Three-time major winner Vijay Singh posted an eagle on the back nine en route to a five-under 67 and a share of the third-round lead at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Saturday.
Singh also had four birdies and a bogey to go along with his eagle at the par-five 11th at Spyglass Hills to move to nine-under 216 at the US$6 million event. American Dudley Hart is tied with Singh for the third-round lead.
"I've hit the ball very well from tee to green," Singh said. "I think I missed two greens today and the other two days I did the same. So my ball-striking is pretty good at the moment. Probably that's why I'm scoring well."
PHOTO: AP
Singh, a Fijian-Indian, matched Jim Furyk, Nick Watney and Bo Van Pelt for the lowest round of the day.
The duo holds a two-shot lead over Dustin Johnson and Michael Allen, who are at seven-under 209.
Defending champion Phil Mickelson, a three-time winner of this event, unraveled with an 11 on the par-5 14th and skied to a 78, falling 14 shots off the pace.
The 44-year-old Singh, who has 31 career PGA Tour victories, is looking for his first win since the Arnold Palmer Invitational last March.
"The greens are so bumpy, you're not putting any pressure on your short game over here," Singh said.
"You're just trying to make a stroke. And if it goes in, well and good. That's probably the attitude we should have every week, so that's why I'm more relaxed and just not putting any pressure on your short game," he said.
Hart used a strong finished to claim a share of the lead. He birdied three of the final four holes, including Nos. 17 and 18, for a bogey-free 68.
■ AUSSIE MASTERS
AFP, GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA
South Korean golfer Shin Hyun-ju missed an easy putt at the final hole to hand English veteran Lisa Hall the Australian Ladies Masters golf title at Royal Pines yesterday.
Shin did not make a mistake until her last putt from less than a meter and it proved costly as she let slip the chance to force a play-off against the 40-year-old Hall.
Hall carded a six-under par 66 to finish the rain-shortened 54-hole tournament at 13-under 203.
"Winning is really what it's all about," Hall said. "I enjoyed the golf today, but to win is fantastic. It's hard to believe."
It was the second consecutive weekend that a South Korean golfer was beaten in a pressure situation after Shin Ji-yai lost to Australian Karrie Webb at the second playoff hole at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
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