BOSTON -- As the fourth quarter of Friday night's game here between the Celtics and Toronto Raptors began, Kemba Walker was desperate to finally get going after an abysmal first seven quarters in a Celtics uniform.

But then, just as he did so many times over the past eight seasons in Charlotte, North Carolina, Walker came through when his team needed it most, scoring 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to lead Boston to a 112-106 victory in the Celtics' home opener in front of a sellout crowd at TD Garden.

"I was so happy," Walker said afterward. "Like, 'About time.' It was a struggle, even from last game [Wednesday night in Philadelphia] to tonight.

"I wanted to kind of be myself, and these guys just allowed me to."

To say Walker had struggled during the first seven quarters of the season was an understatement. After going 4-for-18 overall, and 1-for-6 from 3-point range, in Wednesday's loss to the 76ers, Walker was just 4-for-13 overall and 1-for-5 from 3-point range entering the fourth quarter Friday night.

Once he checked into the game with 9:18 remaining, however, it quickly became clear things were going to be different.

Walker immediately got into the lane and made a pull-up jumper, and he followed that up with a 3-pointer on the following possession. Suddenly, Walker was hot, and he began to look like himself again. He made two nifty drives into the paint for scores sandwiched around a Robert Williams alley-oop layup, and then another attack at the rim resulted in him getting a pair of free throws.

By the time he was done, Walker had scored 11 of Boston's 13 points over a stretch of 2 minutes, 37 seconds to keep the Celtics in the game, as the Raptors got hot at the same time. Walker then later hit Grant Williams with a pass for a layup to give Boston a 101-100 lead and found Jayson Tatum on the wing for a 3-pointer to make it 104-100 Celtics with 4:33 remaining.

Boston would never trail again.

"I can't say enough about the people around me," Walker said. "The coaching staff, most importantly my teammates just really keeping me confident -- they kept talking to me throughout the game. They knew I wanted to play well and I wanted to make shots, but I was struggling. But I can't say enough about it. They kept me confident. I really just appreciate those guys for keeping me level-headed, keeping me confident and just allowing me to be myself."

Walker is more than familiar with fourth-quarter success. Last season, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, Walker was third in the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring with 8.0 points per game, trailing only LeBron James (8.6) and James Harden (8.3).

And Boston certainly needed that kind of boost after that ugly loss Wednesday in Philadelphia looked like it could easily be followed by another one here after Toronto -- which got 33 points and eight rebounds from Pascal Siakam and 29 points, four rebounds and seven assists from Kyle Lowry -- led by six points after three quarters.

But Boston outscored Toronto 36-24 in the fourth to come from behind and get the win, with Walker not only leading the way offensively late but also drawing multiple charges in the game -- including one on OG Anunoby with 1:31 remaining and the Raptors trailing by four to help seal the victory.

"He's always done that," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "When [Team USA] beat Turkey in that overtime game, he took two charges in overtime that were as big as any of the shots he hit. He's just always been a guy that's willing to put his body on the line. You could see that he was pressing early and he missed a bunch of shots that I think he'll normally hit.

"Then he got his -- when he starts getting going downhill like that, he makes the little pull-up, then pulled up for the 3, then he got into the body of the big a couple times and he made those layups. He just looked like he had an extra gear and he probably wasn't thinking about it going in -- he was just going to be Kemba Walker."

TULSA, Okla. – With the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire nearly in sight, entry for the 34th edition of the event will open on Monday, Nov. 4.

Entry forms will hit the mail in the next week with the entry blank also posted online at this link. Entries can be returned via Fax to (918) 836-5517, called in to (918) 838-3777, or mailed to 1140 S. 83rd East Ave. Tulsa, OK 74112.

Entry forms must include a current W9 form which can be downloaded at this link.

Early entry is $150 through Dec. 13. After that, teams will pay an additional $50 per entry.

All cars competing in the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire must run a Muffler. Inserts will not be allowed. All car numbers and letter combinations must be legible from the scorer’s stand. While the races are scored electronically, the races are also hand-scored.

The 34th Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire takes place Jan. 13-18 atop the clay of the Tulsa Expo Raceway, located inside the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Okla.

