Zimbabwe’s Brendon de Jonge seized a one-stroke lead by posting his second consecutive two-under 69 on Saturday in the third round of the storm-hit AT&T National.
De Jonge birdied three holes, but hardly anyone witnessed it in person at the Congressional Country Club after spectators were told to stay away because of a severe storm that struck the area overnight.
De Jonge said playing without spectators seemed odd at the start, but then once they got going, it was all about managing your golf game.
Photo: AFP
“At first, it was definitely very strange,” he said. “Then we kind of got used to it. Just the no buzz. It was hard to get the adrenaline going, kind of felt like you were playing a Tuesday practice round or a qualifier.”
Tiger Woods carded a four-under 67 to climb into a share of second place at minus-six. He is tied with first-round leader Bo Van Pelt (67) and South Korea’s Noh Seung-yul (69).
Woods moved to within one shot of the lead with four birdies on his first 10 holes.
Photo: Reuters
“It was amazing we even got it in,” Woods said. “So that was good. Today, I just tried to make a run and fight back to get myself in the tournament.”
The storm snapped trees, tore temporary tents from their foundations and scattered debris across the course.
Officials delayed the start of the round for six hours, then the players went off the first and 10th tees in threesomes. Because of safety concerns, fans and volunteers were told to stay away so just players, their family members, security and media were allowed in.
The USPGA Tour issued a statement saying winds in the range of between 112 and 128kph were reported in the area near Washington.
Along with downed branches around the course, a 22m tree fell on the fairway of the 14th hole and many of the wooden signs identifying the holes were blown down.
Woods said he has played without galleries following him for a few holes before, but not an entire round.
“It was very similar to what we faced when we play overseas in practice rounds or when we have dangerous conditions, thunderstorms blow in in the summertime and all the spectators are taken off the golf course and then we go back out and finish in the evening and have a few holes to play,” Woods said. “I’ve played in front of people like this, but not generally for an 18-hole competitive round.”
De Jonge, who is chasing his first USPGA Tour title, finished 54 holes at seven-under 206.
“Winning here would be that much more special,” De Jonge said. “It’s obviously a great tournament with a great field, so that would be a good feather in your cap, but obviously, I’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow.”
Second-round leader Hunter Mahan stumbled to a two-over 73. He finished three rounds tied with fellow American Billy Hurley (66) at five-under-par 208. Jhonattan Vegas (68) is one stroke back at four-under.
Tournament officials said they hope to have most of the downed trees removed by in time for yesterday’s final round.
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to “beat” a world record on Sunday at the Enhanced Games, winning the men’s 50m freestyle at the divisive competition where athletes were free to take performance-enhancing substances. His time of 20.81 seconds — which is not considered official — came in the final event of the night in Las Vegas, sparing the blushes of organizers who made claims that multiple world records would be surpassed due to a sophisticated doping regime. Gkolomeev, who was wearing a synthetic “supersuit” long banned at events such as the Olympics, outpaced Australia’s Cameron McEvoy’s 20.88 set in
Fred Kerley is competing unaugmented against drug-fuelled athletes at this weekend’s Enhanced Games and still hopes to race in the 2028 Olympics, the suspended former 100m world champion said on Friday. Arguably the biggest name at the divisive event in Las Vegas, where doping is permitted, the US sprinter said he had chosen not to take any of the banned substances including testosterone and steroids that his competitors have been using. “I don’t need it. God gave me fast feet for a reason. And I’m here to showcase my talent,” Kerley said. Kerley last September became the first US competitor and first track
VICTORY ABROAD: The team took home a fistful of medals and secured spots for the autumn’s Asian Games, scheduled for September in Nagoya Taiwan’s women’s team captured the overall title at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Mongolia on Sunday, finishing with two golds, one silver and one bronze medal. The strong showing, led by gold medalists Wang Chieh-ling and Chang Jui-en secured the full quota of available spots for Taiwan at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in September. Wang opened Taiwan’s medal run by winning gold in the women’s under-46kg class on Thursday, the first day of competition. Liu Yu-yun later earned a silver in the under-49kg class. On the final day on Sunday, Chang won Taiwan’s second gold medal in the under-62kg event, and
The manager of the Yomiuri Giants, one of Japan’s most popular baseball teams, resigned yesterday after he was arrested for allegedly physically attacking his teenage daughter. Shinnosuke Abe allegedly grabbed the 18-year-old and forced her to the floor at their home in central Tokyo on Monday evening, reported national broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News, citing unnamed police sources. “Leaving like this really means I’m causing you a lot of trouble, and I feel truly sorry about that,” Abe told a hastily arranged news conference, his eyes red with tears. The former star catcher, who is among baseball-obsessed Japan’s most recognized sports figures,
RSS