“I take it hole by hole and will go out tomorrow and start again,” he said.
Choi, playing Sun City for the first time, said he understood the course better and said he felt relaxed after attending a sponsor’s party at an artificial beach, followed by a good night’s sleep.
“I started feeling good with my putter,” he said. “I sank a few good putts to save par on the first nine and then I started making a few to make birdies.”
Stenson’s only blemish on Friday came at the first hole when he hit his tee shot into thick rough and was well short of the green with his second shot.
Stenson hit straight back with a two-putt birdie at the par-five second, hit a seven-iron to four feet for another birdie at the fifth and pitched to three feet for another birdie at the par-five ninth.
England’s Lee Westwood played steady golf to be three-under for the tournament after completing 11 holes, but pre-tournament favorite Sergio Garcia was 10 off the pace after 12 holes.
Defending champion Trevor Immelman seemed out of contention at one-over after playing 13 holes.
■NIPPON SERIES CUP
AP, TOKYO
Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng shot a seven-under 63 yesterday to grab a share of the lead with Japan’s Toshinori Muto at the Nippon Series Cup tournament.
Prayad, who won last month’s Dunlop Phoenix, opened with three straight birdies and added four more at the Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club to finish tied at nine-under 201 with Muto, who shot a 66.
Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa offset a pair of bogeys with six birdies for a 66 and is a further stroke back, along with Taichi Teshima (65) and overnight leader Jeev Milkha Singh of India (68).
■VIETNAM MASTERS
AFP, HO CHI MINH CITY
Thai star Thongchai Jaidee fired a two-under 70 to join Japan’s Kodai Ichihara and South Korea’s Pyo Suk-min atop the leaderboard at the Hana Bank Vietnam Masters yesterday.
Thongchai, a former Asian Tour No. 1, made four birdies for a 10-under 206 total in the third round. Pyo, the overnight leader, shot a 73, while Ichihara was even-par at the Vietnam Golf and Country Club.
South Korea’s Young Nam and Britain’s Rhys Davies shot matching 70s to put them in a tie for fourth place with Filipino Artemio Murakami, who posted a 71 for a 207 total. Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant carded a 71 and was in the mix in seventh place alongside countryman Pijit Petchkasem, who improved with a 69 in the US$500,000 tournament.
■US LPGA Q-SCHOOL
AFP, DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA
Michelle Wie, needing only a top-20 finish to claim a LPGA Tour berth next year, fired a par 72 on Friday to share third after the third round of a five-day, 90-hole qualifying tournament.
American Mollie Fankhouser fired a six-under 66 on the Legends layout to grab the lead at 12-under 204, one stroke ahead of Japan’s Shiho Oyama, who fired a 71.
Wie and American Stacy Lewis were third on 206, two strokes ahead of South Korean Amy Yang and American Charlotte Mayorkas, with France’s Sophie Giquel seventh on 209.
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