NEWSWIRE : Funk Receives Help From Home

Fred Funk didn’t have to look far to find the advice that could turn his game around.

His wife may have solved his putting problems.

“I’m going to give her some credit. She told me a couple of weeks ago to get my hands a lot higher, which she’s always been telling me to do,” Funk said, referring to his wife, Sharon. “I finally figured out how to do it. I changed my putting grip and allowed my hands to get up a little higher. And now my bad putts are a lot better.”

Funk capped a bogey-free, six-under-par 65 with a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 18 Saturday and took a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the $2.5-million Air Canada Championship at Surrey, Canada.

Phil Tataurangi, who also shot a 65, and Carlos Franco, with his third consecutive 67, were tied for second at 12-under 201 after three trips around the suburban Vancouver Northview Golf and Country Club course.

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Ed Dougherty birdied five of the first six holes in a six-under 66 and took a one-stroke lead over Allen Doyle and Gil Morgan after two rounds of the TD Waterhouse Senior PGA Championship at Kansas City, Mo.

It was the second consecutive 66 for Dougherty, who had to wait out a four-hour lightning and rain delay with eight holes to go. Lightning also knocked out the scheduled telecast on ESPN.

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Rookie Karen Stupples, who has won only $9,375, and Tina Barrett, whose only victory came in 1989, shot eight-under 64s and shared the first-round lead at the LPGA State Farm Rail Classic at Springfield, Ill.

Barrett’s round included 10 birdies. Tied for third at 65 were Janice Moodie and Lisa Hackney.

Hockey

In an effort to gain experience at goaltender after losing Ken Wregget as a free agent to the Detroit Red Wings, the Calgary Flames acquired Grant Fuhr from the St. Louis Blues for a third-round draft pick in 2000.

Fuhr, who will turn 37 this month, has a 3.37 goals-against average in 845 NHL games. He posted a 16-11-8 record with a 2.44 goals-against average in 39 games last season when he was beset by injuries, including knee surgery in February.

He won five Stanley Cup titles in the 1980s with the Edmonton Oilers and ranks sixth on the career win list with 398.

Auto Racing

Mark Martin continued his dominance of Darlington Raceway, winning the Dura-Lube 200 at Darlington, S.C.

Martin has dominated Darlington like no other Busch Grand National driver, leading with six victories and six poles since 1987.

Martin was first or second for the entire race on the 1.366-mile oval, with an average speed of 132.251 mph. He won $41,550.

CART rookie Juan Montoya of Colombia, riding a two-race winning streak, picked up another pole, his sixth of the season, during qualifying for the Vancouver Molson Indy. The championship point he earned for the pole stretches his lead over Dario Franchitti to 173-168 going into today’s 90-lap race.

Montoya, 23, had a pole-winning lap of 105.730 mph and moved within one pole of the rookie record of seven, set in 1993 by Nigel Mansell.

Joe Amato (top fuel), Tommy Johnson Jr. (funny car) and Warren Johnson (pro stock) continued to lead qualifying at the $2.6-million U.S. Nationals at Clermont, Ind.

Miscellany

World-record holder Maurice Greene, “totally tired” from his triple-gold performance at the World Championships in Spain a week ago, won a relatively slow 100 meters in 10.16 seconds at the U.S.-Britain Challenge at Glasgow, Scotland. Britain’s European champion Darren Campbell, was second at 10.19. Gail Devers won the women’s 100 in 11.33.

Sven Ottke retained his International Boxing Federation super-middleweight title with a controversial decision over Thomas Tate after the fight was stopped because of a cut over Ottke’s right eye in the 11th round at Magdeburg, Germany.

When the fight was stopped, Tate, of Newport News, Va., thought he was the winner. But ring officials ruled Ottke (16-0) had retained his belt, saying the cut was opened on an accidental head butt. But the cut appeared to be caused by a right by Tate (36-6) in the ninth round.

An Arizona Court of Appeals panel this week unanimously revived a lawsuit filed by former Olympic swimmer Rick DeMont that alleges that Olympic officials defamed him when they revoked his gold medal in 1972 after he tested positive for a banned drug that he said was medication for his asthma.

President Fidel Castro said that Cuba will continue to compete in the Pan Am Games and other international events, but is demanding an investigation of drug tests failed by four Cuban athletes at last month’s Pan Am Games.

Fed up with loudmouthed coaches and parents, a 200-team girls’ soccer league in northern Ohio has proclaimed Oct. 3 a day of silence when the only sounds during the game should be those coming from the field.

Isabelle Harvey scored two goals in USC’s 3-0 victory over Maryland, and Florida defeated UCLA, 3-1, in the USC Fila Challenge for women’s soccer.