Auto Racing
Keselowski short-circuits Busch to win in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS – Brad Keselowski overcame electrical trouble and held off Kyle Busch on Saturday to win the Nationwide Series race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first time.
In his eighth start on the desert track, Keselowski earned his 28th career Nationwide win on his 20th track.
Kyle Larson was third, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished fourth in front of Nationwide rookie Chase Elliott, who posted his first top-five finish.
Golf
Reed builds a 2-shot lead, while Woods rallies at Doral
DORAL, Fla. – Patrick Reed turned his game around in four holes Saturday and wound up with a 3-under 69 in much tamer conditions at Doral, giving him a two-shot lead at the Cadillac Championship going into a final round that prominently will feature Tiger Woods for the first time this year.
Woods delivered the low round of the tournament and his best round of the year.
He made three birdie putts of about 15 feet or longer on the back nine, including a 35-footer down the slope on the par-5 15th, and had a 6-under 66.
Woods was one of five players who were under par, and he goes into Sunday only three shots behind as he tries to win at Doral for the fifth time.
Soccer
Finally – officially – Mastroeni named Rapids’ head coach
COMMERCE CITY – Former Colorado Rapids captain Pablo Mastroeni will take over as the team’s head coach.
The organization announced Saturday that Mastroeni will replace Oscar Pareja, who left in January to take the same job with his former club, FC Dallas. Mastroeni was in charge of the squad through the preseason after retiring in the offseason.
Mastroeni played 11-plus seasons with the Rapids and departed with several club records, including most games played. He said it was a “great honor” to take over the team and that he’s seen “this team’s ability and potential up close over the last two months, and I can’t wait for the season to get started.”
The Rapids will open the season next weekend against the New York Red Bulls.
World Cup Skiing
Olympic champion Ligety wins his 6th in Slovenia
KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia – Olympic champion Ted Ligety overcame a softening course and a challenge by Austrian veteran Benjamin Raich to win a men’s World Cup giant slalom Saturday.
It was the American’s sixth career win in the Slovenian resort, making him the first man to win six World Cup races in one discipline at the same venue.
Ligety held on to his first-run lead and finished in an aggregate time of 2 minutes, 30.80 seconds to beat Raich by just 0.18. The 36-year-old Austrian trailed by 1.61 after the opening run before posting the fastest second-run time and making up almost 1½ seconds on the American.
Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway was 0.25 behind in third for his first career GS podium, four days after winning the junior world title in GS.
Olympic champion Shiffrin defends her slalom globe
ARE, Sweden – American Mikaela Shiffrin retained her World Cup slalom title Saturday, adding to her Sochi Olympics gold medal in the discipline just five days before her 19th birthday.
Shiffrin led from start to finish, as she did at the Sochi Games two weeks ago. Shiffrin now has Olympic and world championship gold medals and two World Cup titles in her specialty event.
Shiffrin defended her title in a combined two-run time of 1 minute, 50.66 seconds. She finished 0.60 ahead of Swedes Maria Pietilae-Holmner and Anna Swenn-Larsson, who earned her first career podium finish in third.
Shiffrin, from Eagle-Vail, earned 100 World Cup points for her fourth victory of the season to clinch the title.
Associated Press
