Tiger Woods was in a three-way share of the lead after wrestling with his game in the third round of the Australian Masters at Kingston Heath yesterday.
The 14-time major winner endured a frustrating day of two birdies and two bogeys in his par round of 72, a far cry from his dominant 10-under after the opening two rounds.
Woods (66-68-72) goes into today’s final round locked in the lead with Australians Greg Chalmers (68-69-69) and James Nitties (66-71-69) on 10-under 206.
The US world No. 1 struggled to recapture the form that left the huge Australian galleries drooling over his shot-making in his first tournament appearance in Australia since 1998.
It looked as though Woods would stretch his overnight three-stroke lead after a birdie at the second hole, but he bogeyed the next and could not get to grips with the Kingston Heath links course, made harder by windier conditions.
American playing partner Jason Dufner, who led briefly after four birdies in six holes in the outward nine, faded to joint fourth with a 69 with Australian Cameron Percy (67-72-69) on eight-under 208.
Woods birdied the second hole with a 30-footer to howls of delight from the large gallery, but he came to grief at the next with his second bogey of the tournament.
His approach chip left him on the edge of the third green and he left his putt four feet short and three-putted for bogey.
But it was a mixed outward nine holes for Woods, who missed a five-footer for birdie on the sixth as Dufner joined him in the lead after three birdies in four holes.
Dufner sunk a 25-footer for another birdie at the eighth forcing Woods to make a pressure 15-foot put for par to keep his playing partner’s lead to one stroke.
Chalmers raced to the outright lead at 11-under after four birdies in his outward nine.
■LPGA
AFP, GUADALAJARA, MEXICO
Jiyai Shin, vying to add the LPGA Player of the Year award to Rookie of the Year honors, seized the lead in the Lorena Ochoa Invitational Friday with a six-under 66.
The 21-year-old from South Korea, a three-time winner on the US tour this year, came into the event with a four-point lead over world number one Ochoa in the player of the year race.
She topped the leaderboard at 11-under 133.
Americans Michelle Wie (66) and Paula Creamer (69) were tied for second on 136. Overnight leader Song-Hee Kim of South Korea fired a 72 for 137.
It was a further two strokes back to Norway’s Suzann Pettersen (67), Brittany Lincicome (70), Cristie Kerr (70), Brittany Lang (70) and Colombia’s Maria Jose Uribe (72) on 139, while Ochoa was in a group on 140 after a 69 at Guadalajara Country Club.
Taiwan’s Yani Tseng fired a 68 for 140, while compatriot Candie Kung trailed at 142 after firing a 69.
Shin can secure Player of the Year if she wins and Ochoa finishes eighth or worse.
Otherwise, the honor will be decided at the LPGA Tour Championship in Houston next week.
The 2025 International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Mr Universe Chinese Taipei competition began yesterday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, with more than 150 athletes showcasing their physiques. It is the first time in 16 years that the IFBB has held a competition in Taiwan, the last being the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung. The professional bodybuilding contest is bringing together athletes from Taiwan and 16 other countries, including Malaysia, Japan, the US, France and Mexico. IFBB Chinese Taipei president Hsu An-chin said in an interview yesterday that the event came to Taiwan thanks to his lobbying efforts at last
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Cycling great Marianne Vos won the opening stage of the women’s Tour de France with a brilliant late attack on Saturday. The 38-year-old Dutchwoman overtook her Visma–Lease a Bike teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prevot approaching the line, and then held off Mauritian rider Kim Le Court in the closing meters of a grueling uphill finish. Ferrand-Prevot looked set to win the stage, but the Frenchwoman attacked too early from 600m and could not withstand the late surge from Vos, who punched the air with her left fist as she crossed the line. Moments later, Vos hugged an exhausted-looking Ferrand-Prevot, the Paris-Roubaix winner. “I didn’t know if
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
RSS