Michelle Wie leads HSBC Women's Champions in two in Singapore

March 5 (UPI) -- American Michelle Wie, looking for her first win since the 2014 U.S. Women's Open, shot a 5-under 67 Saturday to take a two-shot lead into the final round of the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore.

Wie's 54-hole total of 14-under 202 on the Tanjong Course at Sentosa Golf Club leads a trio of players in second place, including the top two players in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings -- No. 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand.

Ko, who also shot a 67, and Jutanugarn, who carded a 69, share second place with South Korea's Sung Hyun Park, who posted a 68.

TENNIS

World No. 1 Andy Murray claimed his first title of the year with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Fernando Verdasco in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships at United Arab Emirates.

The Scot, runner-up the tournament in 2012, coasted to victory in one hour and 13 minutes over the unseeded Spaniard, ranked No. 35 in the world. Murray improved to 13-1 in matches against Verdasco.

--Australian qualifier Ashleigh Barty reached her first WTA singles final with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Han Xinyun of China at the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Nao Hibino of Japan captured the other semifinal with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Magda Linette of Poland in 2 hours, 25 minutes.

NHL

The Detroit Red Wings sent goaltender Jimmy Howard to the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins for another conditioning assignment.

Howard, 32, sprained his right knee on Dec. 20 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and tweaked it during the second of two conditioning games in Grand Rapids in mid-February.

He made 40 saves IN two starts with a 1-1-0 record, but he left his second game midway through the third period due to the injury.

Howard has been limited to 17 games for the Red Wings this season, posting a 5-7-1 record.