Garcia shoots 67 to take over lead

Sergio Garcia shot three-under-par 67 on Saturday to go from a three-shot deficit on the front nine to a three-shot lead through 54 holes at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Garcia was at eight-under 202 and will play in the final pairing today with Phil Mickelson, who made some long par putts and just enough birdies for a 69.

Anthony Kim, the leader after 36 holes, wound up with a 72 and was three shots behind.

Kim couldn’t go at too many flags because he was busy escaping from the rough. He hit only four fairways, and his wildness caught up with him. One tee shot hit a fan in the forehead, sending him to a hospital with a gash that left blood on the grass. Another shot found the water. And another bounced off corporate tents lining the 16th fairway.

“I’m speechless how bad I hit the driver,” Kim said.

Garcia birdied the par-five ninth hole to catch Kim, and pulled away with a birdie on the par-five 15th.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” said Garcia, who is looking to become the third player to win the Players Championship and the Tour Championship in the same year.

Mickelson, who saved par from 35 feet on No. 11, briefly joined them in the lead with a birdie at No. 15, only to miss the fairway into thick rough on the next hole and drop a shot.

Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa shot a three-under 69 for a share of the third-round lead in the Navistar LPGA Classic at Prattville, Ala.

Ochoa, playing for the first time since tying for sixth place in the Safeway Classic on Aug. 24, tied Louise Friberg (65) at 13-under 203.

Ochoa has four top-seven finishes in a row, but is winless in seven starts. She opened the year with six wins in nine events, including four in a row.

Bruce Fleisher moved into position for his first Champions Tour victory in four years, shooting a six-under 66 take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the SAS Championship at Cary, N.C.

Fleisher had a 10-under 134. Tom Kite (66) and Eduardo Romero (67) were tied for second place.

MOTOR RACING

Hamlin drives to victory in Kansas Lottery 300

Denny Hamlin took advantage of a fast pit stop near the halfway point and held off Nationwide Series points leader Clint Bowyer to win the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas City.

Hamlin started 19th and gradually worked through the field. He led 99 of the final 107 laps en route to his fourth Nationwide victory of the year and ninth overall.

Hamlin gave Joe Gibbs Racing its 17th victory in 30 Nationwide races, and clinched the series manufacturer’s championship for Toyota in just its second season competing in NASCAR’s top two series.

Bowyer had a strong run in a Chevrolet to maintain his series points lead, working his way up from 17th to second to push his lead to 196 points over Carl Edwards, who finished fourth in a Ford. David Ragan was third in a Ford.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa edged title rival Lewis Hamilton of McLaren in qualifying, taking the pole position for today’s Singapore Grand Prix.

With overtaking expected to be difficult on the tight and bumpy track for the first Formula One night race, Massa took a significant edge over Hamilton, who leads the drivers’ championship standings by one point.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen will start from third on the grid and BMW’s Robert Kubica will start fourth.

Andrew Myers of Huntington Beach ended an 11-race winless streak to win the NASCAR Auto Club Late Model 40-lap feature race at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale.

SOCCER

Arsenal is upset, 2-1, by upstart Hull

Host Arsenal was stunned by Premier League newcomer Hull, 2-1, and was knocked out of first place.

Daniel Cousin headed in a 66th-minute winner to clinch the victory for Hull, a 104-year-old club playing in the top tier for the first time.

Villarreal moved to the top of the Spanish league after winning, 1-0, at host Sporting Gijon behind a goal from Giuseppe Rossi in the 65th minute.

Host Hamburger SV returned to the top of the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach on an early goal by Mladen Petric.

Bayern Munich, the defending champion, lost its second game in a row, this one at Hannover, 1-0.

MISCELLANY

Armstrong might have to delay cycling comeback

Lance Armstrong might not be able to start his comeback in January in Australia because of the doping rules that apply to riders coming out of retirement.

Elite riders need to be in the sport’s anti-doping program for six months before they can race, cycling’s governing body said.

The International Cycling Union will discuss with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency whether the seven-time Tour de France winner has met that requirement.

Francois Beauchemin scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and David LeNevue stopped 26 shots in the Ducks’ 3-1 exhibition victory over the Phoenix Coyotes at Glendale, Ariz.

Travis Moen and Troy Bodie also scored for the Ducks (2-1-0). Daniel Carcillo scored for the Coyotes (0-4-0).

T.J. Hensick scored the lone shootout goal, giving the Colorado Avalanche a 4-3 exhibition victory over the Kings at Las Vegas.