Defending champion Annika Sorenstam maintained a share of the lead in the MasterCard Classic on Saturday, shooting a 1-under 71 to match Paula Creamer and Kim Mi-hyun at 6 under.
Creamer had a 67 -- the best round of the day -- and Kim shot a 69.
Sorenstam is making her first official LPGA Tour start since winning the ADT Championship in November and her first competitive appearance since teaming with Liselotte Neumann in January to win the Women's World Cup in South Africa.
Last year at Bosque Real, Sorenstam won in her first tour start of the year, closing with a 68 for a three-stroke victory. She won 10 times in 20 LPGA Tour starts last year to push her career total to 66 -- 22 short of Kathy Whitworth's record.
On Saturday, the Swedish star took advantage of the less demanding opening holes, birdieing Nos. 3 and 4. But she bogeyed the par-4 10th and two-putted for another bogey on the next hole. A solid 7-iron shot helped her sink a birdie putt on No. 16 to stay tied atop the leaderboard.
"I actually had a higher score than I expected, so I don't necessarily know if I was expecting to be leading," she said. "I thought I played a little better than the score said."
Frost on the course in Huixquilucan, outside Mexico City, delayed play for half an hour, though the temperature eventually climbed to near 80 degrees. Finishing as dusk fell, Sorenstam missed a short putt on No. 18.
"I can't even read the breaks when it's so dark," she said. "So I thought I hit a good putt but it just wasn't enough."
The 19-year-old Creamer, a two-time winner last year and the LPGA Tour rookie of the year, said it took a bogey on No. 10 to wake her up.
"I kind of got excited and got a little energy put into me," she said. "Even though it was negative energy, I still had so more momentum."
Creamer birdied the 12th hole and made a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 13. On the par-4 15th, she holed her 120-yard second shot for an eagle.
"I could not see it. People up at the green saw it," said Creamer, who also had a birdie on No. 17.
Mexican star Lorena Ochoa ended even par after a 70. Thousands turned out to cheer Ochoa, a native of Guadalajara, despite her early tee time.
Luke Donald's nearest rivals spent Saturday alternating birdies and bogeys with regularity, an approach that let each taste a lead most couldn't wind up sustaining.
Meanwhile, Donald kept escaping trouble and slowly crept into the top spot at the Honda Classic.
Donald's five-birdie and one-bogey round of 68 left him 9 under entering the tournament's final round and sharing the top spot with Billy Mayfair -- who eagled the 17th hole to highlight his even-par 72 and reclaim a portion of the lead.
Nationwide Tour graduate Jeff Gove (69) was one shot back, and Daniel Chopra and Match Play winner Geoff Ogilvy were 7 under after 71s.
"Two shots is nothing on this course," Ogilvy said. "You can make up two shots in one hole."
You can also lose two shots in one hole; Ogilvy made his third double-bogey of the week during his round. And David Toms made a slower, more pronounced slide -- the first- and second-round leader bogeyed four of his final six holes, shot a 76 and fell to 6 under with Mathias Gronberg (72).
Mathew Goggin shot a 65 and was at 5 under, along with Pat Perez, who had an eagle and six birdies, the last a 15.2 meter (50-foot chip) on 18, and Frank Lickliter, whose 70 included seven birdies and five bogeys.
Defending champion Padraig Harrington got to 7 under early in his round, but consecutive double-bogeys on Nos. 7 and 8 derailed him. His tee shot was left on the seventh, forcing a drop. At the par-3 eighth, his tee shot found the left bunker, and his sand shot landed past the other side of the green.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
UP IN SMOKE: More than half a dozen riders crashed out of the race, with Marquez’s title chances in doubt after driving off the track with flames flickering from his bike Jorge Martin yesterday won a crash-filled Indonesia MotoGP to extend his championship lead, while closest rival Francesco Bagnaia limited the damage by claiming the final podium place. The win leaves the Pramac Racing rider 21 points ahead of his Italian Ducati rival, who finished third behind Spaniard Pedro Acosta in sweltering conditions at the Mandalika International Street Circuit on Lombok island. In front of a crowd of 60,000 in motorbike-mad Indonesia, the 26-year-old put his tumble in Saturday’s sprint behind him, canceling out the gains his title rival Bagnaia made after securing victory in that race. “Thank you Indonesia. I am very happy.
RSS