Tiger Woods shot 4-under 66 in the delayed third round of the Zozo Championship to take a three-stroke lead into the final frame, which began immediately thereafter on Sunday in Chiba, Japan. Here’s how things played out in Round 3 at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club:

Leaderboard: Woods (-16), Hideki Matsuyama (-13), Gary Woodland (-12), Corey Conners (-11), Billy Horschel (-11), Xander Schauffele (-11), Rory McIlroy (-10)

What it means: Woods is 18 holes – which will be contested over two days – from claiming his 82^nd PGA Tour victory. That will tie Sam Snead for the all-time record. Woods is 43-2 when leading outright through 54 holes on the PGA Tour (and 24-0 when leading by at least three). He led by three entering the final round of the 2018 Tour Championship (win No. 80) and trailed by two at this year’s Masters Tournament (win No. 81).

Round of the day: It wasn’t the lowest score of the day, and it didn’t quite match his opening pair of 64s, but Tiger’s 66 was still, comparatively speaking, the best of the lot on Sunday. After the field was sidelined for a day because of Typhoon Bualoi, Woods built upon his two-shot advantage – though, not immediately. Tiger bogeyed his first hole in the third round, only to recover with four birdies in a six-hole stretch before the turn.

A steady Woods added two birdies and a bogey to his card on the back nine.

Best of the rest: Local favorite Matsusyama did his best to keep pace with Woods. He, like Woods, made four birdies and a bogey on the front side. He added two more on the inward half, for a 5-under 65. Though he is Woods' nearest pursuer, because of the Saturday wipe-out, officials didn't not regroup after the third round. Matsuyama will not be alongside Woods in the finale.

The lowest score in Round 3, however, belonged to Rory McIlroy. After opening in 72 and following that with a 65, McIlroy shot 7-under 63, courtesy an eagle at the par-5 18^th. He stands at 10 under par, six back of Woods.

Biggest disappointment: The Tiger Effect is alive and well. U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland and Keegan Bradley played Round 3 alongside Woods. On a scoreable day in soft conditions, Woodland, who is hoping to get one of Woods' Presidents Cup captain's picks, could only muster a 2-under 68; not bad, by any means, but still cost him two shots on the lead. Bradley shot 1-over 71 and dropped to 7 under par, nine off the pace.

Shot of the day: Well, there weren’t a lot of fireworks in the third round, but that didn’t temper the enthusiasm of the Japanese faithful. They have Tiger in the lead, Hideki in contention, and nothing but good vibes all around.

England XI 178 for 4 (Bairstow 78*, Ferguson 3-32) beat New Zealand XI 172 for 4 (Devcich 62, Kitchen 50) by six wickets

Jonny Bairstow wants to use the T20I series against New Zealand as a route back into Test cricket, after his omission following a lean summer, and he has started the tour with an unbeaten 78 off 45 balls as England XI chased down 173 with 11 balls to spare at Lincoln.

After a somewhat ragged and rusty display in the field on a blustery day - which included four dropped catches, three off Pat Brown - England slipped to 51 for 3 in the chase. Lockie Ferguson, returning to action after a broken thumb, removed Tom Banton, who struck his second ball for six, James Vince and Joe Denly to sit with 3 for 8 off two overs.

Bairstow and newly promoted vice-captain Sam Billings then steadied things with a stand of 61 with Sam Curran then helping close out the chase with 28 off 15 balls, including the winning six. Ferguson's figures were damaged when his last over was taken for 21. Captain Eoin Morgan opted to give others a hit as he slid down the order.

Morgan had opted to bowl with a new-look attack feature Brown and Saqib Mahmood. It was the more experienced Chris Jordan who struck first and then Adil Rashid claimed a wicket with his fourth delivery in his first match since the World Cup final.

However, the New Zealand XI put the visitors under pressure with Anton Devcich and Anaru Kitchen striking enterprising half-centuries off 35 and 36 balls respectively as they benefited from England's poor catching. Having suffered the most with three drops, Brown managed to claim his first wicket off his final delivery when Christian Leopard was caught in the deep.

