Transcript
Page 1: - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2012 Sports DAILY NEWS, BOWLING ...nyx.uky.edu/dips/xt70gb1xdj12/data/32_70136_DN20120212B16.pdf · 12/02/2012  · The last two weeks haven’t been too kind

By The Associated PressPEBBLE BEACH, Calif. —

Charlie Wi played bogey-free atSpyglass Hill for a 3-under 69 tobuild a three-shot lead Saturday inthe Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Now it’s time for him to facehis demons of self-doubt – alongwith a familiar force in golf.

Tiger Woods took another steptoward showing his game is near-ly back. He ran off five birdies ina six-hole stretch early in hisround at Pebble Beach and had a5-under 67 that put him four shotsbehind going into the final round,the closest he has been to the 54-hole lead in a regular PGA Tourevent since the 2010 Masters.

With a new swing, it’s startingto look like the old Tiger.

“But the scenario doesn’tchange,” Woods said. “The ulti-mate goal is to win a golf tourna-ment.”

That’s something Wi has neverdone in 162 previous PGA Tourevents. Wi, who was at 15-under199, has a 54-hole lead for onlythe second time on tour. He had aone-shot lead at Colonial last yearand was runner-up to DavidToms.

This time, Wi will be in the lastgroup with someone in a familiarspot. Ken Duke, who is winless in142 starts on the PGA Tour, shot a65 at Monterey Peninsula.

The last two weeks haven’tbeen too kind to 54-hole leaders.Kyle Stanley lost a five-shot leadat Torrey Pines, and SpencerLevin blew a six-shot lead the fol-lowing week in the PhoenixOpen. Both were going for theirfirst PGA Tour win.

Your turn, Charlie.“I haven’t really thought about

that,” Wi said when asked if itwere a blessing or a burden to bein front. “But I enjoy being in thelead. It’s a lot more fun than try-ing to come from behind. I knowthat tonight is going to be veryexciting, and I’m sure I won’tsleep as well as if I’m in 50thplace. But that’s what we play for,and I’m really excited.”

Along with Woods in the hunt,Phil Mickelson managed to stayin contention despite playing thepar 5s at Pebble Beach in 1-overpar. He saved par on the 18th fora 70. That put him in a tie forfourth, six shots behind, and apossible date in the final round

with Woods.Padraig Harrington was chas-

ing the lead until a sloppy finish atSpyglass Hill – a bogey on thepar-5 seventh, and a double bogeyon the eighth. He had to settle fora 72 and dropped seven shotsbehind in a tie for ninth.

Even so, it served up quite thefinale for today.

Wi is No. 175 in the world,while Duke is at No. 258. Theyhave combined for 304 startswithout a win. Right behind themare Woods and Mickelson, whohave combined for 18 majors and110 PGA Tour wins.

Also in the group at 9-under205 are two-time Pebble Beachwinner Dustin Johnson, who hada 70 at Monterey Peninsula, andHunter Mahan, who had a 70 atSpyglass Hill.

“It’s really fun, especiallywhen the big guys are up there,”Duke said. “That’s when every-one is out there watching. If youdo perform well and play well,they will be watching you, aswell. It’s going to be fun.”

With a short burst of birdies, it

looked as though Woods was hav-ing a blast.

Coming off his lone bogey atNo. 12, Woods looked as thoughhe were headed for another one.From the left fairway bunker onthe 13th, he overcut his 9-iron somuch that it was headed for deeprough right of the green. Instead,it bounced off a mound backtoward the green, took the grainand settled a foot beneath the holefor a tap-in birdie.

Woods watched the ball takethe hard hop, listened to thegallery around the green cheerwildly, and just smiled.

“Looked like I was having atough time making par, and I wasmaking birdie, and off we go,”Woods said. “Sometimes, weneed those type of momentumswings in a round, and from there,I made some putts.”

He rolled in a 10-foot birdieputt on the 14th, then had a 25-foot putt up the slope on the 15th.One of the amateurs in his grouphad a similar putt, so Woods wasable to look at the break. Helearned well, extending his left

arm as he often does before theputt drops. And it did.

Woods made good birdie puttsfrom 20 feet on the 17th and 8 feeton the 18th, where he also got asmall break. Not wanting to hitdriver in the first place because hecouldn’t reach in two, he cameout of the shot. It looked like itmight go out-of-bounds until it hita CBS spotter and settled behindthe bunkers.

