Gaby Lopez yesterday hit a 167m hole-in-one as she surged into the lead of the US$2.1 million Blue Bay LPGA in China to celebrate her birthday in style.
The Mexican’s ace on the par-three 17th hole helped her leapfrog world No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn on Hainan Island.
Lopez — ranked 136th — is in pole position for her first title on the US-based LPGA Tour with one round to play.
Her feat was all the more satisfying, because it was her 25th birthday and she had turned around after making the tee shot, appearing not to know what she had accomplished until her caddie gleefully told her.
It was high fives all round, including with overnight leader Jutanugarn.
“As soon as the ball left the club I knew it was a good shot, but I couldn’t see because the sun was in my face,” Lopez said. “I turned around and my caddie goes: ‘It went in.’ I’m like: ‘No way.’”
“I couldn’t give myself a better birthday present,” said Lopez, who was presented afterward with two cakes.
Lopez, who was joint second going into the third round, carded a six-under-par 66 to go nine-under for the tournament, a one-shot lead on Thailand’s Jutanugarn.
The South Korean pair of Park Sung-hyun and Kim Sei-young were tied of third on a distant four-under after carding a 67 and 68 respectively.
Moriya Jutanugarn, Ariya’s sister, fell from second overnight to a share of seventh after a disappointing 74.
Taiwan’s Chien Pei-yun edged ahead two places to 37th after carding a 72 to finish five-over, while Hsu Wei-ling slipped to 54th on nine-over after hitting a 76.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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
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
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two