bama 17-0 at halftime in their opener but lost 21-20. Against So

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- Rickie Fowler is playing so well that he cant stop looking behind instead of considering the opportunity that lies ahead at The Barclays.His wedge to 5 feet for a birdie on the 18th hole Saturday not only gave him a 3-under 68 and a one-shot lead over Patrick Reed, it was his 45th consecutive hole without a bogey at Bethpage Black, one of the strongest golf courses of the year.In three rounds, he has made only one bogey.That was on the ninth hole Thursday, a 4-foot putt that spun hard around the cup back at him. And yes, it still gnaws at him.Unfortunately, that one bogey ... it was more than a 180-degree lipout, he said with a smile. So it was basically like going 54 holes, no bogeys. Around this place, Im happy about that. Its been very close to having the game be where it is right now.The timing could not be better for Fowler.He is in solid position to win for the first time on the PGA Tour in a year, and to play his way onto the U.S. Ryder Cup team.This is the final tournament for Americans to earn one of the eight automatic spots for the Ryder Cup matches at Hazeltine at the end of next month. Fowler was at No. 12 going into the opening FedEx Cup event and needed at least a third-place finish to earn a spot.Its nice to finally see some putts go in, Fowler said. With a few putts going in, it frees up the rest of your game. Ive been swinging well for a long time, and Ive been waiting for the putter to catch up.Along with three birdies, he made a pair of 10-foot par putts and a 25-foot par putt in the third round.Fowler was at 9-under 204, and his work was not done. Not even close.Reed overcame three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the front nine and was tied for the lead on the back nine until the final two holes. Reed missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 17th, and his 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole almost missed weakly to the right. He still managed a 71.Right behind was Adam Scott, who also saw his share of putts go in, especially a 45-foot birdie on the 15th hole. Scott started out his round by holing a lob wedge from 98 yards for an eagle, and his 65 was the lowest score of the tournament.Scott, who hasnt seriously contended since his back-to-back victories in Florida five months ago, was two shots behind at 7-under 206.Martin Laird (69) and Emiliano Grillo (71) were three shots back, while defending champion Jason Day (70) and Justin Thomas (66) were in the group four shots back.Fowler won against a strong field in Abu Dhabi at the start of the year, and he lost a two-shot lead with two holes to play in the Phoenix Open. Since then, he hasnt been much of a factor has his ranking -- in the FedEx Cup and the Ryder Cup -- began to plunge.Not wanting to take a chance on being among the four captains picks, he has a chance Sunday to secure his spot for Hazeltine.Its pretty simple, Fowler said. Ive got to take care of business tomorrow. Its been awhile since Ive been in this position. Its going to be tough tomorrow. Were on one of the -- if not the -- toughest golf courses we play all year. Its been a long time coming, and its going to be fun.Reed, dressed all in black on another scorching afternoon on Long Island, managed to escape with a bogey from a horrible lie right of the third green. He muffed a chip on the fifth hole and made bogey, then drove well right into a bunker and made another bogey on the sixth hole. He bounced back with a pair of birdies, and made all pars on the back nine. Considering the difficulty of the Blacks back nine, that was more than enough to stay in the game.Scott can relate to how Fowler is feeling with the putter. He had no complaints with how he played tee-to-green, but he was getting aggravated with his putting. One good round, finally, changed his outlook.The front nine is the gettable nine, and to turn in 4 under set up my round, Scott said. I knew anything under par on the back, I would have a great round, and that was kind of my goal. I rolled a couple long ones in, and that felt good and kept the momentum going. Hopefully, something to build on for tomorrow and beyond.Jordan Spieth scrambled his way out of the rough and the sand. Spieth didnt hit a fairway from the second hole until the 15th, yet he still played even par. But on the par-3 17th, he flubbed a chip and took double bogey, and a birdie on the final hole gave him a 72. He was six shots behind. 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Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen walked through the locker room after the Bulldogs beat Massachusetts and noticed that his players didnt know whether to celebrate.Guys arent sure, he said after the Bulldogs rebounded from a mediocre first half -- again -- to win 47-35 on Saturday.Thats how young a team we are: `Are we supposed to smile? We won a game but I made a mistake, Mullen said, imitating his players confusion. Yeah, we won a game. Enjoy it.The Bulldogs (2-2) have struggled all season with inconsistency, and it was never more frustrating than when they spotted then-No. 20 LSU a 20-point lead last week, rallying to lose 23-20. Against UMass, Mississippi State trailed 14-6 with less than two minutes remaining in the first half before finding a rhythm.Nick Fitzgerald led the Bulldogs 65 yards in 80 seconds, hitting Fred Ross for a 9-yard touchdown to make it a one-point game at the half. In the third quarter, the two connected for a 46-yard touchdown before UMass scored to retake the lead.Then the Bulldogs scored two touchdowns just 17 seconds apart, on Aeris Williams 16-yard run and then another on the next play from scrimmage when Jamoral Graham returned an interception 38 yards for a score.Everybody was hyped and they wouldnt even let me sit down, Graham said. And I was tired.Four minutes later, Fitzgerald hit Farrod Green from 13 yards out to make it 41-21 just before the end of the third quarter.Fitzgerald completed 25 of 38 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns, and he also ran for 110 yards. Fred Ross caught eight passes for 126 yards and two TDs for Mississippi State, which once again struggled to play well for two halves in a row.Its hard to get a win, Williams said. But we were way superior to them.Andrew Ford, making his second start for the injured Ross Comis, completed 24 of 40 passes for 2773 yards and four touchdowns for UMass (1-3).dddddddddddd But he also overthrew his receiver on the first play after Mississippi States go-ahead touchdown, and Graham was there to make it 34-21.UMass failed to move on its next possession and punted it back to the Bulldogs, who took over on their own 39-yard line. Fitzgerald went 3 for 3 on the drive and also added a 15-yard run as Mississippi State converted its third touchdown in 4 minutes, 11 seconds.I had a good time coaching the game, UMass coach Mark Whipple said. Our guys battled. Im proud of them. There was a lot more good than bad.HALFSIESIn addition to the LSU loss, the Bulldogs also led South Alabama 17-0 at halftime in their opener but lost 21-20. Against South Carolina, Mississippi State led 24-0 at halftime before holding on for a 27-14 win.We play a good half here and a good half there, Fitzgerald said. Weve just got to string two good halves together and get rid of the terrible ones.SCORINGMarquis Young ran for 125 yards, including an 83-yard touchdown in the first quarter that gave UMass a 7-3 lead. Jalen Williams caught two touchdown passes, and Bernard Davis and Sadiq Palmer each had one for the Minutemen.THE TAKEAWAY:MISSISSIPPI STATE: The Bulldogs needed this game to replace Tulane on the schedule. UMass agreed as long as MSU came to New England first. The Minutemen will visit Starkville next year and again in 2020.UMASS: You cant say UMass, one of just four FBS independents, is afraid to schedule tough opponents. The Minutemen have now played two SEC teams and one from the Atlantic Coast Conference, along with Florida International.UP NEXTMISSISSIPPI STATE: A week off before hosting Auburn.UMASS: Tulane on the UMass campus in Amherst. ' ' '