Stuart Appleby roller-coastered his way to a two-stroke lead over K.J. Choi with one round to play at the AT&T National on Saturday.
Tournament host Tiger Woods, meanwhile, made par on 15 of 18 holes and rued what could have been. Putt after putt missed by just inches - a 37-footer at No. 2, a 6-footer at No. 3, a 21-footer at No. 13, a 14-footer at No. 14. The result was a 69 that gave him a 208 total and tied for eighth - seven shots off the lead.
"I turned a 63 or 64 into a 69 very smoothly," Woods said without exaggeration.
He had six birdie putts that stopped less than a foot from the hole, and two more that settled less than 2 feet away on a hot and humid afternoon at Congressional Country Club.
Appleby, playing with a hairline crack in his driver, shot 2-under 68 for a 9-under 201 total, putting him in position to win the event that bears the name of his good friend and neighbor in Orlando, Florida.
"I'm not concerned who honors an event or who titles an event or anything," said Appleby, seeking his ninth tour victory and first of 2007. "Because winning, once you've won or had a drought, it feels great. And not winning feels a little shallow and empty. So if I could join all the good feelings in winning and with Tiger, his inaugural event - I'm sure I'll let him know. He'll be back at me, trust me. He's got a quick tongue."
For every breathtaking iron shot - such as the approach to 5 feet at No. 3 - there was a hole such as No. 12, when the Aussie found the rough with his tee shot and three-putted for a bogey.
Appleby's round included five birdies, three bogeys and par saves such as the nervy 10-foot putt at the 18th, a change of pace from the steady play that had put him in a tie for the lead after two rounds when he had only two bogeys in his first 36 holes - fewest in the field.
"It was a demanding golf course today," Appleby said. "There was a little bit more respect to be had, watching for the balls to be bouncing off the fairways and running with the contours a little bit more."
Then, at the 16th tee box, Appleby discovered a barely visible hairline fracture in his driver. A rules official declared the club was not "substantially unfit" and therefore could remain in Appleby's bag - which is a good thing for him because he likes the way it is striking the ball. Besides, he didn't bring a backup driver to this tournament.
"I could have 50 more shots in it. I could have one," Appleby said. "Probably makes better sense to probably see if I can rustle one up."
Woods' frustration showed at No. 18, when he had his only bogey of the day. He made two angry swipes with his club after driving his tee shot into the left rough. His only birdies came at Nos. 1 and 16 - and the 20-footer at the first hole was his longest made putt of the day.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care