Woods made an easy birdie onthe par-5 second, but that was hit.He had to save par on the shortpar-4 fourth from a bunker, anddidn’t give himself enough goodlooks the rest of the way.

No matter. He moved up theleaderboard, higher than he hasbeen in some time on this tour.

Woods played in the finalgroup two weeks ago in AbuDhabi, tied for the lead withRobert Rock, and he had his poor-est day striking the ball and fin-ished in a tie for third. He playedin the final group at his ChevronWorld Challenge at the end of lastyear and birdied the last two holesto beat Zach Johnson.

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GOLF

MELBOURNE, Australia(AP) — American teenager Jes-sica Korda moved into positionfor a two-sport, father-daughterAustralian double, shooting par73 in windy conditions Saturdayto take a 1-shot lead at theWomen’s Australian Open atRoyal Melbourne.

Korda, the 18-year-olddaughter of 1998 AustralianOpen tennis champion PetrKorda, had a 4-under 215 totalin the LPGA Tour opener on thehistoric club’s difficult Compos-ite Course. She opened withrounds of 72 and 70 at the 2011Presidents Cup venue that’shosting a women’s professionalevent for the first time.

“It would mean a lot,” Kordasaid about following her fatherwith a Melbourne victory. “MyDad was world No. 2. I told himI want to beat that. It would be agreat accomplishment, an awe-some thing.”

So Yeon Ryu, the U.S.Women’s Open champion whotook a one-stroke lead into thethird round, was a stroke backalong with fellow South Korean

player Hee Kyung Seo and Aus-tralia’s Nikki Campbell. Ryushot a 76, Seo had a 75, andCampbell a 70.

“Normally my play style isvery aggressive, but this course,it’s definitely not,” Ryu said.“Always my plan is just par.”

Top-ranked Yani Tseng, thewinner the last two years atCommonwealth Golf Club,topped the group at 2 under aftera 71. The Taiwanese star wasstill smarting from a three-holestretch Friday in her second-round 76 when she dropped sixstrokes with a quadruple-bogey8 and two bogeys.

“I think I’m in very goodposition, especially with acourse like this,” Tseng said.“So, tomorrow I’ll play moreaggressive and try to get asmany birdies as I can.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates(AP) — Lee Westwood tookadvantage of some shaky playfrom Rory McIlroy and ThomasBjorn, shooting a 5-under 67 for aone-stroke lead on Rafael Cabr-era-Bello after the third round ofthe Dubai Desert Classic.

Westwood was three shotsbehind overnight leaders McIlroyand Bjorn at the start of the roundbut closed the gap with threebirdies in his first four holes. Thethird-ranked Englishman birdiedthe 13th for a share of the leadwith Bjorn and led when the Danebogeyed the 15th.

“I got off to a good start,”Westwood said. “The only time Idropped two shots was when I hittwo poor drives on 6 into the leftrough, got a heavy lie and at 8 hitit into the sand on right. Otherthan that, very solid and gavemyself lots of birdie chances.”

Joining Cabrera-Bello at one-shot back were Stephen Gallacher(68) and Marcel Siem (68). McIl-roy, who struggled early, finishedwith a 72 to trail Westwood bytwo shots. Bjorn was three behindthe leader with a 73.

Coming into Saturday, itappeared Westwood’s biggestchallengers this weekend wouldbe U.S. Open champion McIlroyand Bjorn, who beat Tiger Woodsin 2001 to take the Dubai title.

But McIlroy’s tee shot on No. 7went into the water for his firstbogey. He had three more bogeyson the back nine.

“It was pretty ragged to say theleast,” McIlroy said. “I think theconditions were a little tougher,the wind got up. The greens got alittle firmer, pin positions were alittle tougher ... just definitely did-n’t come as easy to me as it didthe first couple of days.”

Wi keeps lead; Woods surges

Marcio Jose Sanchez/APTiger Woods follows his drive Saturday from the ninth tee of the Pebble Beach Golf Links during the thirdround of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Korda takes 1-shotlead at Aussie Open

“My dad was worldNo. 2. I told him Iwant to beat that.”

Jessica KordaAustralian Open leader

McIlroy two shots backof Westwood at Dubai

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