AP - Holding a 54-hole lead isn't exactly the best way for Charles Howell III to win on the PGA Tour. Howell already has two career victories, but he's 0-for-3 following a third-round lead. The last time he led the field entering the last round was the 2007 Sony Open, a memory Howell wants to block out.

AFP - Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic travels to Paris on Wednesday ahead of Roland Garros aiming to break Rafael Nadal's clay-court domination and take his world number two rank.

AFP - Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp challenged his side to make a swift return to Wembley after seeing them beat Cardiff City 1-0 in the FA Cup final.

AP - Ryan Ludwick hit his second home run of the game off Dan Wheeler in the 10th inning, allowing the St. Louis Cardinals to recover after squandering a four-run cushion in a 9-8 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

AFP - The Los Angeles Lakers withstood a late rally by the Utah Jazz Friday, posting a 108-105 victory to advance to the Western Conference finals of the National Basketball Association playoffs.

AP - Nate McLouth hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer off Carlos Marmol in the ninth to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 7-6 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday even though Alfonso Soriano hit two home runs for the second straight day.

AP - Mike Lowell hit a two-run homer and doubled in a pair of runs, and the Boston Red Sox survived a battle of bumbling infielders to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 on Saturday and complete a sweep of their day-night doubleheader.

AP - Marty Turco picked the perfect time for his first NHL victory at Joe Louis Arena. Turco made 38 saves to lift the Dallas Stars to a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday in Game 5, extending the Western Conference finals.

AP - Kasey Kahne won a popularity contest, then parlayed it into a $1 million payday. After failing to qualify for the All-Star race, Kahne grabbed a spot in the field when the fans voted him into Saturday night's event at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

AP - Not once but twice, jockey Kent Desormeaux sneaked a peek to see if anyone was gaining on Big Brown. "I looked between my legs, under my arms, and they were eight (lengths) behind me," Desormeaux said. "I stopped pushing. I said, `That's enough.'"

AP - After two straight top-10 finishes at the AT&T Classic, Jonathan Byrd is poised to win the suburban Atlanta tournament.

AFP - World number six Serena Williams has pulled out of the WTA Rome International after hurting her back while training, but thinks she will recover in time for the French Open less than two weeks away.

AP - Rick Nash scored the go-ahead goal to put Canada in the title game of the world hockey championships with a 5-4 win over Sweden on Friday night.