meggie Dougherty Howard was taken down in the box in the 53rd minute. Emslie stepped up to take the penalty, powering it into the lowe left corner to give Angel City (0-1-1) the lead.
Marta was left unmarked at the far post in the 88th minute and volleyed in Angelina’s corner kick, helping Orlando (00-2) salvage a point for the second straight week.
The Tennessee Titans are finalizing a deal to acquire cornerback L’Jarius Sneed from the Kansas City Chiefs for a pair of draft picks, multiple sources reported.
The deal still requires Sneed to pass a physical and a new contract for the cornerback on whom the
Chiefs placed the $19.8 million non-exclusive franchise tag on this month.
Kansas City was unable to come to terms on a long-term deal, leading to this trade. Under terms of the deal, Tennessee would send its thirdround pick in the 2025 draft and also flip seventh-round picks with the Chiefs in the draft next month.
Sneed, 27, developed into one of the top cornerbacks in the league since being drafted in the fourth round in 2020. He was a key part of a defense that helped Kansas City win back-toback Super Bowl titles.
Max Verstappen not surprisingly clinched pole position for today’s Australian Grand Prix. More surprising was record eight-time Australian pole winner Lewis Hamilton not making it into the final round of qualifying on Saturday.
Verstappen, who has won both races to start the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, with his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez second both times, will start in the front row for today’s 58lap race on the temporary Albert Park street circuit.
It was the 35th pole of Verstappen’s F1 career.
Carlos Sainz, returning from appendix surgery ahead of the last race in Saudi Arabia, was secondfastest, followed by Perez in third.
“It was a bit unexpected but I’m very happy,” Verstappen said. “It’s been a bit of a tricky weekend so far. (Ferrari) seem very quick, so it’s a bit of a question mark for tomorrow.”
The biggest surprise of the day was Mercedes driver Hamilton. He failed to advance from the second qualifying session, finishing 11th. It was his worst qualifying position in Melbourne since 2010.
Kaori Sakamoto of Japan is the first women’s figure skater to three-peat as world champion since American Peggy Fleming from 1966 to 1968.
Sakamoto captured gold again late Friday at the Bell Centre in Montr4eal, climbing from fourth place after the short program to the top of the podium with a near-flawless performance in Montreal.
The 23-year-old led the pack by more than 10 points in the free program to finish with 222.96 points.
Isabeau Levito of the United States — a 2022 world junior champion — claimed silver (212.16) for her first medal at a senior worlds. Chaeyeon Kim of South Korea took bronze (203.59).
Defending ice dance champions and 2022 Olympic gold medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. finished first with a season-best 90.08 in the rhythm dance. Italy’s Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri were second (87.52) ahead of Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (86.51).
Playing four days after the death of a former hockey player she dated, Aryna Sabalenka beat Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-3 on Friday in the second round of the rainsoaked Miami Open.
Sabalenka, 25, has asked for privacy for herself and the family of Konstantin Koltsov, the 42-year-old Belarusian who died in Miami on Monday. MiamiDade Police said it was an apparent suicide.
Other early-round women’s winners included thirdranked Coco Gauff (6-1, 6-2 over Nadia Podoroska), and fourth-ranked Elena Rybakina (3-6, 7-5, 6-4 over Elena Rybakina).