In brief: Woods ups lead entering final round
Tiger Woods with a six-shot lead is enough of a problem. Even more troublesome is that he struggled with his swing Saturday and still shot a 5-under 67 to widen the gap Saturday in the Target World Challenge at Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Woods overcame some crooked shots with a few clutch putts, none bigger than a 35-footer for par on the 14th hole when Jim Furyk was poised to turn the final golf tournament of the year into a two-man race.
Four holes later, it was a one-man show.
Furyk dumped his next tee shot into the water to take a double bogey, Woods finished off his round with a birdie, and the tournament host and defending champion found himself six shots clear going into the final round.
“Those two holes there were the difference,” said Woods, who was at 18-under 198.
Furyk didn’t play poorly except for his 6-iron on the 15th that he said “barely hit the grooves.” He wound up with a 69 and earned another date with Woods in the final round today.
Volleyball
Penn State wins second title
Penn State played near-perfect volleyball in its amazing NCAA run, winning its second national title while dropping only two games in six tournament matches.
The scrappy Nittany Lions even found a way to stun top-seeded Stanford in Sacramento, Calif., getting 26 kills from Megan Hodge and 19 from Nicole Fawcett against the same school they beat for their first title in 1999.
A day before her 21st birthday, Fawcett served on match point and Penn State capped its 26th straight victory on another powerful kill by MVP Hodge, winning 30-25, 30-26, 23-30, 19-30, 15-8 exactly three months to the day after losing a five-game thriller to the Cardinal – the last defeat for the Nittany Lions.
Winter sports
South Korean takes skating Grand Prix
South Korea’s Kim Yu-na defended her Grand Prix Final women’s figure skating title in Turin, Italy.
Rising American Caroline Zhang, who was a surprise second coming into the final free skate, fell on a triple lutz and finished fourth in her first major international competition, while U.S. champion Kimmie Meissner fell three times and ended up last in sixth place.
Two-time world champion Stephane Lambiel won the men’s title, edging Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi.
“Austrian Michael Walchhofer won the first downhill classic of the World Cup season in Val Gardena, Italy, and increased his lead in the discipline standings.
American Bode Miller finished eighth.
“Olympic slalom champion Anja Paerson of Sweden won her first downhill in almost two years and American Lindsey Vonn finished second at St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Auto racing
Waltrip hires new crew chiefs
Michael Waltrip Racing has hired three new crew chiefs, including Ryan Pemberton.
Pemberton, who left Dale Earnhardt Inc. earlier this week, will be the crew chief for David Reutimann. Paul Andrews, who will work with Waltrip, and Bill Pappas was hired to lead MWR’s third entry.