Off the wire

Sunday, September 29, 2013

GOLF

Gardiner leads at Web.com

Scott Gardiner (Farmington) of Australia had a 5-under 65 and wound up with the lead Saturday in the Web.com Tour Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., when Chesson Hadley stumbled at the end. Gardiner has played well enough in this four-tournament series that determines PGA Tour cards that he already has locked up his return to the big leagues. A win in the final event would give him top status for the 2013-14 season and a spot in The Players Championship. Hadley, whoalso has secured his card through the Web.com Tour regular-season money list, had a two-shot lead for most of the third round on the Valley Course at the TPC Sawgrass. But he bogeyed the 17th, and then took double bogey on the last hole for a 70 that left him one shot behind with Joe Durant (68). Gardiner was at 10-under 200. The Web.com Tour Finals replaces the old version of Q-school, which finished with a six-round tournament. The top 25 from the Web.com Tour regular season are assured their PGA Tour cards, leaving 25 additional cards based on a special money list from the four tournaments. Durant was among a dozen or so players who go into the final round with a shot at getting one of those 25 cards.Andrew Putnam, whose older brother won the money title on the Web.com Tour and is assured top status, made a hole-in-one on the tough 11th hole on his way to a 67 and was in fourth place. He likely would need to finish around 15th to get his card. Gardiner made the cut in only seven of 23 events he played in his rookie season on the PGA Tour. But he tied for third in the first event of the Web.com Tour Finals and came into the final event at No. 11 on the money list.

Peter Uihlein holed his second shot for an eagle on the 18th hole Saturday to take a two-stroke lead after the third round of the AlfredDunhill Links Championship in St. Andrews, Scotland. After settling for 60 at Kingsbarns when he missed an eagle putt on the final hole, the American managed a more spectacular finish on the Old Course at St. Andrews when his 47-yard wedge shot on the 18th found the bottom of the cup. That gave him a 7-under 65 and a 20-under 196 total. Martin Kaymer and David Howell shot 63, and Ernie Els had a 64, all at St. Andrews, to join Joost Luiten, Shane Lowry and Richard McEvoy at 18 under. Luiten had a 68 at St. Andrews, Lowry shot 64 at Carnoustie, and McEvoy had a 67 at Kingsbarns.

Lorie Kane shot a 2-under 70 in tricky wind conditions for a share of the lead with Laurie Rinker in the Legends Championship in French Lick, Ind. Rinker had a 73 to match Kane at 3-under 141 with one round left in the Legends Tour event at French Lick Resort’s Pete Dye Course. Val Skinner was a shot back after a 70.

BASKETBALL Injury sidelines Porter

Wizards rookie Otto Porter has a right hip flexor injury. Porter, the No. 3 overall pick, rode a stationary bike as Washington opened camp Saturday at George Mason University. Coach Randy Wittman said the injury has been bothering Porter for a couple of weeks. The small forward said he slipped and twisted during a recent voluntary pickup game before camp opened. “Nothing major,” Porter said, classifying his timetable for returning as “day by day.” This is Porter’s second injury since joining the Wizards. The former Georgetown star sat out the final two games of the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League with a right hamstring injury.

CYCLING Vos wins third title

Marianne Vos won her third title in the road race at the world championships in Florence, Italy, on Saturday and reinforced her status as the top rider in women’s cycling. The Dutchman attacked on the final climb of the 87-mile race with about 3 miles to go, adding to her titles from 2006 and last year. Vos, who also won the road race at the London Olympics and has world and Olympic titles in cyclo-cross and track cycling, clocked 3 hours, 44 minutes along the route from Montecatini Terme to Florence. Emma Johansson of Sweden finished second, 15 seconds behind, and Rossella Ratto of Italy crossed third with the same time.

HOCKEY Suspension reduced

The NHL reduced Phoenix Coyotes forward Paul Bissonnette’s suspension for leaving the bench to join an altercation from 10 regular-season games to three Saturday. In a Sept. 13 preseason game against Los Angeles, Bissonnette was assessed a game misconduct under Rule 70.6, an infraction that calls for an automatic suspension for 10 regular-season games. The NHL said that during the appeal process, video evidence not available to the league at the time of the assessment of the suspension was reviewed. The league said the new evidence, although not conclusive, supported Bissonnette’s contention that he took the ice legally to substitute for Max Domi. However, Domi remained on the ice and joined the altercation. Bissonnette has five goals and 287 penalty minutes in 163 career NHL games. In 28 games last season, he had 6 assists and 36 penalty minutes.

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is out indefinitely with what Coach Dan Bylsma described as a lower-body injury. Letang did not skate Saturday with the rest of the team in West Point, N.Y., where the Penguins are spending the weekend in the run-up to the season opener against New Jersey. Bylsma said Letang will be re-evaluated when the Penguins return to Pittsburgh on Monday. There is no timetable for his return. The Penguins signed Letang to an eight-year contract extension in the offseason.

Giants, Pence near $90 million contract

SAN FRANCISCO - Hunter Pence pleaded ignorance as his San Francisco Giants teammates greeted him with hugs and backslaps when he arrived at AT&T Park for Saturday’s game against San Diego.

Pence and the San Francisco Giants have reached a tentative agreement on a $90 million, five-year contract, pending a physical.

“I can’t say too much until it’s official,” Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said. “It’s good news. I couldn’t be happier for Hunter.”

Pence, who was scheduled to get his physical before taking the field, politely declined comment.

A formal announcement of the deal is expected today. He had been eligible to become a free agent after the World Series.

“You can’t help but love Hunter Pence and the way he plays thegame,” Bochy said. “It’s all about making a commitment and getting back on track. You need great players.”

Pitchers Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong were the first to greet Pence.

“He’s a very positive man,”Giants outfielder Angel Pagan said. “The game could be 20-0 with two outs in the ninth, and he still thinks we can win it.”

Pence is batting .282 with a career-high 26 home runs and 94 RBI. He received the Willie Mac Award on Friday night, given to the mostinspirational member of the Giants.

He’s played in every game this season and would become the first Giants player since Alvin Dark started all 154 games in 1954. The last outfielder to play in every Giants game was Bobby Thomson in 1949.

Sports, Pages 24 on 09/29/2013