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John Mallinger leads Frys.com Open by two strokes

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John Mallinger remained in position for his first PGA Tour victory, shooting a one-under 70 on Saturday in the Frys.com Open at San Martin, Calif., to take a two-stroke lead into the final round.

The 33-year-old Mallinger had a 15-under 198 total at CordeValle after opening with a 66 and matching the course record with a 62 on Friday. He has finished second twice in his seven-year career on the tour, losing in a playoff to Bo Van Pelt in Milwaukee in 2009.

Sweden’s Jonas Blixt was second after a 66, and Charles Howell III and Jason Kokrak were another stroke back at 12 under. Howell had a 66, and Kokrak shot 67.

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Vijay Singh and Brazil’s Alexandre Rocha were 11 under. They each shot 66.

Fred Funk took a one-stroke lead over Larry Mize in the Greater Hickory Classic at Conover, N.C, shooting his second straight bogey-free six-under 66.

The 56-year-old Funk has gone 42 holes without a bogey since the 13th hole Sunday in the final round of the SAS Championship in Cary, N.C.

Mize had a 67.

Defending champion Mark Wiebe, Chip Beck and Duffy Waldorf were four strokes back at eight under. Beck and Waldorf shot 67, and Wiebe had a 69. First-round leader Dan Forsman, struggling with back problems, was seven under after a 72.

Bernd Wiesberger of Austria birdied six of seven holes in one stretch Saturday, finishing with a six-under 65 for a one-stroke lead after three rounds at the Portugal Masters at Vilamoura.

Wiesberger, who started his birdie run at No. 8, was at 13-under 200. He was followed by England’s Ross Fisher, who began the day in the lead and finished with a 69.

Ireland’s Shane Lowry (67), England’s Richard Finch (66) and New Zealand’s Michael Campbell (67) were four strokes behind the leader at Oceanico Victoria Golf Course.

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Defending champion Na-yeon Choi of South Korea maintained a two-shot lead in the LPGA Malaysia, shooting a three-under 68 Saturday in a rain-interrupted third round.

The South Korean player had a 13-under 200 after opening with rounds of 65 and 67 at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. She birdied the first hole before play was delayed for more than four hours because of lightning and rain, and finished with four birdies and a lone bogey on the 10th hole.

Fellow South Korean Park Inbee was two shots back after putting up the day’s best score of 65. Karrie Webb of Australia was another two shots back after a 68.

ETC.

Andy Murray beats Roger Federer in Shanghai

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Two-time defending champion Andy Murray beat an erratic-serving Roger Federer in a rainy semifinal Saturday, setting up a U.S. Open final rematch against Novak Djokovic at the Shanghai Masters.

Djokovic reached his 10th final of the year by defeating fourth-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-4 in the earlier semifinal. Djokovic is looking for his fifth title of the year and second straight after winning in Beijing last week.

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In Linz, Austria, top-ranked Victoria Azarenka reached her ninth final of the season on Saturday and will play Julia Goerges for the Generali Ladies title. Azarenka advanced with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania, and Goerges edged Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib has been suspended four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

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The fifth-year pro said in a statement released by the team that he took an Adderall pill without a prescription “around the beginning of training camp.” He will not appeal the ban, which begins Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Soccer’s governing body said three Cuban soccer players who disappeared before a World Cup qualifier against Canada in Toronto have defected.

FIFA said in an email the players defected Thursday, one day before the game. U.S. Customs and Border Protection would not confirm reports the men tried to cross into the United States at the Niagara Falls border point.

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A prosecutor in Wisconsin said Milwaukee Brewers reliever Francisco Rodriguez was arrested last month on a domestic violence complaint involving his girlfriend.

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Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel said in an email Saturday that Rodriguez, a former Angels closer, had not been charged and that any possible charges would be misdemeanors.

Schimel said deputies arrested Rodriguez at his Town of Wales home early Sept. 18 after responding to a 911 call from his girlfriend, with whom he lives and has a child. He said Rodriguez was booked and released on bond.

The prosecutor said Rodriguez is accused of “physical abuse.”

While with the New York Mets, Rodriguez pleaded guilty in 2010 to attempted assault after allegedly attacking his girlfriend’s father. He was sent to anger management classes.

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San Francisco outfielder Melky Cabrera has been reinstated by Major League Baseball after serving a 50-game suspension for a positive testosterone test, but he will not be part of the Giants’ playoff roster.

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Labor negotiations between the NHL and the locked-out players’ association may resume Tuesday after a four-day break.

The location and the agenda have yet to be determined. The sides held two days of talks last week in New York without discussion of hockey-related revenue — the core economic issue that has prevented the NHL regular season from starting on time.

“Nothing firm. There is a potential for Tuesday,” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in an email to the Associated Press.

The 28-day lockout has wiped out the preseason and the first three days of the regular season. The NHL has canceled all games through Oct. 24.

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