VAR has endured a rocky start to life in the Premier League, with supporters questioning how it has been implemented. Here's why VAR has struggled for widespread acceptance, and we offer one possible solution.

JUMP TO: Subjective errors | Use of pitchside monitors

Why do Premier League fans have a real problem with VAR?

This isn't the VAR they've seen in other competitions

The Premier League said at the start of the season there would be a "high bar" for interventions.

Fans have watched the World Cup and the Champions League and what they are seeing in England is not what was sold to them. It's "VAR light," and not in a good way. As a result this concept of a "high bar" leaves fans feeling referees are doing nothing about many "clear and obvious" errors, with the VARs simply supporting their mates in the middle.

- VAR in the Premier League: Ultimate guide
- How VAR decisions have affected every club

VAR in the Premier League has meant:
- Some "clear and obvious" errors are not being corrected
- Fans do not have confidence in VAR as a concept
- The decision-making process is questioned
- Supporters do not understand when and why VAR will intervene

Fans need to trust VAR, that it will come to the correct decision in a fair manner in the vast majority of cases. But we're a long way from that. In almost every instance of an intervention (15 of 19), a goal is being taken away. The perception is it's anti-football.

Clear subjective errors aren't fixed

Not a single penalty has been awarded in 90 matches. Compare that to the Bundesliga, which has seen 12 penalty decisions in the first 72 fixtures of this campaign: that's a penalty intervention every six matches, and an average of at least one a matchweek. Germany has seen two red cards, England zero. How can the Premier League be so different? Because it's getting VAR wrong.

Mike Riley, the managing director of PGMOL, the referees' body that implements VAR, accepted that there were errors on subjective calls in the first month of the season: two penalties and a red card not given. It's safe to assume there have been further instances.

But despite also hinting the "high bar" needed to be a little lower, there is no evidence that anything has changed. Of the 19 overturned decisions, only three have been on subjective calls and all three have ruled out goals: Olivier Giroud's foul on Norwich goalkeeper Tim Krul, Aston Villa striker Wesley impeding Brighton goalkeeper Mathew Ryan, and Burnley's Chris Wood tripping Leicester defender Jonny Evans.

How can Jan Vertonghen's challenge on Watford forward Gerard Deulofeu not be adjudged a penalty, yet the "trip" by Wood on Evans disallows Burnley's equaliser? Which decision was truly "clear and obvious"?

Why are so few subjective decisions overturned?

Once a review begins, the match referee describes what he has seen to the VAR. If this roughly matches what the VAR has watched on his monitors, then the decision will not be changed.

In almost every case a referee will see an incident to a degree, which means they can provide some kind of description and, as has been proven, there will be no overturn. It means getting a penalty through VAR is almost impossible.

Take the shirt pull by Sheffield United's John Egan on Arsenal's Sokratis on Monday, or Vertonghen's challenge on Deulofeu. In each case, the referee may have said he saw a pull of the shirt or the tackle in the box, but did not feel there was enough contact to constitute a foul. Under the Premier League's review protocol, these decisions would simply never be overturned because the referee can offer a description.

Fans are watching replays and seeing what they feel is a clear foul. No wonder there is little confidence: VAR in practice is the antithesis of what it was supposed to be. But what if the referee himself could see that replay?

- Premier League winter break: All you need to know
- ESPN Premier League fantasy: Sign up now!

How can the Premier League begin to fix VAR? Use pitchside monitors

Make no mistake, VAR isn't going anywhere. So rather than scream and shout about ditching VAR, we have to work on solutions to make it better, to foster acceptance.

The Premier League is, for all intents and purposes, not using pitchside review monitors. Believe it or not, they actually exist at every ground, using up electricity and gathering dust. Officials have been told to only use them "sparingly." Right now, that means the sum total of never.

It becomes even more incredulous when many Premier League referees use pitchside monitors on Champions League duty but are told to ignore them come the weekend.

The Bundesliga went through this two years ago. It decided to implement VAR from its central hub in Cologne. What followed was months of uncertainty and confusion with Hellmut Krug, the VAR project manager, stripped of his role after questions were raised over manipulation. There is certainly no suggestion of such interference in England, in fact it would be the opposite. With so few decisions being overturned, the end result is the same: if the match referee himself is not seen to be making these key decisions, there is a lack of transparency and confidence in the process.

