Sean O’Hair overcame a recent birdie drought to claim a share of the lead in another day of low scoring at the Deutsche Bank Championship on Saturday.
O’Hair was eight-under par in an eight-hole stretch in the middle of his round, sending him to a seven-under 64 and a share of the lead with Jim Furyk after 36 holes on the TPC Boston.
O’Hair and Furyk, who made six birdies in his round of 67, played in the same group with Retief Goosen, who had a 67 and wound up two shots behind. The threesome combined to make 17 birdies and one eagle.
“It can either help your or it can really hurt you,” O’Hair said of watching his partners keep making putts. “If you get impatient out there, it can be a detriment. But with the attitude I had out there the last couple of days, it was nice.”
Tiger Woods was on the cut line when he made the turn and was desperate to secure a tee time yesterday and make up as much ground as he could. After an unlikely par save from a buried lie in the bunker, Woods gave himself seven consecutive birdie putts inside 12 feet. He made four of them for a 67, although he was still seven shots behind.
O’Hair and Furyk were at 12-under 130, two shots clear of Goosen and Marc Leishman, who had a tournament-low 62. Nearly half the field of 99 players shot in the 60s.
Scott Verplank made an eagle for the second straight day on his way to a 68, leaving him a group of players at nine-under 133 that included Justin Leonard, Mike Weir, Kevin Sutherland and John Senden, who recorded the rarest shot in golf.
Senden made a double eagle on the par-5 second hole, holing out from 250 yards with a 4-iron. He shot a 64.
“It looked like it was just going to roll to the back of the green or just over the back,” Senden said. “And then when the I saw the cheers go up, I knew it was in the hole, so it was exciting.”
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CANADIAN OPEN
AP, PRIDDIS, CANADA
Suzann Pettersen moved into position to end her 43-tournament winless streak, shooting a five-under 66 on Saturday to take a five-stroke lead into the final round of the LPGA Canadian Women’s Open.
The tall Norwegian had a 14-under 199 total after opening with rounds of 65 and 68. She won all five of her LPGA Tour titles in 2007, and has six runner-up finishes since, including a playoff loss last week in Oregon.
Angela Stanford was second after a 69, and Karrie Webb (65) was another stroke back. Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa (72) and Kim In-kyung (69) were seven under. Taiwan’s Yani Tseng (71) was six under in a four-player group at sixth place.
South Korea’s Kim Song-hee followed her tournament record of 62 with a 77 to drop into a tie for 21st at three under.
Pettersen’s lead was six or more for much of the afternoon at a windy Priddis Green, but American Stanford rolled in a 60-foot eagle putt on the final hole to draw closer.
If Stanford needs some inspiration, she only needs to revisit her own experience in the 2006 tournament at London Hunt. She took a four-shot lead into the final round that year and ended up losing the tournament by a stroke to Cristie Kerr — a player who started eight shots back yesterday.
Pettersen pulled away Saturday when only 19 of the 74 players broke par. She got off to a slow start with some loose shots and a bogey at the third hole. After calming down and finding a rhythm, she went on to pick up six shots over the final 14 holes.
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