Chinese star Liang Wenchong and Australian Andrew Martin shot six-under 65 to share the second-round lead at eight-under at the Midea China Classic yesterday.
Australian Stephen Leaney, the 2003 US Open runner-up, carded a 69 and South Korean Park Jun-bum shot 66 to go six-under at the Royal Orchid International south of Guangzhou, in the third event of the inaugural OneAsia season.
First-round leader Craig Scott (72), fellow Aussie Brad McIntosh and China national team amateur Kevin Huang Wenyi (68) finished five-under, one ahead of South Koreans Park Jae-kyung (69) and Sung Sea-woo (72) and Irishman Eddie Barr (72).
Liang showed the form that made him Asia’s No. 1 in 2007 by hitting a bogey-free round.
The 31-year-old crowd favorite opened with a birdie on his first hole, the 10th, before a 35-foot putt on the par-three 15th started a run of five birdies in six holes.
Martin, the 2004 Australian Amateur champion, bogeyed holes two and three, but a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-four fifth started a run of eight birdies in 11 holes, including four in a row from 12.
■MERCEDES-BENZ MASTERS
AFP, JAKARTA
Thailand’s Kwanchai Tannin was one round away from victory at the Mercedes-Benz Masters Indonesia yesterday, as he notched up a four-shot lead after the third round.
A win at the Emeralda Golf and Country Club, where he shot a three-under 69 for a tournament total of 12-under 204, would be the biggest victory of his fledgling career.
His compatriot, Wisut Artjanawat, who started the day sharing the lead, shot a 73 to tie for second with Indonesian Johannes Dermawan.
Kwanchai got off to a bad start on the first when he hit his second shot with a seven wood into water and then three-putted for a double-bogey seven, but six birdies helped put him in control. He has won two titles on the Thai domestic tour, but victory today would be his most significant win.
Also See: Molinari shoots 63 for a two-stroke lead in Portugal
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
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB