GOLF

Dufner goes low, takes two-shot Zurich lead

Jason Dufner shot a 5-under 67 to take a two-shot lead over Graham DeLaet after three rounds of the Zurich Classic in Avondale, La.

Ernie Els and John Rollins were three shots behind Dufner, who enters the final round at 17 under and looking for his first PGA Tour victory in 163 career starts.

Ryan Palmer tied the course record with an 8-under 64 and was among a group of three players at 13 under.

LPGA: Stacy Lewis birdied five of her last seven holes to shoot a 5-under 67 and take a two-stroke lead over Brittany Lincicome into the final round of the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic in Mobile, Ala.

Lewis, the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship winner, had a 14-under 202 total.

Lincicome, a two-time winner last season, also shot a 67. Karine Icher shot a 68 and was three strokes back.

EUROPEAN TOUR: Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger shot his second straight 7-under 65 to open a five-stroke lead after the third round of the Ballantine’s Championship at Seoul, South Korea.

FOOTBALL

NFL: The New York Giants have offered two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora contract extensions each of the past two seasons.

Speaking shortly after the NFL Draft ended, Giants GM Jerry Reese said the Super Bowl champions kept their options open entering the draft, including the option to sign Umenyiora.

The 29-year-old defensive end has been unhappy with management. He claimed Reese reneged on a promise to rework his contract after the 2010 season. Umenyiora has one year left on his current deal.

“Our first choice with respect to Osi is that he will play for the Giants and retire as a Giant,” Reese said.

SOCCER

MLS: Thierry Henry scored his league-leading ninth goal in the seventh minute, then went down with what appeared to be a serious hamstring injury 15 minutes later as the New York Red Bulls took a 1-0 win over the New England Revolution in Harrison, N.J.

The Red Bulls (4-3-1) remained unbeaten at home (3-0-1).

Rookie goalkeeper Ryan Meara made five saves in recording his first shutout, including a diving stop on Lee Nguyen’s blast in added time.

New England (2-5) was shut out for the fourth time in seven matches and has scored only five goals.

• Bernardo Corradi and Sinisa Ubiparipovic scored in the second half to lead the host Montreal Impact to a 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers.

PREMIER LEAGUE: Wigan routed Newcastle 4-0 for another remarkable win in its attempt to avoid relegation, and severely dented its opponent’s chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

Wigan is three points ahead of the three-team relegation zone. Bolton remained in 18th place despite rallying for a 2-2 draw at Sunderland through Kevin Davies’ second goal of the game, while Aston Villa is still in danger after a 0-0 draw at West Bromwich Albion.

TENNIS

BARCELONA OPEN: Six-time champion Rafael Nadal defeated Fernando Verdasco 6-0, 6-4 to ease into the final in Barcelona, Spain, where he will face fellow Spaniard David Ferrer for a fourth time.

Ferrer overcame Milos Raonic’s powerful serve for a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) victory to give him a shot at his fourth title of the year.

PORSCHE GRAND PRIX: Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka will face No. 2 Maria Sharapova in the final today in Stuttgart, Germany.

Azarenka cruised past Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 6-3 in the first semifinal, and Sharapova outlasted No. 3 Petra Kvitova, the Wimbledon champion, 6-4, 7-6 (3).

PREP SCHOOLS

SOFTBALL: Suzanna Borg struck out nine while pitching a four-hitter and also had the only hit of the game for Berwick Academy (3-4, 2-4) in a 5-1 loss against Newton Country Day at South Berwick.

— From staff and news services