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DALY CITY, Calif. – Lexi Thompson made news before striking a shot this week at the Mediheal Championship.

She created a buzz announcing she was taking a step back from social media, handing over duties to her management team, in part to spare herself exposure to the trolls who live to antagonize with “harsh, hurtful” commentary.

She created a buzz again early on Saturday, this time on the course, with spectators watching her name shoot up the leaderboard.

She acknowledged that being off social media might be helping her this week.

“I think so,” Thompson said. “It makes me focus on my game a lot more.

“This week, I’ve hardly checked my phone, just to text my mom, or take a picture of my dog. I think it’s good for me, just to focus on my game.”

With Lake Merced Golf Club once again a brutish test, Thompson’s 3-under 69 amounted to a moving-day charge. She got herself in contention to try to make a run at her 11th LPGA title, her first this season. She vaulted from a tie for 21st to a tie for fourth, but thanks to Sei Young Kim’s brilliant back nine, Thompson finds herself six shots back.

At Lake Merced, however, six shots isn’t as daunting.

How tough is it playing?

So Yeon Ryu began the day with a one-shot lead and shot 79.

Inbee Park was tied for fourth at day’s start and shot 80.

Thompson was one of just four players to post rounds in the 60s. Only Minjee Lee (67) and Kim (68) posted a lower score.

“Overall, this golf course is very challenging,” Thompson said. “They’re tucking some of these pins, putting them on three degrees of slope. It’s hard, and once it starts blowing, it’s hard to actually get close to these hole locations.”

Thompson got off to a sluggish start this year, with a T-10 at the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions her only top 25 finish in her first four starts. She rounded into form in the year’s first major championship, finishing third at the ANA Inspiration, but then she missed her first cut this year at last week’s Hugel-Air Premia LA Open last week.

On a demanding course, in cold and windy conditions, Lake Merced is presenting a major-like test.

“It definitely requires a lot of patience, because there will be holes where you just have to take a bogey and just move on to the next one,” she said. “If you hit a squirrely drive, you just have to pitch out. You're going to make bogeys out there. At the same time, there are birdie opportunities. If they get nicer, with some of the pins, you can make some birdies. But, like I said, it's a challenging golf course, you just have to take the hard holes and just run with pars.”

Kim takes 3-shot lead into Mediheal final round

Published in Golf
Saturday, 04 May 2019 14:52

DALY CITY, Calif. — Sei Young Kim shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday at Lake Merced to take a three-stroke lead in the LPGA Mediheal Championship.

Playing through a back injury that has forced her to alter her swing, Kim rebounded from an opening bogey with an eagle on the par-5 fifth. The 26-year-old South Korean added birdies on the par-4 11th and par-5 15th and 18th to take a 10-under 206 total into the final round.

Charley Hull was second after a 70. The Englishwoman missed a chance to pull closer when her 6-foot birdie try on No. 18 slid left.

Puerto Rico's Maria Torres was 5 under after a 71.

Minjee Lee, coming off a victory Sunday in Los Angeles that moved her to No. 2 in the world, had a 67 to match Lexi Thompson (69), Amy Yang (70), Louise Ridderstrom (72) and Eun-Hee Ji (73) at 4 under.

Second-round leader So Yeon Ryu shot a 79 to drop into a tie for 20th at even par. She had four bogeys and a triple bogey in the par-4 16th.

England's Hull loves the fight – and the fighter

Published in Golf
Saturday, 04 May 2019 14:56

DALY CITY, Calif. – Charley Hull isn’t complaining about the difficult hole locations this week.

Or the bumpy Poa annua greens, with their swales and slopes.

Or the cold, damp air and bone-chilling wind at the Mediheal Championship.

She loved the tough test as she climbed into contention Saturday at Lake Merced Golf Club, where the 23-year-old Englishwoman is bidding to win her second LPGA title.

“I love this golf course, because it's long and it's tight,” she said. “I prefer the harder golf courses. I wish we played more of them. I like them when the rough is long, when the courses are long and they're tricky.”

