Golf
Kisner leads at Sea Island; Love & Son finish even
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Davis Love III and Davis Love IV did everything together Thursday at Sea Island.
They have the same pre-shot routine. Both birdied the opening hole. Both wound up with an even-par 70. And both have a lot of work to do to make up ground on Kevin Kisner and his opening 7-under 65 at the RSM Classic.
Kisner, who has done everything but win this year, eagled his next-to-last hole at the Plantation Course to take a one-shot lead based on par.
Love’s 21-year-old son, who goes by Dru, made his PGA Tour debut at the tournament his father hosts.
Four opening leaders in European Tour finale
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy birdied his last hole to keep pace with Danny Willett in their Race to Dubai points fight in the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
McIlroy chipped in from a greenside bunker on the 18th hole for a 4-under 68, leaving him tied with Willett — two shots behind the four leaders at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
McIlroy leads the standings with 3,393,923 points, followed by Willett with 3,392,310. Players will receive a point for each dollar earned in the event. The points winner will receive $1.25 million and an additional $625,000 for playing three of the four Finals Series events.
Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter, Andy Sullivan and Marcus Fraser shared the lead at 66s at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Two-time defending champion Henrik Stenson had a 77.
Ernst takes lead, Kim grabs upper hand in bonus
NAPLES, Fla. – Austin Ernst had a one-shot lead after Thursday’s opening round of the CME Group Tour Championship, and South Korean rookie Sei Young Kim has the early upper hand in the race for a $1 million bonus.
Ernst shot a 6-under 66 at Tiburon Golf Club, one shot better than South Korea’s Mi Hyang Lee.
Kim was another shot back, along with a fivesome of Americans – Jennifer Song, Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lincicome, Jaye Marie Green and Gerina Piller.
Kim already has clinched rookie of the year honors, plus has a shot to win the “Race to CME Globe” and the $1 million bonus. Lydia Ko, Inbee Park and Stacy Lewis also could win that bonus by capturing the season finale; Ko shot 69, Park a 71 and Lewis a 72.
Skiing
U.S. to honor 2 prospects killed in avalanche
COPPER MOUNTAIN – The U.S. Ski Team will honor two prospects killed in an avalanche last January by naming them to the squad this season.
The team will recognize Bryce Astle, 19, and Ronnie Berlack, 20, during a ceremony Saturday.
Astle and Berlack were part of a group of six skiers who were descending from a peak near Soelden, Austria, last January when they left the prepared slope and apparently set off the avalanche. The other four skied out of the slide and escaped unhurt.
Austrian cross-country skier suspended in probe
VIENNA – Austrian cross-country skier Harald Wurm was provisionally suspended amid a doping investigation Thursday, a week before the World Cup season starts.
The Austrian ski federation said the head coach of the cross-country team, Gerald Heigl, temporarily stepped down until Wurm’s case is completed. Heigl denied any involvement.
In August, police opened an investigation into alleged doping violations by Wurm and searched the premises of the two-time Olympian.
The 31-year-old athlete was excluded from all team training and competitions, just over a week before the World Cup opener Nov. 28-29 in Ruka, Finland.
Associated Press
