Sun, Feb 15, 2004 - Page 22 News List

Steve Webster boosts lead in ANZ Championship

AP , PORT STEPHENS, AUSTRALIA

England's Steve Webster increased his lead to five points in the ANZ Championship, scoring 12 points in the third round Saturday.

Webster had seven birdies and two bogeys on the Horizons Golf Resort course to push his points total to 39 in the modified Stableford event. In the unique scoring system, players receive 8 points for double eagle, 5 for eagle, 2 for birdie, nothing for par, minus-1 for bogey, and minus-3 for double bogey or higher.

Australia's Nick O'Hern was second with 34 points, followed by countrymen Scott Gardiner (32) and Nick Flanagan (31), the US Amateur champion. American Ricky Barnes was at 30 along with France's Thomas Levet.

Barnes was called by tournament director Andrew Langford-Jones on Saturday morning after an American TV viewer sent an email to organizers saying that the 2002 US Amateur champion should be disqualified for improving his line by moving sand before attempting a putt on the 11th hole on Friday.

Barnes watched TV footage of the incident with officials from the Australasian and European Tours, which are co-sanctioning the event, and explained that he'd legally moved a "loose impediment" and not sand. He was cleared by tournament officials.

On Friday, Laura Davies missed the cut with a two-day total of minus-13 points -- 40 points behind the second-round leader. The Englishwoman is the first female player to compete in an event sanctioned by the European and Australasian tours.

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