Full-field scores from the LPGA Mediheal Championship

Hull has a tough-guy in her corner these days, a guy who likes a good, hard fight. She is engaged to Ozzie Smith, an English Impact Fight boxer. He’s here this week, supporting her while also mending a broken hand. She was there to support him last month, when he won the supermiddleweight title in England.

They are planning to marry on Sept. 21, after the Solheim Cup.

“He’s my best friend as well,” Hull said. “He’s really good for my golf.”

Hull said it’s helpful being with a fellow professional athlete.

“It’s nice that he understands the challenges,” Hull said. “It’s good, too, when maybe I’m not practicing as hard as I should. He makes me practice hard.”

They’ve been together for a year-and-a-half now.

DALY CITY, Calif. — Lake Merced Golf Club is a tough test every year the LPGA arrives here, but the hole locations this week are giving it an even more brutish edge.

Thick rough, pinched fairways in the landing areas and bone-chilling winds have all made scoring difficult this week.

So, in particular, have so many hole locations cut on the edges of greens that are firming up quickly.

“Yeah, they’re pretty tough,” Bronte Law said after putting up a 3-over-par 75 that left her tied for 20th. “When you take them that close to the edges, on greens that have firmed up, with pins on slopes, you are really having to work hard for pars.

“You have to hit miracle shots to have birdie chances on some of these holes.”

The scoring average in the first round was 74.08, which was higher than in any round of the ANA Inspiration, the year’s first major. Only the third round of the Vic Open, played in high winds, produced a higher scoring average this year (75.73). Saturday’s scoring average at Lake Merced was 73.58.

“They’re tucking some of these pins, putting them on three degrees of slope,” Lexi Thompson said after posting a 69 to move into a tie for fourth. “It’s hard, and once it starts blowing, it’s hard to actually get close to these hole locations.”

There were only four rounds in the 60s posted on Saturday, with Minjee Lee’s 67 the lowest round.

“They’re very tough [hole locations],” Louise Ridderstrom said after posting an even-par 72 to move into a tie for fourth. “I hit my irons very well today and still only shot even par.

“I think there might have been players who putted it off the ninth green.”

The hole at No. 9 was cut 4 paces from the left, front edge of the ninth green, which is located at the top of a hill in front of the clubhouse. Any approach shot coming up short there was in danger of rolling all the way back down the hill. Any approach to the back of that green left a player in danger of putting it off the front of the green.

The hole at the 10th was also cut four paces from the left, front edge of that green.

Law said there were so many delicate putts to be navigated.

“It was definitely U.S. Open-esque in spots,” she said.

Dembele hurt as makeshift Barca lose at Celta

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 04 May 2019 16:04

Barcelona fell to their first La Liga defeat since November as the champions were beaten 2-0 at struggling Celta Vigo after making 11 changes but forward Ousmane Dembele suffered an injury setback ahead of Tuesday's Champions League game at Liverpool.

The win took Celta on to 40 points and a step closer towards guaranteeing survival but it meant 19th-placed Rayo Vallecano is almost certain to be the first team to be relegated, after a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Levante left them on 31 points from 36 games.

Uruguay forward Maxi Gomez gave Celta a deserved lead in the 67th minute, sliding to the floor to divert a low pass beyond Barca's reserve goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, after the home side saw a goal ruled out for a marginal offside after a VAR review.

Celta's captain and talisman Iago Aspas then sealed the win by converting from the penalty spot after another VAR review ruled that Barca's Samuel Umtiti had handled the ball.

Barca's players were given a guard of honour by Celta when they came out of the tunnel before kick off after lifting an eighth title in 11 seasons last Saturday by beating Levante 1-0 at the Nou Camp.

Many of the players who received the tribute, however, had done little to contribute to the title win.

Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were among a number of high profile players to be rested ahead of the trip to Anfield, where the Catalans are aiming to book their place in the Champions League final for the first time since 2015.

Dembele was one of few regular starters to face Celta but he had to be taken off in the sixth minute after hurting a right hamstring muscle when attempting a sprint.

"It happened in the first play of the game. He was sprinting and he noticed something wasn't right. It was obvious something was up so we moved quickly to make the change. We didn't want to make it worse," Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde said after match.

