Min Woo Lee chipped in for birdie to take the lead and then left Scottie Scheffler and everyone else in his wake Saturday with a 7-under 63, giving him a four-shot lead in the Houston Open as the Australian closes in on his first PGA Tour victory.

Scheffler began the third round with a one-shot lead and was stuck in neutral at Memorial Park, making birdie only on the par 5s and missing a few par putts in the 6-foot range to fall five shots behind with a 69.

Lee, the 26-year-old younger brother of LPGA major champion Minjee Lee, turned a bunched leaderboard into big separation around the turn, which included a tee shot on the par-3 ninth that was inches from going in for an ace, a 12-foot birdie putt on the 10th hole and an approach to 5 feet on the 12th.

He had eight consecutive one-putt greens, though some of those started just off the green allowing him to putt.

Lee, who has three European tour title and one on the Asian Tour, was at 17-under 193. He was four shots ahead of Alejandro Tosti of Argentina, who had a 65. Tosti contended to the very end a year ago in the Houston Open and now gets another crack.

Scheffler was five shots behind along with Ryan Fox (65) and Ryan Gerard (68). Rory McIlroy was the first to tee off on No. 10 with the two-tee start, made a late eagle for a 66 and was eight shots behind.

Vu takes two shot lead into final round at Ford

Lilia Vu finally made a bogey and then responded with three straight birdies for a 4-under 68, giving her a two-shot lead over Charley Hull going into the final round of the Ford Championship.

Vu began the tournament by going 41 holes without a bogey, a streak that ended on the sixth hole of Whirlwind Golf Club.

Hull, who opened the tournament with a 63, holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th for a 68 to get within two shots and land a spot in the final group with Vu on Sunday.

Seven other players were within four shots of the lead.

football

Bills, Benford agree on 4-year, $76M extension

The Buffalo Bills reached an agreement to sign cornerback Christian Benford to a four-year, $76 million contract extension in their latest offseason move to secure a young core player to a long-term deal.

The 24-year-old Benford was entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract after being selected in the sixth round of the 2022 draft out of Villanova. The extension runs through the 2029 season.

Benford has been a Bills starter since winning the job to open his second season. Overall, Benford has five interceptions, including two last season, and credited with 25 passes defended.

basketball

Curry nets 3-book deal from Random House

Steph Curry has a deal with a Random House Publishing Group imprint that you could call a 3-point play.

The NBA superstar has agreed to release three books through One World, beginning Sept. 9 with “Shot Ready,” which Curry is calling a “personal reflection” on his life on and off the court. The book also includes more than 100 photographs.

Curry’s book will be published in partnership with Unanimous Media, which he co-founded with Erick Peyton. Curry’s other publishing projects have included two picture books with Penguin Young Readers.

Petersen tabbed as next SDSU head coach

South Dakota State Director of Athletics Justin Sell announced that Bryan Petersen, who has worked on the Jackrabbit men’s basketball staff as an assistant the previous six seasons, has been promoted to head coach of the SDSU program.

Petersen will be the program’s 23rd head coach since the Jackrabbits’ inception in 1903. He takes over for Eric Henderson who accepted the head coaching position at Drake.

figure skating

Chock, Bates win third straight world title

Madison Chock and Evan Bates became the first ice dancers to win three consecutive world championships in nearly three decades on Saturday night, the Americans holding onto first place with their jazzy free skate following a strong performance by Canadian rivals Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.

Chock and Bates finished with 222.06 points, while Gilles and Poirier took the silver medal for the second straight year with 216.54. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson landed on the podium in third, earning Britain’s first world medal of any color since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean finished their run of four straight ice dance titles in 1984.

Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov were the last to win three in a row, triumphing four straight times for Russia from 1994-97.

tennis

Sabalenka wins Miami Open for 19th tour title

Aryna Sabalenka entered the Miami Open final against Jessica Pegula with 18 career titles on her elite resume.

The Miami Open crown had proved elusive.

The No. 1 seed from Belarus knocked off fourth-seeded American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 for her first Miami Open title in a rematch of the 2024 U.S. Open final.

Sabalenka fired up her lethal forehand in posting 22 winners on that wing to win the $1.1 million first prize.

soccer

Palace, Forest advance to FA Cup semifinals

Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest booked places in the semifinals of the FA Cup.

Eberechi Eze starred for Palace with a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win at Fulham. Goalkeeper Matz Sels was the hero for Forest with two saves in a 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Brighton after the game ended 0-0.

BRIEFLY

gophers track >> For the second consecutive meet a University of Minnesota track and field record fell, the latest being redshirt sophomore Ali Weimer in the women’s 10,000-meter. Weimer set the record in Raleigh, N.C. with a time of 33 minutes, 3.15 seconds.

— From news services