DORAL, Fla. — Dustin Johnson found his swagger Saturday on the back nine of the Blue Monster at Doral and emerged with a two-shot lead going into the final round of the Cadillac Championship.
Johnson hit wedge to 2 feet on No. 17 to set up the last of his eight birdies on the day. Just as important, he played the 18th hole without drama to finish with a 7-under-par 65.
He was at 13-under 203, although eight players are separated by three shots heading into today.
Johnson will play in the final group with Luke Donald, who made a bogey on the final hole for a 66. Even so, Donald is in good position to capture a second straight World Golf Championship, and a victory could be enough to make him No. 2 in the world.
• Troy Matteson shot a 6-under 66 at the Puerto Rico Open in Rio Grande to open a three-shot lead,taking control by matching the best score of the day to reach 16-under.
Hunter Haas was second after his second straight 68 and Michael Bradley was third at 12-under after a 68. Brandt Jobe, who attended Kent Denver, was in a group at 10-under after shooting a 67.
• Nick Price followed his record- tying first round with a 3-under 68 to take a two-stroke lead in the Toshiba Classic in Newport Beach, Calif. Seeking his fourth victory on the 50-and-over tour, Price had a 14-under 128 total. Denver-area resident Mark Wiebe was second after his second straight 65.
Uncle Mo makes nice recovery
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — Top Triple Crown contender Uncle Mo recovered from a poor start to make a successful 3-year-old debut, winning the $100,000 Timely Writer Stakes at Gulfstream Park by 3 3/4 lengths.
Uncle Mo, who went off at odds of 1-9, was bumped at the start but quickly took charge on the inside, turned back a challenge from Rattlesnake Bridge at the top of the stretch and drew away.
• Watch Me Go, a 43-1 longshot, won the Tampa Bay Derby in Oldsmar, Fla., in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the race, beating a field that included Kentucky Derby hopeful Brethren, who finished third in the $350,000 Grade II race.
• Premier Pegasus trounced the Bob Baffert-trained favorite Jaycito by more than seven lengths in the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., becoming a hot Kentucky Derby prospect.
Footnotes.
Sprint Cup star Kasey Kahne won the Camping World Truck series event in Darlington S.C., holding off Ron Hornaday Jr. and defending series champ Todd Bodine on a restart with three laps remaining.
• Veteran John Baker seized the lead in Alaska’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on the Yukon River and extended it on the 70-mile stretch from Eagle Island to Kaltag.
• Florida and Oregon won the men’s and women’s team titles, respectively, for the second straight year at the NCAA indoor track and field championships in College Station, Texas.
• Miguel Cotto stayed disciplined despite the best efforts of Ricardo Mayorga to turn the fight into a brawl, then stopped Mayorga in the final round in Las Vegas to retain his piece of the 154-pound title.
