Gay closes in on second PGA Tour win

Brian Gay moved a round closer to the second PGA Tour victory of his career, shooting a four-under-par 67 on Saturday to take a three-stroke lead over Tim Wilkinson in the Verizon Heritage at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Gay has made only one bogey at Harbour Town Golf Links and missed only five of its narrow, tree-lined fairways through three rounds to stand at 13 under.

Wilkinson, a left-hander from New Zealand seeking his first tour victory, finished with a 65, tied for the low third-round score.

Lee Janzen, who hasn’t won on tour since the second of his U.S. Open victories in 1998, had two late birdies for a 69 that kept him in third, four shots behind.

Nick Price moved into position for his first Champions Tour victory, shooting a four-under 67 to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am at Lutz, Fla.

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TENNIS

Wozniacki upsets Dementieva

Caroline Wozniacki advanced to the final of the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C., fighting off a furious rally by Elena Dementieva to defeat the tournament’s top-seeded player, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5.

Wozniacki will next play 16th-seeded Sabine Lisicki, who, after ousting Venus Williams earlier in the week, easily defeated sixth-seeded Marion Bartoli, 6-3, 6-1, in the other semifinal.

Rafael Nadal beat Andy Murray, 6-2, 7-6 (4), in the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters, putting him within one victory of his fifth straight title in this French Open tuneup. Nadal will play in today’s championship against Novak Djokovic, who rallied past Stanislas Wawrinka, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3, in the other semifinal. . . . Maria Kirilenko will defend her Barcelona Open title against Roberta Vinci, advancing to today’s final with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over fifth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro. Vinci overcame Francesca Schiavone, 0-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4.

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SOCCER

Chelsea reaches FA Cup final

Didier Drogba scored with six minutes left to give Chelsea a 2-1 win over Arsenal and a place in the FA Cup final on May 30.

Chelsea advanced to its second final in three years and will play for the title against the winner of today’s semifinal between Manchester United and Everton.

Lionel Messi’s 20th league goal gave Barcelona a 1-0 victory at Getafe, and Real Madrid beat Recreativo Huelva, 1-0, to keep pace with the Spanish league leader, which has a six-point edge.

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TRACK AND FIELD

Felix anchors winning relays

Olympian Allyson Felix anchored teams to victories in the sprint medley and 400-meter relays at the Mt. SAC Relays.

Felix ran the final 400 meters in the sprint medley, with the team winning in 1 minute 38.77 seconds. In the 400, Felix’s team won in 43.98 seconds.

Elsewhere, Carmelita Jeter ran the fastest time in the world this year in the 100 meters, winning in 10.95 seconds.

Distance runner Alan Webb opened the outdoor season by winning the Glenn Cunningham Invitational Mile, pulling away from Peter Van Der Westhuizen on the final straightaway for the second-fastest mile in Kansas Relays history.

Webb finished in 3:58.9 to become the first miler to break the four-minute mark at the Kansas Relays since Paul McMullen in 1997.

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ETC.

Pitino claims extortion attempt

Louisville men’s basketball Coach Rick Pitino says he is the victim of an extortion attempt and has forwarded the information to the FBI.

A statement released by the university said that Pitino reported the threats to authorities last month and that the FBI is investigating. The statement does not specify the nature of the threats.

Georgia’s Coutney Kupets added titles in the uneven bars, floor exercise and balance beam to the all-around championship she won Thursday at the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships at Lincoln, Neb.

Middleweight champion Anderson Silva outpointed Thales Leites, and Mauricio Rua stopped former light-heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell in the first round in UFC 97 at Montreal. . . . Running back Dominic Rhodes agreed to a two-year contact with the Buffalo Bills.