Josh Clarkson gave the innings a strong finish by sending Mahmood, who was guilty of two of the missed chances, for sixes off the last two deliveries.

CHIBA, Japan -- Tiger Woods is 18 holes away from matching one of the PGA Tour's most esteemed records.

Woods overcame an opening-hole bogey Sunday morning at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club to shoot 4-under-par 66 in the third round of the Zozo Championship, building a three-shot advantage over Hideki Matsuyama through 54 holes of the first PGA Tour event in Japan.

The winner of 81 PGA Tour events including this year's Masters, Woods has never failed to win when leading by at least three strokes heading into the final round. He made six birdies and two bogeys.

The fourth round was underway when Woods finished, and he has a 1 a.m. ET (Sunday) tee time for the fourth round. He is expected to get in approximately nine holes before darkness falls.

A victory would be the 82nd of his PGA Tour career, tying him with Hall of Famer Sam Snead, who was given credit for his record-setting total at the 1965 Greensboro Open, when he also became the oldest player in PGA Tour to win at age 52.

Woods, 43, has some pretty good history on his side.

He has converted a 54-hole lead 54 out of 58 times on the PGA Tour, including 43 of 45 times when he was the outright leader. The only times he has failed to follow through with a victory was at the 1996 Quad Cities Open and the 2009 PGA Championship. He has never blown a 54-hole lead of more than two strokes.

Woods completed 54 holes at 194, 16 under par.

It still doesn't figure to be easy. Matsuyama, who has five PGA Tour victories and 12 in his native Japan, is a massive figure in his own country and rivals Woods in popularity. He is currently ranked 27th in the world after getting as high as No. 2 two years ago. He shot 65.

Xander Schauffele, Billy Horschel, Corey Conners and Gary Woodland -- who was two strokes back at the start of the round -- were five back at 11 under par.

With Friday's play being postponed due to heavy rains, the tournament was striving to get in as many holes possible Sunday so a Monday finish can end in the morning. The fourth round is to be suspended by darkness, with everyone returning to their spots on the course Monday morning at 7:30 (6:30 p.m. ET Sunday).

This is Woods' first PGA Tour start of the 2019-20 season and his first event since the BMW Championship in August.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Jim Harbaugh desperately needed a significant victory to change the conversation, at least temporarily, about the job he's doing at Michigan.

The Wolverines delivered.

Zach Charbonnet ran for two touchdowns in the first half and Shea Patterson threw for two scores in the second half, helping No. 19 Michigan rout No. 8 Notre Dame 45-14 in driving rain Saturday night.

The Wolverines (6-2) ended an eight-game losing streak against top-10 teams under Harbaugh, who needed a signature win in his fifth season that likely won't end with the Big Ten title he and college football's winningest program desperately covet.

"Some of the tests that the team has gone through, you can make a lot of growth from it," Harbaugh said.

With the lopsided loss, the Fighting Irish (5-2) knocked themselves out of the College Football Playoff picture on the rain-filled night that seemed to affect them much more than Michigan.

"Clearly a very disappointing night for Notre Dame," coach Brian Kelly acknowledged.

The Irish took advantage of a questionable call on pass interference to set up Ian Book's 7-yard TD pass to Cole Kmet to pull within 10 points late in the third quarter.

Michigan responded with Patterson's 8-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones on the ensuing drive, which got off to a good start with Hassan Haskins' 49-yard run. The former linebacker finished with career-high 149 yards on 20 carries.

Charbonnet had 74 yards rushing on 15 carries, giving Michigan a tandem of running backs to control the game behind an offensive line that created huge holes.

Patterson threw his second TD early in the fourth, connecting on a 16-yard pass to Nico Collins, to put Michigan ahead 31-7.

"We played our best game," Patterson said. "When we do that, we're a really tough team to beat."

On a windy and wet night, it was difficult to throw the ball and Michigan's defense made it tough for the Irish to run.

Book was 8 of 25 for 73 yards the senior's lowest total since last year's opener when he threw just three passes and a TD that averted a shutout.

