Levi, Finland
The Olympic and world champion shifted her focus in practice to super-G and even downhill, but her reign in the slalom discipline has remained unaffected.
Shiffrin held on to a comfortable opening-run lead to win the first women’s World Cup slalom of the season on Saturday in freezing conditions of 16 degrees, dropping even more to around 7 degrees for the second run.
She finished in a two-run combined time of 1 minute, 52.71 seconds, 0.67 ahead of Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener.
Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova came 0.75 back in third.
“Now I almost feel like I wish there was more time before the next races so I could train more and improve more,” Shiffrin said about increasing the number of speed events on her schedule.
The rest of Saturday’s field trailed Shiffrin by at least a second, while Sweden’s Frida Hansdotter, who was runner-up after the opening leg, failed to finish her second run.
Shiffrin’s ninth consecutive win left her one short of Janica Kostelic’s record. The Croatian great won 10 straight slaloms that she competed in between December 1999 and February 2001.
Avondale, Ariz.
The final four for next weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be a battle between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Joe Gibbs.
Both car owners got two drivers each into the championship field the first year NASCAR rolled out the Chase for its lower two national series. The Chase uses the same elimination format as the Sprint Cup Series, and eight drivers were competing for the final four slots on Saturday night.
Daniel Suarez and Erik Jones, both driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, got in. JR Motorsports qualified Justin Allgaier and Elliott Sadler.
But, after the race, Sadler’s car was being inspected by NASCAR for an apparent loose lug nut on his car. It’s unclear if Sadler could face a points penalty that would knock him out of the championship field.
Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
Woodland finished with a 5-under 66 to reach 18-under 195 on Mayakoba’s Greg Norman-designed El Camaleon course. He won the last of his two tour titles in 2013.
Pat Perez was second after a 62. He played the front nine in 7-under 29, making an eagle on the par-5 fifth. The one-time tour winner recently returned from shoulder surgery.
Scott Piercy was 16 under after a 66, Seamus Power (64) was 15 under, and Webb Simpson (69) followed at 14 under.
At Scottsdale, Ariz., Paul Goydos shot a 3-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the PGA Tour Champions’ season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Colin Montgomerie, third in Charles Schwab Cup season standings, remained second. He followed his opening 65 with a 66. The Scot matched playing partner Goydos with a closing birdie.
At Mexico City, Austin Ernst shot her second straight 5-under 67 to take the third-round lead in the Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Invitational.
The 24-year-old American won the 2014 Portland Classic for her lone LPGA Tour title.
Dawn Coe-Jones, the Canadian Golf Hall of Famer who won three times on the LPGA Tour, died Saturday after an eight-month battle with cancer. She was 56. She was diagnosed with bone cancer this year.
Seattle
Valencia played four positions for Oakland last season and hit .287 with 17 home runs and 51 RBIs in 130 games.