Creamer takes lead in Samsung World Championship
Paula Creamer told herself to be patient and it finally paid off. She birdied her final three holes Saturday to shoot a 4-under-par 68 for the three-day lead heading into the final round of the Samsung World Championship at Half Moon Bay, Calif.
Angela Stanford led for much of the day but hurt herself with two double-bogeys on the back nine before birdies on the final two holes for a 3-under 69 to stay one stroke back at 5-under 211 going into today. Australian Katherine Hull hit an eagle on No. 4 and also birdied 18 for a 69 to stay within two strokes of the lead.
Two-time defending Samsung champion and world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa shot a 70 and is two strokes off the lead with a 4-under 212.
•Ridings, Howell share Turning Stone lead: At Verona, N.Y., Tag Ridings missed a short par putt on the final hole to fall into a tie for the lead with Charles Howell III after the third round of the Turning Stone Resort Championship.
Ridings, winless in 130 starts on the PGA Tour, finished with a 1-under 71 to match Howell (69) at 8-under 208.
Jeff Overton (73), who led both the first and second rounds by one shot, was tied for third at 7 under with Brian Davis (69), Jason Day (71) and Kyle Thompson (69).
•Aubrey leads Senior PGA Pros: John Aubrey took a one-stroke lead in the Senior PGA Professional National Championship, finishing off a second-round 71 in the morning at Andalusia and adding a bogey-free 69 at Toscana in Indian Wells, Calif.
Aubrey, the 58-year-old PGA head professional at Aubrey’s Dubbs Dred Golf Course in Butler, Pa., had a 7-under 209 total in the event for PGA professionals 50 and older.
Horse racing
N.M. horse breaks record
It was an easy win for Peppers Pride – about three lengths, in fact.
With the victory in a six-furlong allowance race at Zia Park at Hobbs, N.M., the New Mexico thoroughbred put herself into the record books. She has won 17 times in as many starts, setting a modern North American record.
Peppers Pride crossed the line in 1:10.20.
“We just tried to get away well and then stalked the two speed horses,” said jockey Carlos Madiera, who let the 5-year-old mare run past the two pacesetters on the turn and she cruised from there.
•Thorn Song, Square Eddie earn Breeders’ Cup berths: At Kenneland Park in Lexington, Ky., jockey Robby Albarado didn’t have to do much work to guide Thorn Song to victory in the $600,000 Shadwell Turf Mile. The win clinched an automatic berth in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile in three weeks at Santa Anita.
The card was packed with graded stakes races, including three Breeders’ Cup qualifiers. Albarado, aboard favorite Indyanne, also won the Grade III Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes.
In the other Grade I, the $500,000 Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity, Rafael Bejarano earned a runaway victory aboard Square Eddie.
•Marsh Side wins Canadian International: At Toronto, Marsh Side, a 25-1 long shot, won the $2 million Canadian International turf race, beating 35-1 shot Spice Route by 1 3/4 lengths at Woodbine Racetrack.
Cycling
Armstrong fires back
Lance Armstrong says the Tour de France organizer’s new president is being pretentious by claiming that the seven-time champion has “embarrassed” cycling’s premier race.
Jean-Etienne Amaury told French sports newspaper L’Equipe, “We can’t say that he has not embarrassed the Tour de France, as he has had a quite a complicated history with it.”
The comment astounded Armstrong.
“The last time I checked I won the tour seven straight years and was never once found to be guilty of doping despite seven years of intense scrutiny,” Armstrong said. “Not to mention that my team of 25 riders over those seven years was also never found to be positive. We won clean and fair.
“Also, according to industry standards, TV ratings, worldwide media impressions, spectators along the route, and global sponsorships were at an all-time high.
“Where’s the embarrassment in that?”
Auto racing
Kvapil puts Yates on pole
A pair of once-mighty teams returned to the top of the Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway leaderboard with different things to prove.
Travis Kvapil won the pole to show Yates Racing is on an upswing after several lean years, and Dale Earnhardt Inc. had a strong qualifying day to counter rumblings that the team is in trouble.
Kvapil turned a lap at 187.364 mph in his Yates Racing Ford to edge Casey Mears’ lap of 187.295 in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
It was the first pole of Kvapil’s career and came in his 100th start.
•Bodine wins trucks race: At Talladega, Ala., Todd Bodine took the lead on the final turn off the last lap and nipped Ron Hornaday Jr. and Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Tennis
Venus Williams loses
Venus Williams lost 6-7 (8), 7-5, 6-2 to soon-to-be No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, who overcame a foot injury to advance to the final of the Porsche Grand Prix at Stuttgart, Germany. Jankovic will play Nadia Petrova today for the title. Petrova beat Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-4 in the other semifinal.
•Berdych upsets Roddick: At Tokyo, Andy Roddick was upset by Tomas Berdych 6-7 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (3) in the semifinals of the Japan Open. The ninth-seeded Berdych will face fifth-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina in today’s final. Del Potro defeated No. 4 Richard Gasquet 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.