A Lim Kim maintained a three-shot lead over Linn Grant on Saturday in the LPGA Tour’s season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, with each shooting 5-under 67 in the final group at Lake Nona.

Trying to complete a wire-to-wire victory for her third LPGA Tour title, Kim holed out from greenside bunkers for eagle on the par-5 ninth and birdie on the par-4 14th. The 29-year-old South Korean player also birdied the par-4 18th to get to 15-under 201.

Kim has a field-best 81 putts in three rounds. She won the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open and 2024 LOTTE Championship and was three victories on the Korean tour.

“My goal, my starting goal always my job, not result,” Kim said. “So, I really focus on my prepare, process, and then, just hit it. That’s all. So my position, I don’t care. That’s not important for me.”

Grant won the 2023 Dana Open for her lone LPGA Tour title. The 25-year-old Swede also closed with a birdie.

Defending champion Lydia Lo and top-ranked Nelly Korda were tied for third, four strokes behind Kim. Ko had a 65 for the best round of the day, and Korda shot 67.

Straka regains Pebble Beach lead over McIlroy

Sepp Straka took a trip down to the beach that derailed his round, and then recovered with four birdies on his last five holes in a cold, whipping wind for a 2-under 70 to reclaim the lead over the Irish duo of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

McIlroy was practically flawless, at least in the nasty conditions, by getting through the exposed stretch of Pebble Beach without dropping a shot and chipping his way around for a bogey-free 65.

Lowry got off to a birdie-eagle-birdie start that allowed for a few mistakes around the turn and he finished with two birdies on the last three holes for a 65.

Just don’t get the idea Irish weather was well-suited for McIlroy (Northern Ireland) and Lowry (Ireland), especially because they now are neighbors in south Florida.

“It might suit me somewhat, but I don’t enjoy it,” Lowry said. “I live in Florida for a reason. I think my game is well-equipped to handle these conditions and I go out there, kind of no fear, and I know I just need to batten down the hatches and make pars when I can.”

WNBA

Sun trade players to Dallas, Chicago

The Connecticut Sun are finalizing two deals, one to send DiJonai Carrington to Dallas and the other to trade Rebecca Allen to Chicago, a person familiar with the moves told The Associated Press.

The Sun will get Jacy Sheldon and the No. 8 pick from the Wings as well. Connecticut will also give up the No. 12 pick.

Allen, who they were acquiring from the Phoenix Mercury as part of the Alyssa Thomas trade, will go to Chicago for Lindsay Allen and the rights to Nikolina Milic.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the two deals haven’t been announced. Saturday was the first day that teams could officially sign free agents and make trades.

Carrington is coming off a career season when she averaged 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals for the Sun. She earned the league’s Most Improved Player award. The No. 20 pick in the 2021 draft is one of the best on-ball defenders in the WNBA.

NHL

Slaggert sets record with goal 7 seconds in

After seven seconds: Chicago 1, Florida 0.

Just like that, Landon Slaggert got himself a piece of Blackhawks history.

Slaggert scored seven seconds into Chicago’s game at the Panthers on Saturday afternoon — the fastest goal to start a game ever for the Blackhawks, according to the NHL record book.

The previous Blackhawks record was set by Brent Sutter, who scored eight seconds into Chicago’s 9-4 win over Vancouver on Feb. 5, 1995.

It was the lone hurrah on the day for Chicago: Florida won the game 5-1.

Slaggert’s score was the fastest goal to start a game in the NHL this season, edging a goal at the nine-second mark by St. Louis’ Robert Thomas against New Jersey on Nov. 27.

Stars acquire Granlund and Ceci from Sharks

The Dallas Stars acquired center Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks on Saturday in the latest in a flurry of trades around the NHL.

Dallas sent a 2025 first-round pick and a conditional third-round pick to San Jose for Granlund and Ceci just over a week before the league takes a break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. The pick becomes a fourth-rounder if the Stars do not reach the Stanley Cup Final.

The move came less than 24 hours after Vancouver traded J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and acquired Marcus Pettersson and Danton Heinen from Pittsburgh in a pair of connected deals. On Thursday night, Calgary got forwards Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost from Philadelphia.

College football

Receiver Bech shines in Senior Bowl

Former TCU receiver Jack Bech caught the winning touchdown pass and was named MVP of the Senior Bowl on Saturday, a month after his older brother was among 14 killed in the deadly pickup truck attack in New Orleans.

Bech caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan to give the American Team a 22-19 win over the National Team.

Martin “Tiger” Bech was among those killed when the driver of a pickup sped down Bourbon Street when it was packed with holiday revelers early on New Year’s Day. The attack also injured about 30 people.

The older Bech played at Princeton, and his brother wore his No. 7 in his honor at the Senior Bowl.

BRIEFLY

MLB >> Shohei Ohtani pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers in May is “about right,” manager Dave Roberts said at the team’s annual fan fest. Ohtani won’t pitch in the season-opening Japan Series against the Chicago Cubs on March 18-19 in Tokyo.

Skiing >> Organizers have canceled Sunday’s men’s World Cup downhill race after both training sessions were called off because of bad weather.

— From news services