"We knew once we hit (Book) a couple times we knew that he was going to be jumpy in the pocket," Michigan safety Josh Metellus said. "I know what this defense is capable of. We can shut anybody out. If everybody is locked in, doing their job, we can shut out anybody in the country."

With the game out of reach, Kelly put in sophomore Phil Jurkovec and he threw a 14-yard TD pass to Javon McKinley late in the game to cut the deficit to 31 points.

Notre Dame's Tony Jones Jr. was held to 14 yards on eight carries, reminiscent of the game he had in a loss to No. 3 Georgia last month when he had just 21 yards rushing on nine carries. Jones ran for 100-plus yards in his previous three games before being shut down by the swarming Wolverines and being slowed by an undisclosed injury during the game.

The Irish had just 180 yards of offense.

"It wasn't necessarily that they threw anything at us that we weren't ready for, we just didn't hit our standard of offense," Kelly insisted.

Metellus seemed to disagree.

"The type of offense that they run, they try to stick to the same type of script, give the same guys the ball," he said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Notre Dame: It has been a long time since the Irish beat a top-20 team on its home field. Since beating No. 8 Oklahoma on Oct. 27, 2012, they have lost 11 straight true road games against teams ranked among the top 20.

Michigan: A much-needed boost of confidence was earned, setting up the team to potentially close the regular season strong. The Wolverines host rivals Michigan State and Ohio State along with road games against Maryland and Indiana.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Michigan will make a jump in the poll, and Notre Dame will probably plummet.

RIVALRY RENEWED

On the same day the schools completed their two-game deal, they announced Michigan will host Notre Dame in 2033 and the Irish will play the Wolverines at home in 2034.

MISSED TRIP

Notre Dame junior receiver Michael Young, amid reports he will transfer, didn't travel to Michigan and Kelly said there would be a discussion about his status with the team moving forward. Young had six receptions for 21 yards this season and started one game

UP NEXT

Notre Dame: Hosts Virginia Tech.

Michigan: At Maryland.

‘That was massive for me’ says Makin
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

Welshman Joel Makin claimed a huge upset in the men’s CIB Egyptian Squash Open as he ousted Egypt’s No.2 seed Tarek Momen to get his first win over the World No.3 at the third attempt. It came on an amazing day when five of the top eight seeds crashed out.

The Welshman has tested Momen in their previous two encounters, taking a game each time, but he executed his game plan to perfection to nullify Momen’s attacking intent, winning 11-8, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9 to ensure he will play Frenchman Victor Crouin in the last 16. Crouin overcame World No.15 Zahed Salem to reach round three of a major PSA event for the first time.

“That was massive for me,” said 24-year-old Makin afterwards. “I have had two tight losses to him recently. He played well and he is tricky, he moves the ball quickly around the court, he’s got into some really consistent form over the last few years and he hasn’t really lost to anyone lower down for a while.”

Meanwhile, England’s Chris Simpson completed the biggest win of his career as he stunned World No.8 Mohamed Abouelghar in a five-game thriller. Abouelghar was making his first appearance of the season after recovering from a shoulder injury, but Simpson played some of the best squash of his career to win 12-10, 7-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-5 in 73 minutes, setting up a meeting with compatriot Daryl Selby.

“It’s the most unexpected win of my career,” said the Englishman afterwards. “I’ve had an awful summer. Injuries, literally almost no squash and that’s sometimes just the way it goes. I was relaxed, I went on and knew he had been injured as well and after having such a good end to the season maybe he put a bit of pressure on himself, but I just wanted to do myself justice and to be honest I didn’t have any considerations about winning.”

Meanwhile, Frenchman Baptiste Masotti also claimed his best career win as he played some immaculate squash to defeat World No.9 Miguel Rodriguez, 24 hours after he upset former World No.5 Borja Golan. He will now play off against Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng for a place in the quarter-finals, with Ng beating Germany’s Raphael Kandra.

Elsewhere, Egypt’s World No.25 Mostafa Asal came back from two games down to upset World No.7 Diego Elias in a fractious 77-minute match. No.4 seed Simon Rösner was the other seed to bow out after he fell to Egypt’s Fares Dessouky. 

