Northern Ireland teenager Rory McIlroy will take a four-stroke lead into the final round of the European Masters after a blistering third round of 66 on Saturday.
Victory would make the 19-year-old, who has led this Alpine event from the start, the third youngest winner in European Tour history. South Africa’s Dale Hayes was only 18 when he won the 1971 Spanish Open, while Seve Ballesteros was just five days younger than McIlroy at the 1976 Dutch Open.
The Northern Irishman, who carded a 63 in Thursday’s first round, stands at 13-under for the tournament. His closest challengers, all on nine-under, are England’s Robert Dinwiddie, French pair Christian Cevaer and Jean-Francois Lucquin, Spaniard Alejandro Canizares, Argentina’s Juan Abbate and also Julien Clement, a Swiss player ranked 779th in the world.
Australia’s defending champion Brett Rumford, joint top at halfway with McIlroy, threw down the gauntlet with an opening 40-foot eagle putt. But McIlroy, who had already hit his approach to the par-five to within a yard, made the putt for a matching three, and by adding six birdies went on to score a 66 to the Australian player’s 73.
McIlroy, who for his eagle on the 543-yard first needed only a drive and nine-iron, said: “That settled my nerves. It was definitely more satisfying than the 63 given the circumstances. Brett is a very good player and five-under was a very good effort.”
“This is my first time in this situation and I’m just really looking forward to tomorrow,” he said. “I don’t want to take my foot off the pedal — I’ve a four-shot lead and I’d like a six-shot lead tomorrow.”
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two