Mark Calcavecchia tied the course record to take a share of the third-round lead alongside Heath Slocum at the Pods Championship on Saturday.
Calcavecchia nabbed 10 birdies, including a 20-foot downhill birdie at the 18th for a 9-under-par 62 and a total of 204.
"I felt the best today physically that I felt all week, and really had an inkling I was going to play pretty well after the second hole," said Calcavecchia, whose 28-under 256 total at the 2001 Phoenix Open is the second-lowest 72-hole score in PGA Tour history.
It was the day's best score by four shots, and by time the overnight leaders finished some three hours later, only Slocum (67) had caught Calcavecchia. Slocum also birdied the last to claim his share of the lead.
Calcavecchia and Slocum were one shot ahead of defending champion KJ Choi (67).
Brian Gay, Lucas Glover, Chris DiMarco and Pat Perez are three shots off the pace.
Calcavecchia, 46, had his bags packed ready for an early getaway after an opening-round 75, during which he needed 36 putts.
However, he found his touch on the greens on Friday, needing just 23 putts, and he had another 23 on Saturday.
Five birdies in the first six holes set the tone for the day, and a bogey at the par-three eighth proved just a temporary hiccup as he added five more birdies on the back nine. His birdie at the last came after an errant tee shot left him in a fairway bunker, from where he hooked a 7-iron around a clump of trees to the heart of the green.
"I knew I wasn't going to hit too many bad shots, based on the way I felt, and the way my putter felt again," Calcavecchia said. "I certainly didn't know I was going to do this, so it's a nice surprise."
Calcavecchia said a new putter that he bought at a golf equipment store for US$256 last week had made the difference.
"I had 36 putts [on Thursday]. We all go through stretches where you can't hit the hole from outside about two feet and I was in that mode," he said.
It wasn't just the new putter that caused his transformation. He also "figured out" something with his grip, loosened his right hand and immediately reaped the benefits.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and