Use the monitors and supporters can perhaps start to accept it, seeing that referees are taking the responsibility on themselves. If the referee still sticks with his decision, fine. But at least supporters see action being taken rather than two minutes of inertia, the referee stood with finger in ear waiting for the VAR to simply tell him to play on.

As the game is being stopped anyway, it wouldn't add much more time. The number of pitchside reviews would be small, perhaps a handful each weekend. It would also remove the accusation that the referees have each other's backs, not wanting to embarrass colleagues by telling them they have made a mistake -- especially when the VAR is a more junior official to the match referee, afraid of being disrespectful.

Will it make VAR perfect? Far from it, there are plenty of other issues which will take time to resolve. Will it be better than what we have now? It has to be.

It's as though each Premier League referee is afraid of being that guy, who is the first to use a pitchside monitor. Hopefully somebody soon breaks the taboo.

He may have died of a heart attack seven weeks ago, but at the Gaddafi Stadium on Friday, the influence of Abdul Qadir loomed large. His son Usman Qadir, picked for Pakistan's T20I squad to Australia, could talk about little else on the eve of Pakistan's departure, speaking poignantly about how important it was to his father that he play for Pakistan, and what how much it meant to him.

A kind observer might term it fateful, and a cynical one revisionist, but it's clear either way Usman following the footsteps of his father and donning the Pakistan shirt was never, ever a done deal. He had, years ago, become disillusioned with the nation his father represented with such ebullient distinction, and sought greener (or in his case, yellower pastures) when he declared his allegiance to Australia last year, resolving to represent that country in the international game instead.

Just two weeks ago, the idea he might be selected for Pakistan prompted a derisive snort from head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq. In that sense, his selection is, even by Pakistan cricket standards, an exceptionally quick u-turn, but, even in death, it proved Abdul Qadir prescient.

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"He always said I should stay strong, and that in Pakistan, if you performed, things could change very quickly and you could find yourself selected," Usman said. "He taught me never to give up, and he always wanted to see me represent Pakistan. Even in my last conversation with him, he said he wished I would play for Pakistan.

"It all changed when my father died. My main goal became to fulfil his desire. When I was going to Australia, the one thing he said was 'I wish you go on to get the Pakistan star on your chest.' Everyone wants to represent their own country, and I'm the same. Now that I'm going to Australia, I'm really missing him and if he was alive he'd be so proud."

While many believed, some perhaps too much so, that having Abdul Qadir for a father massively boosted the opportunities Usman would get, the 26-year old insisted it probably went the other way just as much. Whispers of nepotism never quite went away, and it was the desire to prove he was good enough that heavily motivated the move to Australia, telling ESPNcricinfo last year the real reason he gave up on playing for Pakistan would take "two or three hours" to properly address.

It is easy to forget he was selected to tour the West Indies with Pakistan as a 19-year old in 2013, only for the PCB to change its mind, a decision that Usman said led him to "go home and weep". It was the beginning of Usman's disenchantment with Pakistan cricket, leading to a lengthy absence in which he played no first-class cricket in Pakistan. All that while, opportunities from Australia continued to turn his head, with then South Australia's director of cricket Jamie Cox saying Usman would need to make "more of a commitment" if he wanted to play for Australia.

"It became difficult for me in Pakistan because the Qadir name is a big one," Usman said. "I still wear it proudly on my shirt. It was difficult because people believed there was favouritism. I used to play and even when I performed, I couldn't quite make any progress with regards to selection. But my father always said I should be strong, and no need to lose hope. When I was named in the squad for the West Indies tour, I was playing a match and I was told I'd been selected. After [I couldn't go], I didn't play cricket in Pakistan."

It's also clear Usman is always hungry for ways to improve his game. He repeatedly distinguishes himself from his father by talking about much work still lying ahead of him if he was to master the variations that made Abdul Qadir so lethal. His eyes sparkle when he speaks about the finer points of his game and how conducive it is to various grounds in Australia, particularly the new one in Perth where he played the BBL for the Perth Scorchers and where Pakistan will play the third T20I next month.

