Off the wire

GOLF Scott leads by 3

Masters champion Adam Scott made five putts from about 20 feet or longer, two of them for eagle and one of them from off the green for birdie, and matched the course record Thursday with a 10-under 62 to build a three-shot lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Orlando, Fla. Ryo Ishikawa, who uses Bay Hill as his home course on the East Coast, birdied the 18th for a 67. John Merrick celebrated his 32nd birthday by reaching 8 under until a late bogey. He also shot 67. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano had his best round of the year with a 66. Brandt Snedeker and Paul Casey were among those at 67. They were all but forgotten with Scott’s 62 on the board. Scott walked from the ninth green across the practice range to the scoring trailer as one player after another turned his head and asked how low Scott went on the day. It was the lowest round in 30 years at Bay Hill, and it was good enough to make a large gallery following Scott forget for a moment that defending champion Tiger Woods is not here this week because of a back injury. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) had two birdies and two bogeys for an even-par round of 72. Bryce Molder (Conway) also had two birdies and two bogeys for a 72. David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) had 2 birdies, 3 bogeys and 1 double bogey for a 3-over 75.

Top-ranked Inbee Park birdied her final three holes Thursday for a 6-under 66 and a share of the JTBC Founders Cup lead among the early starters. Coming off a victory two weeks ago in China in a Ladies European Tour event, Park closed with a tap-in birdie on the par-4 ninth after nearly holing a pitching wedge from 134 yards. Gerina Piller also shot 66 in perfect conditions at Desert Ridge’s Wildfire Golf Club in Phoenix, and 16-year-old Lydia Ko wasa stroke back along with Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Mo Martin and Pornanong Phatlum. Playing alongside Park, Ko closed with a bogey on No. 9 after driving left into the desert. Defending champion Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks), second-ranked Suzann Pettersen, 2011 winner Karrie Webb and Michelle Wie were in the afternoon group.

BASEBALL Dodgers top Australia

Yasiel Puig’s two-run home run in top of the eighth inning Thursday helped give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 4-2 victory over Team Australia in an exhibition game at the revamped Sydney Cricket Ground. With the score tied 2-2 after Puig’s home run, the Dodgers took the lead on an error and passed ball and then added a fourth on Juan Uribe’s single. Puig also threw out a runner in the sixth inning with a strike from right field to catcher A.J. Ellis, easily getting Australia first baseman Mike Walker at the plate. The Dodgers are preparing for Major League Baseball season openers against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday and Sunday.

Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman underwent surgery Thursday to repair a broken bone above his left eye but has no other serious injuries after being hit in the face by a line drive in a spring training game. Team medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek said Chapman could begin throwing off a mound in six to eight weeks, a timetable that could get him back in games in late May. The left-hander with a fastball that has reached 105 mph could start exercising and throwing on flat ground in a couple of weeks, Kremchek said. The doctor called Chapman “a very lucky guy.” Kremchek said a metal plate will be inserted in the bone above Chapman’s left eyebrow, with perhaps a bone graft as well, and will remain there permanently.

Miami second baseman Derek Dietrich broke his nose when he was struck in the face by a bad hop single during the Marlins’ 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday in Jupiter, Fla. Dietrich was hit by Jon Jay’s batted ball that hopped up at him while setting up for a double play in the fifth. Dietrich, who walked off the field holding a towel to his face, did not need stitches. He said he was day to day.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Brandon Beachy will have ligament-replacement surgery in his right elbow today for the second time and is expected to miss the entire season. The Braves said Thursday that Los Angeles Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache will operate in Los Angeles. Beachy’s ulnar collateral ligament was reconstructed by Dr. James Andrews in 2012, and Beachy returned to go 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 30 innings over 5 starts from July 29 to Aug. 20 last summer.

Jose Iglesias will be out four to six months because of stress fractures in both legs. The Detroit Tigers shortstop was examined by Dr. Thomas Clanton, a foot and ankle specialist on Tuesday and is scheduled to be reevaluated in four months.

HORSE RACING Authorities investigate trainer Asmussen

Horse racing authorities in New York and Kentucky opened investigations Thursday into allegations of mistreatment of thoroughbred racehorses by Steve Asmussen, the nation’s second-winningest horse trainer, and his assistant Scott Blasi.

Asmussen-trained horses frequently run at Oaklawn Park inHot Springs. Asmussen is the leading trainer at Oaklawn this season with 21 victories in 95 starts.

The investigations were prompted after complaints and evidence of suspected violations, gathered in an undercover investigation, were provided by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals tothe New York State Gaming Commission and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

The undercover inquiry was conducted by a PETA investigator who worked for Asmussen - who is on the ballot for the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame and has a Kentucky Derby contender, Tapiture - for four months in the spring and summer of 2013 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., and at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

PETA filed 10 complaints with the state and federal authorities accusing Asmussen and Blasi of administering drugs to their horses for nontherapeutic purposes and of having a jockey use an electrical device to shock the horses into running faster. The investigator compiled a detailed report using a hidden camera to record video that showed widespread mistreatment of horses.

Asmussen and Blasi have declined to comment through their lawyer. Through his agent, the jockey, Ricardo Santana Jr., has denied using an electrical device, an allegation that was prompted by a video recording of Blasi stating that Santana had done so.

Santana leads the jockey standings at Oaklawn this season with 37 victories in 198 starts through Thursday, with 21 of those victories coming for horses trained by Asmussen.

Sports, Pages 20 on 03/21/2014

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