Men’s CIB Egyptian Squash Open, Great Pyramids, Giza, Egypt.

Second Round:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 3-0: 11-2, 11-8, 11-7 (39m)
Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 3-1: 8-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-8 (40m)
Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Max Lee (HKG) 3-1: 11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9 (57m)
Chris Simpson (ENG) bt [6] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 3-2: 12-10, 7-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-5 (73m)
[5] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Lucas Serme (FRA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-2, 11-3 (38m)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) 3-2: 11-5, 11-7, 10-12, 4-11, 11-1 (87m)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-5, 11-4 (43m)
Fares Dessouky (EGY) beats [4] Simon Rösner (GER) 3-1: 11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9 (61m)
[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-8 (36m)
Leo Au (HKG) bt Adrian Waller (ENG) 3-1: 12-10, 5-11, 13-11, 15-13 (69m)
Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Nathan Lake (ENG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-8, 12-10 (43m)
Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt [7] Diego Elias (PER) 3-2: 7-11, 14-16, 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 (77m)
Baptiste Masotti (FRA) bt [8] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 (48m)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt Raphael Kandra (GER) 3-2: 11-8, 11-6, 6-11, 6-11, 11-6 (60m)
Victor Crouin (FRA) bt Zahed Salem (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 (36m)
Joel Makin (WAL) bt [2] Tarek Momen (EGY) 3-1: 11-8, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9 (68m)

Third Round (Top Half) October 27:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v Mazen Hesham (EGY)
Daryl Selby (ENG) v Chris Simpson (ENG)
[5] Paul Coll (NZL) v Gregoire Marche (FRA)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) v Fares Dessouky (EGY)

Third Round (Bottom Half) October 28:
[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Leo Au (HKG)
Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v Mostafa Asal (EGY)
Baptiste Masotti (FRA) v Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
Victor Crouin (FRA) v Joel Makin (WAL) 

Pictures courtesy of  PSA

‘I was feeling nervous’ admits No.2 seed 
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

Defending champion Nour El Sherbini recovered from a slow start against Canada’s Hollie Naughton to book her third round spot at the CIB PSA Women’s World Championship as the highest-profile tournament in the sport returned to the iconic Great Pyramid of Giza for the first time since the men’s World Championship in 2006.

El Sherbini reached the final of the last tournament to be held at the Pyramids – the Al Ahram Open in 2016 – and she made it back-to-back wins since returning from a knee injury, following up an opening day win over Rachael Chadwick with a 13-11, 11-7, 11-4 win in 26 minutes.

“It was very important for me to win the first game, that’s what made the difference for the whole match,” said 23-year-old El Sherbini.

“I think I was a bit nervous in the first game, it’s the first match on the glass court and it’s in front of the Pyramids, so it’s not that easy. I’m still trying to get in my mind that I’m back on tour playing, it’s the first time playing her so I didn’t really know what to expect.

“I’ve been dreaming of playing at this venue since I was seven years old and when I first had the injury I thought I wouldn’t have surgery before this tournament, so I did a lot to come and play here. I’m looking forward to this week.”

El Sherbini will play India’s Joshna Chinappa in the last 16, with Chinappa progressing at the expense of Hong Kong’s Ho Tze-Lok, who retired with a foot injury after just 12 minutes.

There were also wins for France’s World No.4 Camille Serme and New Zealand’s Joelle King at the Pyramids as they beat Millie Tomlinson and Zeina Mickawy, respectively. Serme will line up against World No.16 Yathreb Adel in the next round, while King will clash with Hong Kong’s Annie Au.

Four matches also took place at the Shooting Club 6th of October, with Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam continuing her superb run as she followed up her opening round upset of No.8 seed Amanda Sobhy with victory over World No.29 Milou van der Heijden to reach the third round of the World Championships for the first time.

The 28-year-old van der Heijden got engaged in front of the Pyramids earlier on in the day, and she tested Subramaniam, drawing level after going a game down. But the World No.48 narrowly edged the final two games to earn her spot on the glass court in front of the Pyramids, where World Junior Champion Hania El Hammamy will lie in wait.

