On a golf course where Stephen Leaney said there were no easy holes, the Australian had a simple explanation for how he wound up atop the leaderboard at the Pods Championship on Friday.
"I've probably holed more putts than anyone," Leaney said.
Staring into a bright sun that toyed with his depth perception, Leaney watched a 40-foot birdie putt on the last hole tumble in for birdie and a 4-under 67, giving him a one-shot lead over Heath Slocum on an Innisbrook course that won't let anyone get too far ahead.
Defending champion K J Choi and Chris DiMarco were among those another shot behind, but the true measure of this tournament was found further down the leaderboard. Only 37 players remained under par and 27 of them were within four shots of the lead.
Brad Faxon was only four shots behind until he struggled down the stretch and made the cut on the number. Even so, he and the others in last place were only eight shots behind.
"When you shoot under par on this golf course, you've got to feel pretty good," said Slocum, who felt great after a 69.
Leaney couldn't remember the last time he made more than a few putts longer than 10 feet, and he won't have a problem now. The shortest of his six birdie putts was 12 feet, the 40-footer on the 18th hole gave him the lead, and he even picked up what he called a miracle birdie along the way.
Leaney had 250 yards for his third shot on the par-5 fifth, hit it into the rough, then chipped in.
"This golf course just wears you out," said the 37-year-old Leaney, who was at 6-under 136.
Even course officials were concerned when the tournament moved from late October to early March, causing a drastic change in the grass. Instead of the dry, crispy conditions in the fairway and prevalent Bermuda rough, the rye grass used in Florida over the winter to keep a green look to the course has made it play longer and at times softer.
Some thought it might be a little easier.
"Just look at the board," DiMarco said after his second straight 69.
Vaughn Taylor (68), rookie Doug LaBelle (71), Pat Perez (70), Daniel Chopra (71) and Jonathan Byrd (69) were in the group at 138. Another shot behind was a group that included Billy Andrade, Arron Oberholser and first-round Cliff Kresge, who was nine shots worse with a 74.
Vijay Singh, a past champion at the Copperhead course, was poised to join the leaders until dropping two shots down the stretch, winding up at 2-under 140 but still in the picture.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui were defeated by their Chinese counterparts 3-0 on Saturday in the men’s doubles final at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash. Lin and Kao received their silver medals after being defeated by third-seeded duo Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin of China 2-11, 4-11, 11-13. The Taiwan pair were left playing catch-up early in the match after the Chinese duo proved unstoppable in the first and second game. Although Lin and Kao picked up their pace in the third game and at one point took a 10-8 lead, they were crucially unable to take