"It's a muscle injury. I can't say too much because we want to see what the medical team say, but it looks like it could be a hamstring tear. There will be tests on Sunday and we will see.

"It's not fatigue because he played very little the other day. He warmed up properly ... These are things that happen in football. As the coach, I don't have an explanation for what happened but it's a setback to lose him for the upcoming games."

The France forward has been plagued with muscle injuries since completing a €105 million move from Borussia Dortmund in 2017.

Barca, who lost for the first time since a 4-3 defeat to Real Betis nearly six months ago, have 83 points while second-placed Atletico have 74 after losing 3-0 at Espanyol earlier on Saturday.

Valverde put his side's defeat down to the many changes he made.

"We dominated the game in spells but once they scored and they sensed they could win the game we had no response," he said.

"We were playing with a lot of new players and it was difficult for us to create chances. We created barely anything in the second half and didn't do nearly enough to score."

Zlatan shines but Red Bulls rally past Galaxy

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 04 May 2019 18:16

Derrick Etienne scored the winner in the 67th minute Saturday as the New York Red Bulls rallied to defeat the visiting Los Angeles Galaxy 3-2 on Saturday in Harrison, N.J.

The Red Bulls (3-4-2, 11 points) trailed 2-1 before Marc Rzatkowski leveled the match in the 59th minute.

The Galaxy (7-2-1, 22 points) had allowed only eight goals this season. They fell to 6-1-1 in the past eight games despite receiving a goal and an assist from Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Red Bull Arena.

Etienne, who had entered four minutes earlier, slotted a 15-yard shot after a pass by Daniel Royer. The play withstood a video review to determine whether Brian White was in an offside position impeding goalkeeper David Bingham. The Red Bulls won their second straight.

Amro Tarek gave the Red Bulls 1-0 advantage in the 15th minute on a well-constructed free kick from 40 yards by Rzatkowski. His service into the box was headed toward goal by White and Tarek got on the end of the ball for the finish.

Defender Diego Polenta had the secondary assists when the Galaxy scored twice in four minutes for a 2-1 halftime lead.

Los Angeles tied it 1-1 when Polenta got an overhead ball to Ibrahimovic on the right flank in the 39th minute. Ibrahimovic spotted Uriel Antuna in front for his second goal in as many games.

The Galaxy made it 2-1 in the 43rd on Ibrahimovic's diving header from 6 yards off a service by Chris Pontius. Ibrahimovic ranks second in MLS with nine goals in eight games.

Rzatkowski got the equalizer when he was left unmarked to receive a ball from the right side by Connor Lade.

New York's Bradley Wright-Phillips, eighth all-time in MLS with 107 goals, missed his second straight game because of a groin injury.

The Red Bulls will complete a three-game homestand on Wednesday vs. Montreal.

Also Wednesday, first-year Galaxy coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto returns to Columbus, where he helped the Crew win the 2008 MLS Cup as a player.

Salah a doubt for Barca match; Firmino out

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 04 May 2019 14:25

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could be without Mohamed Salah for Tuesday's Champions League match against Barcelona after the Egyptian was carried off with a head injury in Saturday's 3-2 win at Newcastle.

Klopp said it was too soon to say whether Salah would be able to play against Barca.

"What I heard, he got the hip of the goalie on his head," Klopp said. "He was then on the ground and the doc had to make a decision 'on the pitch or off the pitch' and the decision was off the pitch. We accept that of course.

"When we came in he was sitting in the dressing room watching the game on television. So he was then fine, but of course we have to wait. He got a proper knock, obviously, in that situation."

Ogden: Liverpool show triumph in face of adversity

Liverpool player ratings: Alexander-Arnold 8/10 in dramatic win

Liverpool will be without their Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino for the match against Barcelona.

Firmino, who has a muscular injury, was not included in the match day squad for Saturday's game and Klopp said he will not feature against the Spaniards as Liverpool look to overturn a 3-0 deficit from the first leg.

"He will not be ready for Tuesday and the rest we will see," said Klopp, whose side face Wolves in their final Premier League game on May 12.

Divock Origi, who grabbed the 86th minute winner at Newcastle, could start against Barca while Daniel Sturridge, who started on Saturday, would be another option.

