Most Recent Posts

ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — Whether it's because of her improved play or the reason for it, Michelle Wie appears as comfortable on and off the golf course as at any time in her career.

Wie continued her season-long surge on the LPGA Tour on Saturday, shooting her second straight 5-under 66 to take a two-shot lead in the suspended second round of the NW Arkansas Championship.

The performance put the U.S. Women's Open champion within a round of back-to-back wins for the first time in her LPGA Tour career, not that she showed any signs of stress after reaching 10 under overall.

In fact, shortly after surging into the lead at Pinnacle Country Club, Wie joined PGA Tour pros Rickie Fowler and Keegan Bradley as part of a social media challenge in dumping a bucket of ice water on herself on the driving range.

Yes, life is good at the moment for Wie.

"I think it comes hand in hand," Wie said about her winning and revamped attitude. "... I played really well toward the end of the year last year ... took a lot of time off, took about a month and a half. So, I just felt really refreshed, and I think it comes hand in hand."

All 72 players in the afternoon session were unable to finish on Saturday because of thunderstorms, with second-round play expected to finish early Sunday before the final round begins later in the morning.

Before the rain arrived, the morning pairings were once again left chasing Wie — who earned her first major victory at the U.S. Women's Open last week at Pinehurst after winning earlier in the season in her home state of Hawaii.

So Yeon Ryu, paired with Wie, was second at 8 under after her second straight 67, while Suzann Pettersen, Chella Choi and Line Vedel were three strokes back. Pettersen had a 67, Choi shot 65, and Vedel had five holes left.

Top-ranked and local favorite Stacy Lewis was four shots behind at 6 under, a week after finishing a shot behind Wie at Pinehurst. The two are training and practice partners in Florida, and Wie couldn't help but challenge her friend to the ice bucket shower after her dousing.

"Michelle's obviously playing some really good golf," Lewis said. "I'm going to have to shoot a good number tomorrow. ... At least I put a good number up today, and we'll see what happens tomorrow."

Lewis made the early charge Saturday to close within a shot of first-round leader Alena Sharp, much to the delight of the pro-Arkansas crowd — where Lewis played collegiately.

For the second straight day, however, Wie saved her best for the back.

She jumped into contention with a 4-under 31 on the back nine on Friday. After teeing off on the back nine Saturday, she once again closed with a flurry — birdieing four of her final seven holes to shoot a 4-under 32 and surge into the lead.

She putted 29 times on Saturday, a day after needing 28 in her opening round using her more hunched-over style.

"These days, Michelle's on fire," Ryu said. "I played with her today and yesterday, and her putting was awesome. I think that's why she could win a major tournament."

Wie put the finishing touch on her round — and quest for a second straight tournament victory — with a 3-foot birdie putt on No. 9 that put her within reach of back-to-back wins.

"I just want to kind of get through tomorrow," Wie said. "But at the same time, it is definitely in the back of my mind ... If I can get it done, hopefully it will happen."

Wie held off Lewis by a shot to win her first major title in the U.S Women's Open. Playing a group behind Lewis on Saturday, Wie bogeyed her second hole, No. 11, and recovered with a birdie on the par-5 14th.

She followed that with a second straight birdie on a par 5, getting up and down off the fringe on No. 18 to reach 6 under. Her birdie spree followed on the front nine, with large galleries following both Lewis and Wie.

Lewis followed a sluggish first round in which she putted 31 times by needing only 24 putts on Saturday. She stumbled with a bogey out of the greenside bunker on the par-3 fourth hole before recovering with birdies on No. 5 and 9.

She'll need more of the same if she or anyone else is to catch Wie on Sunday.

"It's going to have to be something pretty low," Lewis said. "The way Michelle and a lot of those girls play, they're not really going to come back to us."

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (AP) — Brazil and Chile were even at 1-1 at halftime in the second round of the World Cup following goals by David Luiz and Alexis Sanchez.

Brazil took the lead in the 18th minute after Thiago Silva deflected Neymar's corner kick toward the far post. Luiz was given the goal but Chile defender Gonzalo Jara may have touched the ball before it went in.

