Cink Takes Command With a 68

Stewart Cink seized control of the NEC Invitational world golf tournament with six consecutive one-putt greens and a chip from 50 feet for birdie on the 18th hole Saturday at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, for a two-under-par 68 and a five-shot lead over three Ryder Cup teammates.

As Tiger Woods and David Toms lost ground over the closing holes at Firestone South, Cink marched along. He begins today’s final round at 11-under 199.

Chris DiMarco, who played his way onto his first Ryder Cup team last week at the PGA Championship, had a 67 and will play in the final group with Cink. Six shots back are Rory Sabbatini, Scott Verplank and Rod Pampling.

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Roland Thatcher recorded his second consecutive round of four-under 68 to take the third-round lead at 14-under 202 in the Reno-Tahoe Open at Montreaux Golf and Country Club. Vaughn Taylor is second at 203, and Steve Allan and Hunter Mahan are tied for third at 204.

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Hee-Won Han shot an even-par 72 in the third round to take a two-shot lead in the LPGA Wendy’s tournament at the rain-soaked Tartan Field Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Han is at eight-under 208, followed by second-round leader Suzann Pettersen, Catriona Matthew, Marilyn Lovander, Mi Hyun Kim and Laura Diaz at 210. The third round was suspended because of darkness with 18 players on the course.

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Bruce Fleisher parlayed eight birdies into a tournament-low 65 Saturday and cruised to a three-shot lead after the second round of the Champions Tour’s Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn Golf & Spa in Conover, N.C. Fleisher improved to nine-under 135. First-round leader Mark Lye and Doug Tewell share second at 138.

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Ryan Moore moved into position to try for his fourth amateur title of the year by beating Jeff Overton, 2 and 1, in the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y. Moore, a senior at Nevada Las Vegas who already has won the NCAA, U.S. Amateur Public Links and Western Amateur titles this year, will face Luke List, who beat Chris Nallen in 19 holes, in today’s 36-hole final.

Motor Racing

Kyle Busch, the 19-year-old brother of Nextel Cup driver Kurt Busch, led 87 of 125 laps on the two-mile oval at Michigan International Speedway and held off NASCAR veteran Mark Martin to win the Cabela’s 250 Busch Series race at Brooklyn, Mich.

Rain forced the cancellation of qualifying for the IndyCar Honda 225 at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colo. Tony Kanaan will take the pole position for today’s race after running the fastest practice lap during the week. Dan Wheldon and Vitor Meira were second and third, respectively.

Doug McComb of Thousand Oaks claimed the first championship of the season as he won the 50-lap Southern California Auto Club Late Model series feature in front of 5,000 at Irwindale Speedway.

In the 75-lap Luca Oil Super Late Model series feature, Greg Pursley claimed his fifth race in a row and 11th overall in the series by easily holding off Todd Southwell and Russell White.

In the 50-lap NAPA Auto Parts Super Truck series feature, Ron Peterson earned his second win of the season. In the 35-lap Grand American Modified series feature, Travis Thirkettle won by leading every lap.

Miscellany

Top-seeded Andre Agassi was eliminated in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, in the semifinals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic at Washington by unseeded Gilles Muller. The 21-year-old left-hander from Luxembourg will play the second-seeded Lleyton Hewitt today for the championship. Hewitt advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over fourth-seeded Robby Ginepri.... Top-seeded Lindsay Davenport will meet second-seeded Vera Zvonareva today in the finals of the WTA Cincinnati Open. Davenport advanced when fourth-seeded Marion Bartoli withdrew because of a hand injury. Zvonareva fought off two match points to defeat third-seeded Amy Frazier, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1, in the other semifinal.