Haas Takes International Lead

Jay Haas used brilliant iron play to set up six birdie putts of six feet or less and take the third-round lead in the International at Castle Rock, Colo., on Saturday.

Haas, in his 19th season on the PGA Tour, birdied the final two holes and scored 13 points for a 54-hole total of 28 in the tournament, which uses the modified Stableford scoring system.

Lee Janzen and David Duval were at 25 points, and Tom Watson and Ernie Els were at 24. Davis Love III was at 23, with Tom Lehman and Mark Wiebe at 22 and Mike Hulbert at 21.

The field was cut to 24 for today’s final round, and 1989 International winner Greg Norman was the last to make the cut, clinching the final position with a birdie at the 17th hole for a total of 15 points.

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John Paul Cain maintained his lead in the Northville Long Island Classic, closing with two birdies for a three-under-par 69 and a one-stroke advantage over Dave Eichelberger at Meadow Brook Country Club in Jericho, N.Y.

Cain, a 59-year-old former stock broker from Houston who never played on the PGA Tour, moved to 10-under 132 in the senior tour event.

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Karrie Webb of Australia eagled the final hole for a four-under-par 69 and a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the Women’s British Open at Woburn, England.

Webb has a 27-hole total of 208, one up on Val Skinner, who had a 67 to finish at 209.

Pro Basketball

The New York Knicks are reportedly negotiating a deal that would enable Pat Riley to become coach of the Miami Heat next season.

The New York Times reported that NBA Commissioner David Stern is encouraging a settlement to the tampering charges the Knicks filed against the Heat over Riley, who stepped down as coach of the Knicks in June.

The head of the embattled NBA players’ union, Simon Gourdine, is optimistic that meeting with players is helping in the fight to win endorsement of its contract with the league.

The meetings will continue through Aug. 28. Players will decide on two voting days--Aug. 30 and Sept. 7--whether to accept the contract or to dissolve their union and go through the federal courts to end the owners’ lockout and get a better deal.

Jurisprudence

Former New England Patriot Raymond Clayborn was cleared of charges that he tried to kill his ex-wife and her boyfriend, but a jury in Dedham, Mass., convicted him of kicking and punching the man.

Miscellany

World champion Italy swept defending Olympic champion Brazil, 17-15, 15-9, 15-5, to win the USA Volleyball Centennial Cup championship, and the United States took third place by breezing past Japan, 15-7, 15-6, 15-3, at Atlanta.

Dominique Moceanu, the 13-year-old who won the National Gymnastics Championships all-around title, returned to earth in the event finals at New Orleans, falling off the uneven bars and teetering on the balance beam.

She finished last in the bars, with 9.262 and was fifth out of six in the balance beam at 9.1.

Dominique Dawes, at 19 the oldest competitor among the women, won the floor exercise and the uneven bars.

John Roethlisberger won the men’s parallel bars and high bar, but fell on the pommel horse.

Motor Sports

Ron Hornaday Jr. executed a sliding, final-lap pass to beat Rick Carelli, his Chevrolet rival, by 0.13 seconds in a NASCAR SuperTrucks event at Flemington Speedway in New Jersey. Hornaday, from Palmdale, won $28,600 and averaged 74.241 m.p.h. over the five-eighths of a mile track.

Brazilian Andre Ribeiro won the pole for today’s New England 200 Indy car race at New Hampshire International Speedway in a Reynard Honda, bettering the track record by more than two miles per hour at 177.436 m.p.h.

Names in the News

Karch Kiraly and Scott Ayakatubby beat Brent Frohoff and Ricci Luyties, 12-11, in the championship game of the Cuervo Gold Cup at Boulder, Colo., the final leg of pro beach volleyball’s triple crown. . . . Mark La Plant of Santa Monica won the men’s division of the PruCare 5,000-meter road race through the streets of West Los Angeles in 14 minutes 48 seconds over American mile record-holder Steve Scott. Sylvia Mosqueda of San Gabriel won the women’s division in 15:44.