Klopp calls Liverpool win 'a battle of will'

Published in Soccer
Saturday, 04 May 2019 17:43

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp called his club's thrilling 3-2 win over Newcastle a "brilliant" battle as his Reds continue to go back-and-forth with Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title.

"Today was a battle of will but it was a victory of passion, heart and absolute desire -- absolutely brilliant," Klopp said.

Ogden: Liverpool show triumph in face of adversity

Liverpool player ratings: Alexander-Arnold 8/10 in dramatic win

Substitute Divock Origi's 86th minute header -- after Liverpool had twice seen their lead rubbed out by a determined Newcastle United -- ensured the three points that put the pressure right back on Manchester City.

Saturday's match featured a scary moment with Mohamed Salah was stretchered off the pitch after a head injury.

Klopp's side have 94 points and City, who face Leicester City on Monday, are two points behind. Never before have two teams passed 90 points in a Premier League season.

On the final Sunday -- May 12 -- Liverpool are at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers and City take on Brighton on the south coast.

"We could talk about football tonight, we could talk purely about showing real heart, showing real passion and showing real desire."

It was all the more impressive given that on Wednesday Liverpool had expended so much energy against Barcelona only to end up with a bitter 3-0 defeat in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals.

There was no sign of any hangover from that experience however.

"It was just brilliant," Klopp said.

"Newcastle showed it as well, unbelievable -- they gave us a proper game. I think in our situation with all the circumstances around, some people probably expected us to show a bit of nerves and the boys didn't. It was just a difficult game for difficult reasons."

Having been pushed all the way by former manager Rafa Benitez's side, Liverpool must now hope that another of their ex-bosses, Brendan Rodgers, can inspire his Leicester side to an upset against City at the Etihad on Monday.

But Klopp says he is a resigned to whatever fate will throw his team's way.

"I accepted long ago that we do everything, absolutely everything, the boys throw whatever they have on the pitch, so that means whether we are champion or not, it is destiny," he said.

"We do everything and we cannot do more -- can you get more than 94 points? Can you get more in all the other stuff? Not really.

"Wow, what a race."

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

It was Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay Packers coach, who claimed that his team didn't lose, but merely ran out of time. Lombardi would have enjoyed watching Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool -- the team that is doing its best to prove that it can always beat the clock.

After 37 Premier League games, the clock is ticking on Liverpool's title bid. Saturday's 3-2 victory at Newcastle, secured with yet another late winner by Divock Origi, means they have just 90 minutes left to wrestle the Premier League trophy from Manchester City, who can reclaim top spot with a win at home to Leicester City on Monday.

-- Liverpool ratings: Origi, Robertson rescue Liverpool's title hopes

But this has been such a remarkable season for the Anfield club that nobody can argue with any conviction that they won't beat the clock again next Sunday by somehow winning the title on the final day of the season at home to Wolves.

This Liverpool team is blessed with many qualities -- strength in every department, desire, energy, clinical forwards -- but their resolve in the face of adversity and ability to fight until the end are the reasons why they are still locked in the fight with City at this late stage of the season.

Liverpool might have to overturn a 3-0 Champions League semi-final deficit against Barcelona on Tuesday without Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, but if anyone still doubts the ability of Klopp's team to beat the odds and come up with a result, this dramatic late win at Newcastle must surely have convinced even the most sceptical observer that this side is capable of anything.

"In our situation, people were maybe expecting us to show nerves, but we didn't," Klopp said.

"To run so many kilometres in Barcelona and then come to Newcastle, for what is not a friendly game, with all the long balls and chaos from [Salomon] Rondon, means you have to do it with legs and that makes it even more intense. We showed real heart and passion."

Right now, it has to be hope rather than expectation that Liverpool will finish the campaign with silverware.

In the Premier League, City know they will retain the title if they win their final two games against Leicester and Brighton, regardless of what Liverpool do against Wolves.

But Leicester are a dangerous opponent and any manager will tell you that, at this stage of a season, games in hand are only more valuable than points on the board if you actually win them.