"My father used to say to me you should learn the yorker. I tried my hardest to work on that ball, but without luck. But the last six or eight months, I've been working on my yorker and getting some control on that ball. I still don't bowl it in actual games, but I think I'm getting closer to mastering it.

"What happens is pitches in Australia are very quick. In Pakistan, the spinners get taken for lots of runs and they have no choice but to bowl in the same slot over and over again and hope for wickets. In Australia, they don't have as many spinners, so they're always on the lookout for any. When they confront a spinner, they find it harder. They practice spinners on the bowling machine, but facing a real spinner is difficult, and I'm hopeful I can cause some problems.

"The new stadium in Perth, the ball breaks a lot. If you pitch the ball outside off stump, in fact, it'll break almost anywhere in the world. When I first played in Perth, I pitched outside off stump and found turn. When I played in Sydney and Canberra, the ball broke quite a lot. In Perth, if you pitch outside off stump, it definitely spins."

And while there's little doubt his father has had the greatest impact on his career, be it advice on wrist position or more apocryphal home remedies ("My father said if you can't control your nerves, breathe through your nose three times and exhale from your mouth and it'll help), there is a more modern influence whose brains he can pick.

"Imran Tahir has been a friend of my family since my childhood. He's a wonderful man, and someone I always look to for advice. I got a message from him a couple of days ago telling me not to panic, and to call him if I had any questions or problems."

Abdul Qadir can rest easy. His boy may be off to Australia, but it's the Pakistan star he'll sport on his chest.

Zack Greinke is the third past-Cy Young winner to start this World Series (Scherzer, Game 1; Verlander, Game 2). That had occurred only twice before: 2018 Dodgers-Red Sox (Kershaw, Price, Porcello) and 1999 Yankees-Braves (Maddux, Glavine, Cone, Clemens).

‘I’m concentrating on the court, not the view’
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

World No.1 Raneem El Welily, World No.3 Nour El Tayeb and World No.5 Nouran Gohar all claimed wins on day two of the 2019-20 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship to secure a place on the iconic glass court held in front of Cairo’s famous Great Pyramid of Giza, the only remaining wonder of the ancient world.

This season’s women’s World Championship is the first to be held in front of the stunning landmark since the men’s World Championship in 2006 and El Welily is the only woman ever to win a trophy in front of the Pyramids courtesy of her Al Ahram Open victory three years ago.

She will appear there again in round three after getting the better of United States No.2 Olivia Blatchford Clyne at the Shooting Club 6th of October, winning 11-8, 12-10, 11-5 in 32 minutes.

“All in all, I was very prepared for Olivia today given how well she is playing this season,” said El Welily after her 11-8, 12-10, 11-5 triumph.

“She must be very disappointed to go out in the second round of this tournament. I honestly think with her level of squash this season she could have gone further. I wish her all the best in her next tournament.

“It’s definitely very good for us [playing at the Pyramids] but I’m not really thinking about it that much. I’m thinking about the glass court, that’s all it is for me. We’ve been looking at the Pyramids all week long, so by now it’s okay for me.”

The 30-year-old will play the experienced Englishwoman Alison Waters for a place in the last eight after she defeated compatriot Julianne Courtice, while 2018-19 World Championship runner-up El Tayeb defeated fellow Egyptian Rowan Elaraby in four games.

It was a meeting of two former World Junior Champions just two weeks after El Tayeb comfortably dispatched Elaraby at the U.S. Open but the latter proved much more of a test this time around, fighting back from three match balls down to force a fourth game this time around.

But El Tayeb held firm to win 13-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8, and she will take on Egypt’s Salma Hany in round three.

“I fell into the trap of being match ball up and thinking that the match was over, but I was very glad that I was able to come back in the fourth and win,” El Tayeb said.

“It’s the one tournament you want to do well at, especially in front of the Pyramids and with it being the World Championship. I’m sure there is going to be a lot of pressure on both of us, but hopefully we can enjoy it and play well.”