Chile equalized in the 32nd after Eduardo Vargas intercepted Hulk's pass and found Sanchez in the area. The Barcelona striker scored from the right side of the penalty area with a shot toward the far post.

Brazil has reached the quarterfinals at the last five World Cups. Chile has not advanced past the second round since it hosted the 1962 tournament.

ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia man charged with murder after his 22-month-old son died in a hot SUV searched online for information about kids dying in cars and told police he feared it could happen, according to documents released Saturday as the boy's family held his funeral in Alabama.

The warrants released by the Cobb County Police Department provide more insight into the investigation of Cooper Harris' death on June 18.

Justin Ross Harris, 33, has told police he was supposed to drive his son to day care that morning but drove to work without realizing that his son was strapped into a car seat in the back.

In an interview after his son's death, Harris told investigators that he had done an online search on what temperature could cause a child's death in a vehicle. The warrant doesn't specify when Harris did the searches.

"During an interview with Justin, He stated that he recently researched, through the internet, child deaths inside vehicles and what temperature it needs to be for that to occur. Justin stated that he was fearful that this could happen," one of the four warrants released to The Associated Press stated.

Harris also told police he was on his way to meet friends after work when he realized his son was in the back seat and pulled into a shopping center to get help, according to the warrants.

Harris is charged with murder and second-degree child cruelty in his son's death, and remained in jail on Saturday as family members held a funeral in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Harris called the ceremony from the Cobb County Jail in Marietta, Georgia, and emotionally thanked people for their support since his arrest hours after the boy's death.

"(Cooper) never did anything to anyone," Harris said. "I'm just sorry I can't be there."

The boy's mother, Leanna Harris, also made her first comments about her son's death and the charges against her husband at the funeral ceremony.

""Ross was and is a wonderful father," Harris said to the applause of about 250 mourners according to the newspaper.

Police have said facts in the case "do not point toward simple negligence." A previously released arrest warrant stated that Harris stopped with his son for breakfast and returned to put something inside his car during the day while the child was still inside. The Cobb County Medical Examiner's office said Wednesday that it believes the cause of Cooper Harris' death was hyperthermia and manner of death was homicide.

The temperature that day was 88 degrees at 5:16 p.m., according to a warrant filed the day after the child died.

Police searched the Marietta, Georgia condo where the family lives, looking for a laptop, electronic devices documents, photographs and any "evidence of child neglect, child abuse." They also searched Harris' cellphone and the light blue 2011 Hyundai Tucson that Harris was driving when his son died.

In an obituary published this week, the child's family said Justin Ross Harris and his wife, Leanna, were "the most proud parents there could ever have been."

Cooper Harris loved trucks and cars, had just learned the color red and was a happy baby, it read.

"His 22 months of life were the most happy and fulfilling times of his mother's and father's lives, and we will miss him greatly," the obituary read.

___

Associated Press writer Kate Brumback contributed to this report.

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (AP) — Brazil defender David Luiz will play in Saturday's second round match against Chile at the World Cup despite a back injury that forced him out of the team's training session two days ago.

Luiz participated in part of the team's practice on Friday before undergoing an MRI scan to find out the extent of the injury. The Brazilian federation said nothing serious was detected, but he would remain undergoing treatment until just before the match.

Fernandinho is starting in Brazil's midfield instead of Paulinho. Fernandinho came on as a halftime substitute in Brazil's last group match against Cameroon, setting up a goal and scoring another in the 4-1 win in Fortaleza.

Central defender Gary Medel and midfielder Arturo Vidal will both start for Chile despite injury problems.

Vidal, who had knee surgery last month and hurt his right Achilles tendon in Brazil, was benched in Chile's previous match against Netherlands. Medel has been troubled by a muscle injury.

___

Lineups:

Brazil: Julia Cesar; Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Marcelo; Luiz Gustavo, Fernandinho, Oscar; Hulk, Fred, Neymar.

Chile: Claudio Bravo; Mauricio Isla, Gary Medel, Eugenio Mena, Francisco Silva, Gonzalo Jara; Arturo Vidal, Marcelo Diaz, Charles Aranguiz; Alexis Sanchez, Eduardo Vargas.