Thai star Thongchai Jaidee birdied the 18th hole for a narrow one-stroke lead after the third round at the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open yesterday.
The former Asian Tour No. 1 nailed six birdies against a lone dropped shot for a nine-under 207 total and a one-stroke advantage over Sweden’s Alexander Noren who posted a 66 at the New Kuta Golf Resort.
England’s Simon Griffiths carded a 69 and was among those in a tie for third place, alongside former winner and compatriot Simon Dyson and Denmark’s Jeppe Huldahl, who both shot matching 70s.
“My irons were good and consistent except for one hole at the 16th,” said Thongchai, who was five-under after nine holes before a bogey on 16 and birdie on 18.
■MOONAH CLASSIC
AP, FINGAL, AUSTRALIA
Argentina’s Miguel Angel Carballo birdied his last two holes yesterday for a one-under 71 to take a two-stroke lead at the windswept Moonah Classic.
Carballo, tied for the lead after the second round, had a nine-under 207 total after three rounds.
Australia’s Richie Gallichan was second after a 70. New Zealand’s David Smail (71) and Australia’s veteran Peter O’Malley (72) were three strokes back at six-under.
The best round of the day was a 68 by Craig Spence of Australia, which left him tied for ninth, five strokes off the lead.
Australia’s Michael Sim, tied for the lead entering the round, was also four-under after a 76.
Carballo said his switch to a longer putter in November was paying dividends.
■LPGA THAILAND
AP, PATTAYA, THAILAND
Three consecutive birdies on the back nine gave Paula Creamer of the US a five-under 67 yesterday and a three-stroke lead heading into the final round of the LPGA Thailand.
The world No. 3 delighted the Thai galleries with birdies on 12, 13 and 14 to finish with a three-round total of 11-under 205, putting her clear of world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa (68) and fellow American Brittany Lang (71).
The top trio look likely to fight out the title, with Australian Karrie Webb (69) in outright fourth, three shots behind Ochoa and Lang.
A stroke further back were Park Hee-young, Mika Miyazato and Angela Stanford.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
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
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