Gohar, who comes into the back of this match after winning her third PSA Platinum title at the U.S. Open – beating El Tayeb in the process – was in dominant form against Belgium’s Nele Gilis as she powered to an 11-1, 11-5, 11-5 victory in just 28 minutes.

She will take on Nele’s younger sister, World No.26 Tinne, in the next round, with Tinne overcoming Malaysia’s Aifa Azman 3-0.

“It was a little bit tricky to play this tournament straight after the U.S. Open, but I am just trying to take each game and forget about the U.S. Open and I’m really looking forward to my next match,” said Gohar.

“It feels extra special to be playing on the glass court. The last time we had a tournament there, I didn’t get to play on the glass because I lost first round, so to make it to the glass court in front of the Pyramids is huge and I can’t wait to be there on Sunday.”

There were also wins for the likes of England’s Sarah-Jane Perry and Tesni Evans of Wales. Perry dispatched 2007 champion Rachael Grinham – the 42-year-old playing an unprecedented 300th career PSA tournament – while Evans defeated France’s Coline Aumard and they will go head-to-head in round three.

The men’s CIB Egyptian Squash Open got under way today, with Frenchman Victor Crouin picking up the biggest win of his career to date as he twice came back from a game behind to upset World No.22 Cesar Salazar.

Crouin, ranked No.61 in the world, was making his first appearance at a Platinum tournament, but wasn’t overawed by the occasion as he twice came back from a game down to win 10-12, 11-4, 5-11, 11-1, 11-4 in a battling performance.

Salazar’s level of performance varied dramatically as he looked to be struggling with a hamstring issue at times which stunted his normally impeccable retrieval abilities.
Crouin took advantage as he forced his opponent into some long, testing rallies down the forehand side to force some errors, and he never looked back after going 2-1 down as Salazar dropped off considerably.

“Although he was injured, it’s my best win ever, he is 22nd [in the world], and I’m so happy to get to the next round, even in the circumstances,” Crouin said.

“I had a good start to the season, I won the Marietta Open, then was runner-up against [Greg] Lobban in Cleveland, I was happy with that match, I just lacked consistency I felt.”

Round two action at the CIB PSA Women’s World Championship continues tomorrow from 12:45 (GMT+2) onwards, while the second round of the CIB Egyptian Squash Open begins at 12:00.

Matches at the Great Pyramid of Giza begin at 17:30 and will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour. 

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

Second Round (Top Half):
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [18] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) 3-0: 11-8, 12-10, 11-5 (32m)
[11] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [29] Julianne Courtice (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-6 (33m)
[13] Salma Hany (EGY) bt Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-9 (29m)
[5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [25] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) 3-1: 13-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-8 (47m)
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt [24] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-3 (21m)
[9] Tesni Evans (WAL) bt [31] Coline Aumard (FRA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (28m)
[26] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt [L] Aifa Azman (MAS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 (26m)
[4] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [17] Nele Gilis (BEL) 3-0: 11-1, 11-5, 11-5 (28m)

Second Round (Bottom Half) October 26:
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) v [21] Millie Tomlinson (ENG)
[32] Nada Abbas (EGY) v [15] Yathreb Adel (EGY)
[14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v [27] Donna Lobban (AUS)
[30] Milou van der Heijden (NED) v Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS)
[6] Joelle King (NZL) v [19] Zeina Mickawy (EGY)
[22] Nadine Shahin (EGY) v [10] Annie Au (HKG)
[12] Joshna Chinappa (IND) v Ho Tze-Lok (HKG)
[28] Hollie Naughton (CAN) v [2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)

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)

