MARANA, Ariz. — Paul Casey has yet to play the final four holes at Dove Mountain after three days of the Match Play Championship.
That’s because Casey has won all three of his matches 5 and 4, the latest over Brian Gay in the third round Friday. Casey, the highest remaining seed at No. 6, advanced to a quarterfinal this morning against Stewart Cink, the lone surviving American. Cink beat Charl Schwartzel in 19 holes, rolling in a 29-foot putt on the 16th and an 18-footer on the 18th to avoid elimination.
Sergio Garcia advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in nine appearances in the tournament, beating Tim Clark 2 and 1. Garcia will play Oliver Wilson, who beat Luke Donald in 20 holes. The other two quarterfinal matches have Retief Goosen against Camilo Villegas, and Ian Poulter against Thongchai Jaidee.
Morning winners advance to play the semifinals this afternoon.
• Joe Durant shot a 5-under-par 66 to increase his lead to two strokes over J.P. Hayes (67—132) after the second round of the PGA Tour’s Mayakoba Golf Classic in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.
• Suzann Pettersen took a three- stroke lead over Hee Young Park (66—133) after the second round of the LPGA Thailand tournament, shooting an 8-under 64 in Pattaya.
• Jay Haas and Tom Jenkins were tied for the first-round lead at 8-under 64 at the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Fla.
Tigers make offer to Damon
LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said he has made a contract offer to Johnny Damon, who hit .286 with 24 homers for the Yankees last season, while the Chicago White Sox said they withdrew their offer to free-agent the outfielder.
• Catcher Jeff Mathis defeated the Los Angeles Angels in salary arbitration and reliever Sean Burnett lost to the Washington Nationals.
Mathis was given a raise from $450,000 to $1.3 million; the Angels argued he should be paid $700,000. Burnett was awarded $775,000 rather than his request for a raise from $408,500 to $925,000.
• San Diego Padres right-hander Chris Young, who had arthroscopic shoulder surgery Aug. 17, said he felt good after participating in a bullpen session.
• An MRI revealed no major damage in Ted Lilly‘s sore right knee, and the Chicago Cubs left-hander continued to work his way back from offseason shoulder surgery.
• A clean MRI this week gave Jair Jurrjens relief there’s no structural problem with his pitching shoulder, but the Atlanta Braves right-hander said tightness in the shoulder could keep him from throwing “for a week or two.”
Footnotes.
Bennie F. Abram, a University of Mississippi football player, died after collapsing during the first day of team workouts. He was 20.
• Florida defensive tackle Gary Brown has been dismissed from the football team following his arrest last weekend on two misdemeanor battery charges.
• Clemson’s athletic department reported 17 NCAA secondary violations, including one in which a head coach gave staffers an improper money gift last spring.