As for the Champions League, overturning a 3-0 deficit against Barcelona is a mountain to climb for anybody, but after seeing Salah carried off following a blow to head after a collision with Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, Liverpool may have to do it without their Egyptian star.

"He [Salah] got hit off the goalie's hip on his head and we had to make a decision, on or off the pitch," Klopp said. "But he was sitting watching the game in the dressing room.

"We have to wait [before knowing if he will face Barcelona], but Firmino won't be ready."

Klopp added that Firmino, sidelined with a muscular injury, is unlikely to be fit to face Wolves next Sunday either, so Liverpool are entering what could be the final week of a remarkable season -- they will continue until June 1 if they can book a place in the Champions League final -- with plenty of bumps and bruises.

But they are hardly limping to the finishing line. Origi, who scored a crucial stoppage-time winner against Everton last December, ensured that they will fight on for the title by heading in Xherdan Shaqiri's 86th-minute free kick at St James' Park.

Liverpool had previously twice conceded the lead, with goals from Virgil van Dijk and Salah cancelled out by Christian Atsu and Rondon respectively. Rafael Benitez looked on course to deliver the hammer blow to his old team's title ambitions that many Liverpool fans feared, but unlikely hero Origi was in the right place at the right time once again.

"When the free kick came in I was just trying to flick it on, give it a light touch," he said. "It was a good centre by Shaq [Shaqiri] and in the end it went in, so I'm super happy for the team.

"Today was a big fight, we knew that beforehand. It wasn't easy, but in the end we showed our fighting spirit and got the three points."

So Liverpool fight on and they have taken the race to the very last game of the season. They may yet start the final day on top, if Leicester can avoid defeat at the Etihad, but no matter how it all plays out, nobody can suggest that Klopp and his players have lost their nerve in the final straight.

"We have done everything," Klopp said. "We cannot do more. Whoever wins the league, it will be destiny."

Cerrone drubs Iaquinta, again calls for McGregor

Published in Breaking News
Saturday, 04 May 2019 21:36

Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone told everyone he was coming for the UFC's lightweight title in 2019. He was not kidding.

Cerrone (36-11) picked up a huge decision victory over Al Iaquinta (14-5-1) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Ottawa, Ontario. Cerrone, a 36-year-old veteran with nearly 50 professional fights under his belt, gained steam as the five-round bout played out and nearly finished Iaquinta multiple times with strikes.

All three judges scored it a dominant showcase for Cerrone, via scores of 49-45, 49-45 and 49-46.

"Not bad for 'Day Drinkin' Don,' huh?" Cerrone said. "I guess I'm doing it for all the old people out there. There's still a chance."

It was Cerrone's second victory since he dropped to the 155-pound division after competing in the 170-pound division from 2016 to 2018. After his previous win, an impressive TKO over rising prospect Alexander Hernandez, Cerrone admitted he wouldn't mind fighting former champion Conor McGregor on his way to the belt. The UFC explored it, but the bout didn't come together.

He reiterated his interest in a title shot -- and McGregor -- on Saturday.

"I want the title, whatever that means," Cerrone said. "Unless, Conor McGregor, you want to fight me in July. I'm ready."

play
0:21

Cerrone calls out McGregor for a fight

After his win, Donald Cerrone challenges Conor McGregor to fight him in July. For more UFC action, sign up for ESPN+ http://plus.espn.com/ufc.

Already the most winningest fighter in UFC history going into Saturday, Cerrone still looked very much in his prime against Iaquinta. He dropped Iaquinta with a jab late in the third round, and again with a front kick to the chin in the fourth. Before Saturday, Iaquinta had never been dropped in his MMA career.

By the end of the bout, Iaquinta's face was a bloody mess. A ringside physician checked on Iaquinta's injuries before allowing him to go out for the fifth round. After the bout, he could barely walk, due to the damage Cerrone inflicted with leg kicks.

Despite the loss, Iaquinta, 32, showed a lot of heart, and he did rock Cerrone multiple times in the second round. He caught a kick to the body and delivered a hard counter right hand that definitely grabbed the attention of the older fighter.

Current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is expected to defend his title next against interim champion Dustin Poirier in September. McGregor is still not booked for a fight. He has not fought since a loss to Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October.

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