MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2014 SPORTS Bowditch takes three-shot lead at Texas Open TEXAS: Australian Steven Bowditch a pulled abdominal muscle. His decision Hopefully tomorrow I will hit a few more chipped in at the first two holes on his way seemed purely precautionary, only two fairways and a few more greens.” to a three-shot lead after the third round at weeks before he shoots for a fourth green Bowditch was a champion junior in his the $6.2 million Texas Open on Saturday. jacket at the Masters. homeland but it has taken him a while to Boosted by the hot start, Bowditch con- Bowditch had never held an end-of- find his feet on tour. He is ranked 339th in tinued to display an exquisite short game, round lead in 110 starts on the PGA Tour the world and while he will start the final recovering from some poor long shots to before Friday, so his start to the third round round the man to beat, world number 11 notch just one bogey on his way to a four- was a perfect tonic to calm the nerves. Kuchar is brimming with confidence. under-par 68 at the TPC San Antonio. “I did- He chipped in for birdie from 25 feet at Kuchar, the only player among the tour- n’t hit the ball real well today at all,” the par-four first and then holed out from nament’s top seven with more than one Bowditch told reporters after posting a 12- nearly 30 yards for eagle at the par-five sec- tour victory, had eight birdies in his round. under 204 total with one round left. ond, leading comfortably for the rest of the He sank a bunker shot at the first hole for Matt Kuchar (65) carded the lowest day. birdie and also closed in style with a tap-in round of the week to storm into a tie for “The chip on the first was pretty simple birdie at the last. second on nine-under with fellow but the one on the second I was just trying “It’s an exciting position to be in,” said American Andrew Loupe (70), who to get around the hole and luckily it Kuchar, who has won five times on tour. bogeyed the par-five 18th. dropped in,” said the 30-year-old, who hit “My game’s in really good shape. The first The event lost its biggest attraction only eight greens in regulation. two days I left a number of shots out there SAN ANTONIO: Steven Bowditch tees off during the Valero Texas Open when five-time major champion Phil “I don’t even want to know how many (but) today was a much better perform- Mickelson withdrew on his 11th hole, citing greens I hit but I know it wasn’t many. ance as far as scoring.” —Reuters at TPC San Antonio AT&T Oaks Course. —AFP Hamburg braced for historic drop BERLIN: Hamburg have just six games left to avoid a historic first relegation from the Bundesliga as they dropped to second from bot- tom after yesterday’s 3-1 defeat at Borussia Moenchengladbach. As the only Bundesliga side to have never been relegated, Hamburg took a step closer to the second division at Gladbach after losing ten of their last 15 league matches. Cameroon right-wing Jacques Zoua gave Hamburg a first-half lead ITALY: Parma’s forward Raffaele Palladino (left) tries to score against Lazio’s before Borussia equalised when goalkeeper Federico Marchetti (center) and Lazio’s French defender captain Filip Daems tapped home a Abdoulay Konko during the Italian Serie A football match. —AFP penalty after goalkeeper Rene Adler saved his initial poorly-hit effort. Gladbach made sure of the three points with two goals in the Lazio stun Parma final five minutes when Brazil for- ward Raffael fired home a deft chip through from striker Max Kruse, as Fiorentina slip then Spanish centre-back Alvaro Dominguez scored from a corner. MILAN: Lazio defender Antonio Candreva posed, but said: “A draw was a fair result The defeat saw Hamburg struck late to secure a 3-2 win over Parma and although we’re disappointed not to take more replace VfB Stuttgart, who lost 3-2 maintain their Europa League hopes as given the chances we had, especially from at home to Borussia Dortmund on Fiorentina’s Champions League bid was dent- Vargas’s effort.” Saturday, in 17th of the league’s 18 ed in a scoreless draw away to Sampdoria yes- Mihajlovic’s expulsion came after he teams on goal difference while terday. protested a late decision vociferously into the Gladbach are sixth. GERMANY: Moenchengladbach’s Norwegian midfielder Havard Nordtveit (center) and Earlier, goals in either half from Mattia face of the linesman. But he, too, was satisfied Hamburg are on their third