Desert Vipers cruise to eight-wicket win as Hales and Curran shine against Sharjah Warriorz 

SAN DIEGO: Harris English held off hard-charging Sam Stevens to win the Farmers Insurance Open by one shot Saturday, securing his fifth career PGA Tour victory with a 1-over 73 in challenging weather at Torrey Pines.

English finished his first tour win since 2021 at 8-under 280. Stevens began the day six shots off the lead, but surged into contention with a 4-under 68 for the best final round in this edition of a tournament with a tradition of furious final-day rallies.

His impressive number didn’t rattle the 35-year-old English, who made two early bogeys in a round that began in strong wind. English steadied his game and calmly finished with 12 consecutive pars.

English was businesslike to the end: He put his tee shot on the 18th into the rough, but got back into the fairway before putting his 115-yard approach shot squarely on the green. He two-putted for the victory, rolling his 25-footer to 7 inches for a tap-in and a subdued celebration.

Andrew Novak was third at 6 under, missing out on his first tour victory with a disappointing 74 after briefly taking the lead.

Sungjae Im and Kris Ventura tied for fourth at 5 -under.

English hadn’t won since surviving an eight-hole playoff with Kramer Hickok at the Travelers Championships in 2021, although he still had nine top-10 finishes in the previous two seasons after missing five months in early 2022 while recovering from hip surgery. English already had a strong history at Torrey Pines, where he lost a four-way playoff to Jason Day in 2015 and then finished third at the US Open in 2021.

English surged into the lead Friday with three straight birdies to close his third-round 66, capitalizing on the mildest day of weather to make his move at the gorgeous coastal course.

The wind that forced an 86-minute delay in the second round Thursday returned in intermittent force early Saturday on the oceanside holes, but calmed somewhat in the afternoon. Lanto Griffin wore a wooly white beanie with a pompom on top, while many fans broke out winter jackets that don’t normally get much use in San Diego.

Novak and English, who live on the same island in coastal Georgia, played together in the final group — and while English overcame his early hiccups, Novak was up and down.

Novak opened with two bogeys, but then surged into the lead with three straight birdies. He rolled in an astonishing 54-foot putt on the fifth, reading the drop from the green’s top tier perfectly. Novak put both hands to his head in disbelief.

But Novak made three bogeys and a birdie around the turn, while English began his string of pars, repeatedly getting up and down with minimal fuss.

Stevens finished his round several groups before Novak and English, keeping pressure on the leaders. Novak couldn’t apply his own pressure to English, making no birdies on the back nine.

Stevens turned pro in 2018 and joined the tour in 2023. The Oklahoma State product matched his best previous result in his runner-up finish to Corey Connors at the Valero Texas Open in April 2023.

He charged up the leaderboard at Torrey Pines despite the wind, making four birdies on the front nine. Stevens even saved par on the 18th after putting his second shot in the water while trying to reach the green in two.

World No. 4 Hideki Matsuyama finished at 1 over. He’ll be back in San Diego in three weeks to defend his title at the Genesis Invitational, which has been moved from Riviera to Torrey Pines.

Ludvig Aberg, who led after each of the first two rounds, finished at 3 over after battling through illness in his final two rounds.

BARCELONA: Kylian Mbappe tucked the ball under his shirt as he raised both hands to return the applause to the Real Madrid fans who savored his first hat trick for his new club.

The France star had just led a 3-0 victory at struggling Valladolid that extended Madrid’s lead of La Liga on Saturday, keeping it in position to retain the title just after the midway point of the campaign.

Gone was the inconsistent play and missed penalties from Mbappe during his first months with Madrid following his move from Paris Saint-Germain. The France captain has started pouring in goals with back-to-back multi-goal games and has Madrid in pole position with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona stalled.

“I’m very happy for the hat trick but even happier for the win,” Mbappe said in fluent Spanish. “It was very important to win after Atletico’s result because that gave us a bit more pressure to take advantage of it.”

Madrid’s fourth straight triumph in the league combined with Atletico Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Villarreal let Carlo Ancelotti’s side open a four-point gap over its city rival. Barcelona were in third place at 10 points back before hosting Valencia on Sunday.

Madrid trailed then-leader Barcelona at one point, but since getting blown away in a 4-0 clasico debacle, they have found their stride and is in championship mode.

“My adaptation to the team is over. I feel comfortable on the field and you can see that from the way I am playing with my teammates,” Mbappe said. “This gives us confidence, but you know that until the 38th round this is not over. We have to keep winning because there is a long way to go.”

No contest in Valladolid

The game between the front-runner and the bottom side fit its billing as a mismatch.

Valladolid could draw only one save from Thibaut Courtois in the opening moments. It was all Madrid the rest of the way even though Vinicius Junior didn’t play as he completed a two-game suspension.

Mbappe swept in Madrid’s first goal on the half-hour mark after a flowing team attack of quick passes to weave the ball through a packed Valladolid area that culminated in Jude Bellingham’s assist for the France star.

He made it a double in the 57th by finishing off a three-against-two counterattack after Federico Valverde intercepted a Valladolid pass. Mbappé took a pass by Rodrygo and rifled in a low strike from the left side of the box.

Valladolid finished with 10 men after Mario Martín got a second booking in the 90th for a foul on Bellingham, sending Mbappé to the spot for his third.

That made it four games in a row with a goal across all competitions for Mbappé. In La Liga, Mbappe has 15, second only to Robert Lewandowski’s 16 for Barcelona. He also scored twice last weekend against Las Palmas in a 4-1 win.

“Mbappe is giving us a lot. He has found his rhythm over the last couple of months and that is obviously a boost for us,” Ancelotti said.

Valladolid were five points from safety.

Atletico drop more points

Atletico’s stalemate with Villarreal came a week after a shock 1-0 loss at Leganes.

Gerard Moreno, Villarreal’s top scorer in club history, made it 120 goals for the Yellow Submarine in the 25th minute after the striker converted a penalty he earned when fouled by Reinildo.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone rested Antoine Griezmann and midfielder Rodrigo de Paul for the first half. Then he made three changes at halftime, sending on De Paul and winger Samu Lino to kickstart his sluggish attack.

The moves paid off as the hosts pressed Villarreal into their box, and Lino rammed in a 58th-minute equalizer.

Simeone sent Griezmann on immediately after and the action stayed in Villarreal’s area except for two chances for Villarreal’s Ayoze Perez, who replaced Gerard. But Griezmann’s header that bounced just wide in the 86th was the closest Atletico came to snatching a winner.

“We played a good game at a very tough ground against a team with a deep bench that is fighting for the league. We are happy,” Gerard said for a Villarreal that stayed in fifth place.

Betis grab late winner

Cedric Bakambu headed in a stoppage-time winner to grab Real Betis a 1-0 victory at 10-man Mallorca.

Mallorca had opportunities until Omar Mascarell received a direct red card for a studs-first tackle of Betis’ Jesús Rodríguez in the 73rd.

The win came while Betis secured a loan deal for forward Anthony from Manchester United.

Garcia sustains Espanyol

Goalkeeper Joan Garcia made three saves to deny Sevilla standout Dodi Lukebakio and help Espanyol grind out a 1-1 draw at Sevilla.