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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Henrik Stenson closed in on the European Tour money title Saturday, birdieing four of his last five holes for a 5-under 67 and one-shot lead after three rounds of the season-ending World Tour Championship. Dennis Pitta Jersey . The Swede was at 17-under 199 and is trying to become the first player to win the FedEx Cup and European title in the same year. Victor Dubuisson of France, coming off a victory in Turkey for his first European Tour win, was in second place after a 64. Englands Ian Poulter (66) and Spains Alejandro Canizares (70) shared third place, another three shots back. Stinson came into the tournament leading the Race of Dubai, although Poulter and Justin Rose are among the players who can still overtake him. Rose was six shots back after a 68. "Theres no point in getting ahead of myself as theres still one more day to go and I have to give it my best," Stenson said. "Victor is playing incredible golf at the moment. I heard the expression that I was the hottest golfer in the world, but hes just jumped up and grabbed that title these last two weeks. So Im just going to go out there and try to play another solid round." The points champion will receive $1 million from a $3.75 million bonus pool that counts on the final money list. In September, Stenson won the PGA Tours season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta to take the FedEx Cup title and $10 million bonus. After Dubuisson pulled even for the lead, Stenson made three straight birdies starting at the 14th hole and sank a tap-in birdie on the 18th. Dubuisson had waited 72 tournaments for his first tour victory and now is in contention for a second. "I play very well now because Ive been practicing a lot, but my energy levels are down and its been difficult on a few holes today, especially near the end of my round," he said. "But I will do my best tomorrow and tonight I will try to get to sleep early to have a good night and feel good for tomorrow." Rose was in a similar situation last year, trailing by six shots after the third round. He then shot a final-day 62 only to lose to Rory McIlroy, who birdied his closing five holes. Poulter, fourth in the Race to Dubai, needs to win the final event and for Stenson to finish outside the top three. "I think if I shoot 65, its going to be a good score," Poulter said. "I caught Henrik at one stage today and Ill catch him again tomorrow -- dont worry about that." Justin Tucker Jersey .com) - There was clearly no looking ahead for the U. Owen Daniels Ravens Jersey . Cammalleri scored two goals, Corban Knight netted the winner in a shootout, and the Flames erased a two-goal deficit in the third period to beat the Stars 4-3 on Friday night.Any NFL team that drafts Michael Sam will be taking on much more than a rookie pass-rusher. But experts say the smart approach for a team that signs the leagues first openly gay athlete -- from a marketing and public relations standpoint -- is to simply let Sams on-field play speak for him and his team. "While this is a significant announcement given the sport, the general hope is that hes just accepted as one of the other men on the roster, and therefore his marketability is still simply tied to his ability to play well on the field and ultimately make the team," said Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon. Sam declared Sunday that he is gay in interviews with ESPN, The New York Times and Outsports. The Missouri All-American had already come out last August to his coaches and teammates, who respected his privacy. Now Sam is entering uncharted territory as he prepares for the NFL draft. The SECs co-defensive player of the year was projected to be a mid-round selection. At 6-foot-2, 255 pounds, Sam will likely have to transition to outside linebacker, which could impact where hes drafted. But announcing hes gay could also have an impact on his draft status. "Im not naive to think there arent potentially some owners or executives out there who will say, Eh, Im not so sure now." said Golden State Warriors President and Chief of Operations Rick Welts, who came out publicly in 2011. "But also, I hope, there are a lot who would say, Theres an opportunity to do something that I think our fans would actually embrace. And if were supposed to win football games, if this guy helps us win football games, thats somebody we should have on our roster." Sam, 24, joins a growing list of active athletes to publicly come out, including Robbie Rogers, a winger for Major League Soccers Los Angeles Galaxy, and Brittney Griner, who plays for the WNBAs Phoenix Mercury. Conner Mertens, a kicker for Division III Willamette University, came out as bisexual late last month, and is believed to have been the first active college football player to publicly announce his sexuality. Griner, as one of the WNBAs brightest stars, was the centerpiece of the Mercurys marketing campaign. She also made a point of supporting causes that are important to her. "There was nothing about heer that was difficult in marketing. Youth Grey Torrey Smith Elite Jersey. We supported what she wanted to do with bullying and the LGBT community. We made those connecting points," said Amber Cox, president of the Mercury before leaving to go to the Big East last fall. Nike has also thrown support to LGBT athletes, signing both Griner and Jason Collins, a former NBA player who came out last year, to sponsorship deals, and launching its "Be True" campaign. Profits from the .BeTrue collection are being donated to the LGBT Sports Coalition to support the goal of ending discrimination in sport. Mark Elderkin of the Gay Ad Network, an online media platform for national advertisers, said NFL teams need only look at Sams track record. "Theyre going to make their choices based on who the best college athletes are. And theyre going to choose Michael if they deem him the best pick. So, I think they need to focus on the facts, and his performance over the years, his All-America status and everything hes done for Missouri," Elderkin said. "Also his relationships with the fans, and with the positive energy he has around his teammates and their full support, shows that hes not going to be disruptive to the team in any way, but is going to add value." But its still a reality that gay athletes face a backlash. Derogatory comments were easily found among the positive posts on social media and other online commentary following Sams announcement. A Pew Research survey last year of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults in the U.S. found that just 4 per cent saw pro sports leagues as friendly toward LGBT people, while 59 per cent saw the leagues as unfriendly and 36 per cent saw them as neutral. Still, even over the past year there have been significant overall victories in gay and lesbian rights, most notably two U.S. Supreme Court decisions in June. One ruling cleared the way for ending a ban on same-sex marriages in California; the other struck down a 1996 law passed by Congress that banned federal recognition of same-sex marriages. It remains to be seen how growing tolerance extends to the NFL playing field. "I think the point thats being made in a lot of the discussion is, Lets just move on," Swangard said. "If the guy makes a team, then he makes the team. His sexual orientation shouldnt be the story." ' ' ' |