“I feel confident after beating Amanda [Sobhy] in the first round, obviously Milou is a good player and she has been playing well, so I had to take every game and every point one at a time,” van der Heijden said.

“I tried not to think about getting that far and playing in front of the Pyramids, I’m really looking forward to it. I’m playing Hania and she is my junior rival as well, we have played a few times at junior level and now at PSA. Hopefully we can both play good squash and the better player wins, but I’m really excited.” 

2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s $340k World Championship, Great Pyramids, Giza, Egypt.

Second Round (Bottom Half):
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [21] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-8 (29m)
[15] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt [32] Nada Abbas (EGY) 3-2: 7-11, 11-13, 13-11, 13-11, 11-9 (67m)
[14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt [27] Donna Lobban (AUS) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-9 (36m)
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt [30] Milou van der Heijden (NED) 3-1: 11-4, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9 (40m)
[6] Joelle King (NZL) bt [19] Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 3-1: 11-7, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9 (41m)
[10] Annie Au (HKG) bt [22] Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-1: 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6 (48m)
[12] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Ho Tze-Lok (HKG) 3-0 Scores: 11-5, 11-4 retired (12m)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [28] Hollie Naughton (CAN) 3-0: 13-11, 11-7, 11-4 (26m)

Third Round (Top Half) October 27:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [11] Alison Waters (ENG)
[13] Salma Hany (EGY) v [5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v [9] Tesni Evans (WAL)
[26] Tinne Gilis (BEL) v [4] Nouran Gohar (EGY)

Third Round (Bottom Half) October 28:
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) v [15] Yathreb Adel (EGY)
[14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)
[6] Joelle King (NZL) v [10] Annie Au (HKG)
[12] Joshna Chinappa (IND) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) 

Pictures courtesy of PSA

LOVES PARK, Ill. — Coming from the back of the pack, Casey Johnson beat a host of top Midwest late model drivers and the rain as he scored the victory in the 54th annual National Short Track Championships presented by Crazy Times Pub & Grub at Rockford Speedway Saturday afternoon.

Scheduled for 250 laps around the high-banked, quarter-mile, paved oval, the race was called official after 150 laps because of rain with Johnson, who won the event in 2016, being declared the winner.

Johnson, who took the lead from Steve Apel on about lap 138, defeated Brad Mueller, Austin Nason, Apel, Jake Gille and fast qualifier Michael Bilderback.  James Swan, 2015 race winner Jon Reynolds Jr., Josh Wallace and Tim Lampman rounded out the top 10.

This year’s ARCA Midwest Tour champion, Johnson, the 29-year-old racer from Edgerton, Wis., drove his Hougan Farms/UAW Region 4/Valley Gasket Inc./Montgomery Ward/Wegner Automotive-sponsored Pathfinder Chassis Chevrolet SS to the victory after starting last in the 22-car field.

The race, originally slated for Sept. 29, was rained out with Johnson and his No. 5 entry not having the best practice and qualifying runs in September thus Johnson’s back-of-the-pack starting spot.

Eight yellow flag cautions, including two competition yellows, slowed the action that saw Rich Bickle Jr. lead the first half dozen laps or so.  Alex Prunty, winner of the last two NSTC events, moved into the lead on lap six with Apel, Bickle, Ty Majeski and Bilderback giving chase.

The first competition yellow came out with 75 laps completed with everyone going to the pits with the exception of Majeski, Mueller and Johnson.  A dice roll of six inverted the top cars with Apel the race’s new leader.

The race had just restarted when Prunty and Bickle got together and crashed off of turn four.  Prunty’s hope for three-straight ended with him completing 88 laps.  Bickle, another former two-time winner, came back on the track after extensive repairs and completed 133 laps.

Apel was the leader with Majeski running a close second.  Majeski got into the back of Apel with 92 laps complete, sending the leader spinning.  Majeski tapped out and admitted fault in the incident, with Apel going back to the lead position and Majeski to the tail of the field.  Majeski, who won both the recent Oktoberfest 200 and Falloween 150 in Wisconsin, was trying to work his way back to the front until carburetor/engine woes forced him out after completing 124 laps.