Men’s 2019 CIB Egyptian Squash Open
First Round:
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt Vikram Malhotra (IND) 3-0: 11-6, 11-9, 11-6 (26m)
Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) 3-0: 13-11, 15-13, 11-8 (45m)
Max Lee (HKG) bt Ivan Yuen (MAS) 3-2: 10-12, 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6 (69m)
Chris Simpson (ENG) bt Edmon Lopez (ESP) 3-0: 11-3, 4-0 retired (10m)
Lucas Serme (FRA) bt Shehab Essam (EGY) 3-0: 11-3, 11-3, 11-1 (26m)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 (48m)
Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) bt Mazen Gamal (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-3, 11-8 (29m)
Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 3-0: 14-13 retired (30m)
Leo Au (HKG) bt Ramit Tandon (IND) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-2 (35m)
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) 3-2: 11-2, 8-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-7 (65m)
Nathan Lake (ENG) bt George Parker (ENG) 3-2: 13-11, 12-10, 8-11, 5-11, 11-7 (82m)
Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 3-1: 11-9, 13-11, 8-11, 11-5 (99m)
Baptiste Masotti (FRA) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (44m)
Raphael Kandra (GER) bt [WC] Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) 3-0: 13-11, 11-7, 12-10 (38m)
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt [WC] Yahya Elnawsany (EGY) 3-1: 11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 11-4 (46m)
Victor Crouin (FRA) bt Cesar Salazar (MEX) 3-2: 10-12, 11-4, 5-11, 11-1, 11-4 (42m)

Second Round (Top Half) October 26:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) v Mazen Hesham (EGY)
Max Lee (HKG) v Daryl Selby (ENG)
Chris Simpson (ENG) v [6] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)
[5] Paul Coll (NZL) v Lucas Serme (FRA)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) v Iker Parajes Bernabeu (ESP)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) v Tsz Fung Yip (HKG)
Fares Dessouky (EGY) v [4] Simon Rosner (GER)

Second Round (Bottom Half) October 27:
[3] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v Greg Lobban (SCO)
Leo Au (HKG) v Adrian Waller (ENG)
Nathan Lake (ENG) v Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)
Mostafa Asal (EGY) v [7] Diego Elias (PER)
[8] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) v Baptiste Masotti (FRA)
Raphael Kandra (GER) v Eain Yow Ng (MAS)
Victor Crouin (FRA) v Zahed Salem (EGY)
Joel Makin (WAL) v [2] Tarek Momen (EGY)

Report by SEAN REUTHE (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.
 

Pictures courtesy of PSA 

MEXICO CITY – Sebastian Vettel set the fastest time of the day during Mexican Grand Prix practice on Friday at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Vettel put his Ferrari on top of the scoring pylon with a 1:16.607, which was .115 seconds ahead of the Red Bull driven by Max Verstappen. From there it was a big gap to the rest of the field, with Charles Leclerc clocking in nearly a half a second slower than his Ferrari teammate.

Valtteri Bottas was fourth fastest overall on the day, .614 seconds behind Vettel. His teammate, championship leader Lewis Hamilton, ended the day nearly a second back of Vettel in fifth after leading the first practice.

The second practice was interrupted when Red Bull’s Alexander Albon, who caught the curb in turn seven and crashed into the barriers, resulting in a lengthy red flag period to remove the stricken Red Bull from the track.

Several other drivers had issues throughout the day, with Leclerc and Bottas both spinning during the second practice, though both continued without incident. Leclerc actually spun twice, with his second spin coming at the end of the second practice.

In the first practice Racing Point’s Lance Stroll also found the barriers after a crash in turn 16, leading to a 10-minute red flag. He was able to returned to the track in the second practice, setting the 11th fastest time.

Yaelimi Noh took control of the LPGA Q-Series field on Friday, following her back-to-back 69s with a third-round, bogey-free 66 at Pinehurst Resort. Noh sits at 9 under overall. 

But Noh is used to being near the top of leaderboards. In August, Noh finished runner-up as a non-member at the Cambia Portland Classic after Monday qualifying to earn her way into the field. She now holds the 54-hole lead in North Carolina, just as she did in Portland that week.

“I know I’m ready and have what it takes to play on the LPGA because of this year, but playing well right now feels really good,” Noh said after her round on Friday. 

One shot behind Noh sits University of Alabama alumna, Emma Talley, who shot a third-round 66 to move her into solo second place at 8 under par. 

Lauren Kim, who held the 36 hole lead, double bogeyed her last hole of the day to shoot even par and fall into a tie for third place with Muni He (67) and Maia Schechter (66). 

The third and final stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament is being contested over 144 holes, with the first 72 played at Pinehurst No. 6. A minimum of the top 45 players and ties will earn LPGA status at the end of the competition. There are 98 players in the field.

A complete list of scores can be found here.