Anthony Kim and Bryce Molder survived their share of errant shots on Saturday to share the third-round lead at the Houston Open.
Kim was in all kinds of trouble off the tee, hitting just three of 14 fairways. But his putting helped him shoot a three-under 69 for a 10-under total of 206.
Overnight leader Molder had four bogeys and five birdies in a 71 and saved par after hitting into the water at 18 to preserve his share of the lead.
They were two strokes in front of Americans Vaughn Taylor and Joe Ogilvie.
Taylor and Ogilvie both bogeyed 18, Taylor finishing with a 70 and Ogilvie a 71.
England’s Lee Westwood fired a 72 to head a group on 209, where he was joined by local resident Jeff Maggert (70) and Canadian Graham DeLaet (71).
After winds gusted up to 30 mph in the first two rounds, players had only light breezes to contend with on a Tournament Course at Redstone set up to simulate conditions that will be found at the first major championship of the year at Augusta National this week.
Ireland’s Padraig Harrington carded a 72 and was in a group on 210 that also included Australian Cameron Percy (74) and South African Charl Schwartzel (67).
Kim’s troubles included a poor drive at the par-four 12th, which he followed by flopping a wedge to within a foot of the hole despite an awkward stance.
With a pond on the other side of the green, Kim said he knew the shot had to be good.
“I told my caddie, ‘If I don’t hit this perfectly, it’s going to go 50 yards in the water,”’ Kim said.
He hooked another tee shot on 17, then hit his approach out of the rough to three feet. Kim salvaged a par from behind the green at the last, chipping down the hill and making an eight-footer.
“There were some spots today, I don’t know how I got out,” he said. “But I was happy to go ahead and hit some lucky shots and good shots, and get away with it.”
Kim boasts a runner-up finish this year — to Camilo Villegas at the Honda Classic — But he hasn’t held or shared the third-round lead since last year’s Canadian Open, when he finished third.
“I’ve got enough bad breaks this year, where I feel they’re going to turn around if I have a good attitude,” Kim said. “I’ve had a good attitude this whole year. Some breaks are going to come my way and if they do, I’ll welcome those.”
Molder had three bogeys on the front nine, but got back on track when he birdied two of the first three holes after the turn.
“Luckily, my putter kind of held me in there,” Molder said. “I always kind of know that if I can just kind of get it going the direction I want it to go, then I’m usually going to be OK.”
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
AGING WELL: Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, 22, was sent packing after being dispatched by world No. 97, Laura Siegemund, the second-oldest player in the draw at 36 Novak Djokovic yesterday created a slice of Grand Slam history on his way into the Australian Open third round, but last year’s women’s finalist Zheng Qinwen was knocked out in the biggest shock so far. Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, in-form Coco Gauff, two-time Melbourne winner Naomi Osaka and a rampant Carlos Alcaraz were all victors on a rainy day four. Play was suspended on the outside courts for a couple of hours in the early evening because of the wet weather. That led to the rescheduling of a women’s doubles match between wild-cards Tsao Chia-yi of Taiwan and Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech and 11th
RSS