As the race wore on a few rain drops became noticeable with Apel still showing the way.  Johnson caught up to Apel and moved into the lead with Apel losing several positions.  Another competition yellow was thrown with 150 laps complete but the rain increased, soaking the track and forcing officials to call the race complete.

“During the first 75 laps or so, I was biding my time and getting a little track position,” Johnson said after the race as the rain continued to fall.  “We played a little strategy there by staying out (during the first competition yellow).  I knew I had a really good car.  We practiced well this morning.  We made some adjustments on the car since the rainout.  It (the car) was really stout.  I knew we were racing to lap 125 (halfway) so I went there at the end.

“This is my favorite race of the year.  It’s awesome.  This track is a different breed of racing.  You really have to get up on the wheel.  It’s a little rough sometimes.”

Ron Vandermeir Jr. won the 50-lap Mid American Stock Car Series headliner with the victory giving him the series title, which he also won last year.  Coming from the outside front row of the 22-car field, Vandermeir, a third-generation driver, and his Chevrolet led from flag to flag in the race that was slowed only once by a caution flag with 46 laps complete.

Cody Clubb ran second most of the way with veteran Bobby Gutknecht getting by Clubb on the restart.  At the checkered flag, it was Vandermeir over Gutknecht and Clubb with Jeff Wakeman, Jason Thoma and Mark Pluer rounding out the top six.  Fastest qualifier Jeff Holtz finished eighth.

Nick Schmidt won the 25-lap main event for the four-cylinder Bandits division.  Schmidt scored the win ahead of Tyler Deschaine, Bart Brockman, Scott Ingram, Shawn Bowar and John Triggs.

The finish:

Casey Johnson, Brad Mueller, Austin Nason, Steve Apel, Jake Gille, Michael Bilderback, James Swan, Jon Reynolds Jr., Josh Wallace, Tim Lampman, Josh Nelms, Matt Berger, Dennis Prunty, Clay Curts, Rob Braun, Jim Olson, Rich Bickle Jr., Ty Majeski, Jake Vanoskey, Danny Church, Alex Prunty, Max Kahler.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The second day of the California Hot Rod Reunion presented by Automobile Club of Southern California did not disappoint as fans came from far and wide to enjoy the high-speed competition and entertainment at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Saturday.

California Hot Rod Reunion honorees were on hand to sign autographs and interact with fans throughout the day. Many NHRA Mello Yello Series drivers came out as well to enjoy the sights and sounds of this one-of-a-kind event.

In Nostalgia Top Fuel, Mendy Fry kept her No. 1 spot with her Friday pass of 5.595-seconds at 237.42 mph. Fry, the 2019 NHRA Heritage Series Top Fuel World Champion, will face Dan Horan Jr. in the first round of eliminations on Sunday morning.

In Nostalgia Funny Car, the third and final qualifying pass set the 16-car field in the early afternoon before running the first round of eliminations on Saturday evening. Ryan Hodgson started eliminations at the top of the ladder thanks to his run of 5.622 at 250.41 made in the final qualifying session. Hodgson defeated Kris Krabill in the first round of eliminations.

Several NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series championships were secured throughout the day including Henry Roberson in Hot Rod, Bill Norton in D Gas and Steve Faller in 7.0 Pro.

The day concluded with the ever-popular Cacklefest featuring restored or recreated nitro-burning machines firing up with the help of a push start, reminiscent of the early days of drag racing.

Eliminations at the California Hot Rod Reunion presented by Automobile Club of Southern California continue Sunday at 8:00 a.m.

Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bowl against Australia

Sri Lanka's captain Lasith Malinga won the toss and sent Australia in to bat in the first T20I at Adelaide Oval.

Malinga's decision meant David Warner would walk out to open for his first home international since the end of the Newlands ban alongside the captain Aaron Finch. Steven Smith is set to bat at No. 3 and Glenn Maxwell at No. 4.

Australia left out Ben McDermott and Billy Stanlake from their team after Andrew Tye was ruled out out of the series with an elbow injury, meaning Alex Carey will bat at No. 6 and the spin bowling allrounder Ashton Agar as high as No. 7.

