McIlroy leads with Woods still in hunt
Golf: Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods played together in the opening two rounds of the season in Abu Dhabi. They were together again for the opening two rounds at Bethpage Black for the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs. The idea is to get them together with a trophy on the line.
Both took a step in that direction Saturday in the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Mass.
McIlroy went from one extreme to another on par 5s just 30 minutes apart – a 4-iron into 10 feet for eagle on No. 18, a 5-wood in the water for bogey on No. 2 – but steadied himself for another 6-under-par 65.
Woods, playing in the afternoon, had three birdies on the opening six holes until he could no longer get a putt to drop.
He made birdie putts of 30 feet and 15 feet late in the round to salvage a 68, which left him only two shots behind.
In between was Louis Oosthuizen, the former British Open champion with one of the purest swings in golf. Oosthuizen had four 2s on his card of 65, and goes into the third round just one shot behind and in the final group with McIlroy.
The weekend is half over, as this FedEx Cup playoff event is known for its Labor Day finish. There remains plenty of work to be done, especially with nine players separated by only three shots going into the weekend.
McIlroy was at 12-under 130.
Tacoma’s Ryan Moore had a 68, playing the front nine in 1 over, and joined Woods at 10-under 132.
To Honor and Serve wins Woodward
Horse racing: To Honor and Serve edged favored Mucho Macho Man by a neck in a long stretch drive in the $750,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Ridden by John Velazquez, the Bill Mott-trained 4-year-old ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.65 and paid $9.30, $3.60 and $2.60 for his second victory in four starts this year.
January leads Fever to rout of Sky
WNBA: Briann January (Lewis and Clark High) scored 19 points, Tamika Catchings and Katie Douglas added 17 each, and the Indiana Fever beat the Chicago Sky 81-64 in Indianapolis, for their season-high fifth straight win.
Catchings also had 10 rebounds for the Fever.
Courtney Vandersloot (Gonzaga University) was held to two points, two rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes off the bench.
Rodriguez increases Spanish Vuelta lead
Cycling: Joaquin Rodriguez increased his lead in the Spanish Vuelta by outlasting Alberto Contador to win the 14th stage in Puerto de Ancares, Spain.
IBF champ wins WBA title in split decision
Boxing: IBF middleweight champion Daniel Geale of Australia outpointed Felix Sturm with a split decision to take the German’s WBA title in their unification bout in Oberhausen, Germany.
Judges Stanley Christodoulou and Dave Parris scored it 116-112 in favor of Geale, and Eugene Grant had it 116-112 to Sturm.
• Golovkin retains title: Gennady Golovkin (24-0, 21 Kos) stopped Grzegorz Proksa (28-2) in the fifth round of an impressive American debut at Verona, N.Y.
Golovkin defended his WBA and IBO middleweight belts with his 11th consecutive stoppage victory.
• De La Hoya accuser ordered to pay legal fees: A woman who claimed to have been intimidated by boxer Oscar De La Hoya during a wild night at a New York City hotel has now been ordered to pay his legal bill, after a judge said her lawsuit was “frivolous” and malicious.
A Manhattan court ruled Friday that model Angelica Cecora owes $12,000 in legal fees to the former welterweight champion.
USC to look into claims of gifts
Miscellany: Southern California athletic director Pat Haden said USC will investigate a Los Angeles Times report claiming two Trojans athletes received gifts from an employee of the Los Angeles County assessor’s office.
• Trojans lose top scorer: Southern California guard Maurice Jones will miss the upcoming basketball season because of academic reasons but will return for his senior season in 2013-14.
Last season, Jones led the team with 13.0 points, and was tops in assists, steals and 3-pointers made.