Hamburg’s Turkish midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu (right) vie for the ball during the German First Destro and Michel Bastos helped Roma to a with a draw: “We were up against a side which coach this season after Mirko Division Bundesliga football match. —AFP cagey 2-0 win away to Serie A strugglers plays the best football in the league. “Credit to Slomka took charge last month fol- Sassuolo to close the gap on leaders Juventus Fiorentina, they played well but we also had lowing Bert van Marwijk’s dismissal Despite the draw, Bayern still guests’ goals. minute winner. to 11 points. our chances in the second half.” in February while Thorsten Fink was remain 23 points clear at the top of Bayer Leverkusen hold on to Freiburg are unbeaten in their Juve are at third-placed Napoli later yester- Elsewhere, 10-man Verona kept in the hunt sacked in September. the table and extended their record fourth place despite drawing 1-1 at last four games as they enjoyed a 3- day when they will be looking to restore their for Europe’s second-tier club competition with Elsewhere, Werder Bremen’s unbeaten Bundesliga run to 53 home to bottom side Eintracht 2 win at home to Nuremberg to 14-point lead as they stride towards a likely a 3-0 home win over Genoa, with veteran strik- Austria defender Sebastian Proedl matches. Braunschweig as Sami Hyypia’s side move five points clear of the rele- third consecutive scudetto. er Luca Toni grabbing a late brace. headed home a 90th-minute win- Germany winger Marco Reus struggle for form with one win in gation zone. At the Olympic Stadium Senad Lulic gave Marco Donadel opened the scoring with a ner to seal their 2-1 victory at netted a hat-trick as second-placed their last 11 games. Mainz remain seventh but in the Lazio a 15th minute lead and after Jonathan low strike from outside the area and then Hanover 96 to keep his side 12th Borussia Dortmund fought back Braunschweig took a shock lead hunt for a European place with a 3- Biabiany had levelled barely 10 minutes later Verona were reduced to 10 men when and eight points from the relega- from two goals down to win 3-2 at through defender Ken Reichel just 0 win at home to Augsburg while Miroslav Klose put the hosts within sight of a Michelangelo Albertazzi picked up a second tion places while hosts Hanover ten-man Stuttgart. after the break before Stefan on Friday Schalke 04 were 2-0 win- precious win with a 67th minute strike. booking on the cusp of half time. drop to 13th. Dortmund, who face Real Kiessling slotted home a 53rd- ners against Hertha Berlin. Lazio suffered a blow when a defensive Genoa did little to capitalise on the advan- On Saturday, champions Bayern Madrid away on Wednesday in the minute penalty to spare Bayer’s Nigerian Chinedu Obasi put mix-up saw Michael Ciani intercept a cross tage and Toni made the visitors pay with two Munich dropped points for only the Champions League quarter-finals, blushes. Schalke in front after 16 minutes intended for Antonio Cassano with the ball late goals inside the space of six minutes to third time in the Bundesliga this found themselves 2-0 down after Fifth-placed VfL Wolfsburg are with Dutch star Klaas-Jan Huntelaar spinning away from the defender and out of take his tally for the season to 15, just three season as they were held 3-3 at just 20 minutes. Christian Gentner just a point behind Leverkusen adding the second goal just after reach of ‘keeper Federico Marchetti and into shy of leader Carlos Tevez. home by Hoffenheim. and Martin Harnik took advantage after their 2-1 win at home to the interval. It was Huntelaar’s 11th the Lazio net. Verona sit in ninth, only two points behind Hoffenheim ended Bayern’s of poor defending to net for the Eintracht Frankfurt with Brazil goal in 13 matches in a campaign Parma looked to be heading for a share of Lazio and one ahead of Torino who secured a record run of 19 consecutive hosts before Reus scored all of the defender Naldo scoring their 89th- disrupted by knee surgery. —AFP the spoils but when Spanish striker Keita 2-1 win over Cagliari, but Toni said the Europa Bundesliga wins, giving the Munich drove a daisycutter into the area Candreva ran League is now only a distant dream. giants a wake-up call ahead of their in to volley beyond Antonio Mirante and into “We’re trying not to think about it. We’re Champions League quarter-final German League results/standings the net for a welcome injury-time winner.