As well as welcoming back Malinga, Sri Lanka elected to leave out Niroshan Dickwella, with Kusal Perera taking the gloves for the visitors.

Australia 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 David Warner, 3 Steve Smith, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Ashton Turner, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Ashton Agar, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Kane Richardson, 11 Adam Zampa

Sri Lanka 1 Dhanushka Gunathilika, 2 Kusal Mendis, 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksha, 4 Kusal Perera (wk), 5 Oshada Fernando, 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Wanidu Hasaranga, 8 Lakshan Sandakan, 9 Lasith Malinga (capt) 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Kasun Rajitha

HOUSTON -- Russell Westbrook's first win with the Houston Rockets will be memorable for another reason: He climbed a rung on the all-time triple-doubles list.

Westbrook recorded the 139th triple-double of his career with his 28-point, 10-rebound, 13-assist performance in Saturday's 126-123 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, moving past Magic Johnson for the second most in NBA history behind Oscar Robertson.

"I know nowadays, getting a triple-double seems normal, but I take a pride, a lot of energy, a lot of sacrifice, a lot of things I do off the floor to prepare myself to be able to compete every single night and play at a high level," Westbrook said. "For me, that's a great accomplishment, especially growing up and never even thinking I'd be playing in the NBA. Now being there and being in the history books is just a blessing to me and something that I don't take for granted one bit."

Johnson reached out on Twitter to congratulate Westbook on his achievement.

Congratulations to Russell Westbrook for passing me and having the 2nd-most triple-doubles in NBA history! https://t.co/y3KgYXsjJB

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) October 27, 2019

Robertson, a Hall of Famer who was the only player to average a triple-double for a season before Westbrook accomplished the feat the last three years, tallied 181 career triple-doubles.

Westbrook's teams are now 111-28 in his triple-double games, which should silence any criticism that he prioritizes his individual production over team success. He played an essential role in the Rockets' win Saturday night, when co-star James Harden had another cold shooting night, need 29 shots to get his 29 points, missing all but two of his 18 3-point attempts.

Westbrook took over the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter, which started with the Rockets a New Orleans team missing No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson and star veteran guard Jrue Holiday because of knee injuries. Houston took the lead for good on a quarter-opening 8-0 run that was ignited by a Westbrook drive for an and-1 layup and also included him driving and kicking to PJ Tucker for a 3-pointer and flying in for an emphatic, two-handed dunk on a breakaway after stripping the ball from Brandon Ingram.

"It's a different dynamic that we've seen that he's been doing for a very, very long time," said Harden, who pushed the Rockets' front office to trade for his longtime friend and former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate when Westbrook became available over the summer. "I'm just happy to have him on this side now. He took over that game in the fourth quarter."

The Toyota Center crowd erupted when he rebounded a miss by Ingram with 1:40 remaining to clinch the historic triple-double. Rockets fans chanted Westbrook's nickname -- "Brodie! Brodie!" - when he hit a pair of clutch free throw with 6.1 seconds remaining.

The Houston fan base considered Harden a villain when he won the MVP over Harden in 2016-17, when Westbrook broke Robertson's 55-year-old record for most triple-doubles in a season with 42. Those fans are now enjoying Westbrook's uniquely electrifying game, as he has averaged 26 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists through the Rockets' first two games.

"Russ has been carrying us, man," Houston guard Austin Rivers said. "He's been unbelievable. His energy, I've never seen anything like it. The energy he plays with is unmatched. He goes out there and gets rebound over 7-footers, pushes it every possession. It's inspiring, to be honest with you. It makes you pick up your energy."

Westbrook, a Los Angeles native, acknowledged that passing Lakers legend Johnson was particularly meaningful to him

"I never get a chance to think about what I've done," said Westbrook, who also holds the record for most consecutive triple-doubles with a streak of 10 in a row last season, one more than Wilt Chamberlain's run in 1968. "Tonight will be one of those times that I'll take a second and think about it and be grateful to be able to go out and compete and do something like that."