Archive for July, 2009
July 11, 2009
BETHLEHEM, Pa -Cristie Kerr strung together three birdies on the front nine Friday in a round of 1-under 70 to take a one-stroke lead over Paula Creamer after two rounds of the US Womens Open.
Kerr overcame a bout of lightheadedness at the start and had one of only six rounds under par on the tough Saucon Valley Country Club layout, offsetting four bogeys with five birdies. She was at 3-under 139.
Creamer, looking for her first Womens Open title, carded a 3-under 68 after an opening 72 and was alone in second at 2-under 140.
Futures Tour player Jean Reynolds was third after a 72 for a 1-under 141. First-round leader Na Yeon Choi of South Korea shot a 3-over 74 and was tied with Giulia Sergas of Italy at even par. Sergas had the lowest round of the day, a 4-under 67.
Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa struggled to a round of 8-over 79 and stood at 6-over.
Champions Tour
BLAINE, Minn. - Andy Bean and Nick Price each shot a 7-under 65 to share the lead after the first round of the Champions Tours 3M Championship.
Gene Jones, who finished fourth last year, shot a 66 at the TPC Twin Cities and was one shot back. Ronnie Black, Dan Forsman, Bernhard Langer and Scott Hoch were next at 67, followed by Fulton Allem, Ben Crenshaw, Mike Goodes and Gary Hallberg another shot back.
European Tour
LUSS, Scotland - Retief Goosen shot an 8-under 63 on a gorgeous day at Loch Lomond for a two-shot lead at 11-under 131 in the Scottish Open.
Adam Scott (67) was two shots back, and Martin Kaymer of Germany (65) and Marcus Fraser (66) of Australia were tied for third at 8-under 134. Nick Watney, an American making his European Tour debut, had a 68 and was in a group at 7-under 135.
July 11, 2009
Nick Price says his putting is consistent. Same for Andy Bean about his driving.
Each found Fridays efforts to their liking.
Bean and Price each shot a 7-under 65 and are tied for the lead after the first round of the Champions Tours 3M Championship.
It was the best opening round this year for both players.
Using a new driver that he first hit during Thursdays pro-am, Bean birdied five of six holes on the front side, and birdied three of his last four holes. He said hed hit a lot of different drivers this year so far.
I made nine birdies yesterday and eight today. I just put myself in very good position, he said. It feels so solid. In the wind, you want to hit something thats very penetrating and I picked out my line and hit it pretty much every time. … It feels like Im hitting dead center of the club every time. I cleared 300 (yards) a number of times.
Bean, who entered the tournament ranked fifth in tour scoring average at 69.74, has two second-place finishes this year. He believes this could be his breakthrough week now that he is finding success off the tee.
Its a different attitude when youre driving well, and driving in the fairway, he said. Im a good iron player and Im putting well. Its a good combination.
Price shot a 30 on the back nine, including four straight birdies.
He said he was just trying to keep pace with his playing partners, Bernhard Langer and Ben Crenshaw.
Langer parred the last seven holes and was one of four players at 5 under.
Crenshaw was tied for the lead heading to the final hole, but put two shots in the water en route to a triple bogey. He is one of four players at 4 under.
Its strange that Im the one that ended up with the best score after lagging behind the whole day, Price said. Thats golf.
After a frustrating 1 under on the front side, Price hooked his drive across a cart path on No. 10, missing a hazard by about 1 yard. Despite a limited backswing, his wedge shot landed within 2 feet of the cup.
Id been hitting the ball pretty well all day. To hit the one poor tee shot and walk off with birdie pumped me up a little bit, he said. As soon as I broke the ice with that birdie it settled me a little bit and I got a little more aggressive with some of my swings.
After a par at No. 11, Price birdied Nos. 12, 13, 14 and 15 to get to 6 under, rimmed out a birdie putt on 16 and birdied the final hole.
Gene Jones, who finished fourth last year, had nine birdies in shooting a 66. He is one shot back.
Starting on the back side, Jones birdied four of his first six holes, and added birdies on his first three holes on the back side to get to 7 under. He double-bogeyed the par-3 eighth, and nearly holed out his approach on the final hole for eagle.
Id like everyday to be like this, except No. 8, Jones said.
Forty-five of the 79 players broke par on the fast and firm TPC Twin Cities.
Were in for a lot of birdies if conditions stay this way, Jones said. Itll be a birdie-fest for sure.
Defending champion R.W. Eaks was among a group of a dozen players that shot a 2-under 70. No champion has defended his title in the events 17-year history.
July 9, 2009
Angela Stanford will have more on her mind than just golf at the US Womens Open.
In addition to trying to tame the tough Saucon Valley Country Club Old Course and improve on her career-best second-place Open finish of 2003, Stanford will be thinking of her mother, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Stanford took time off from the tour to deal with personal business, but isnt sure she took enough time off.
Everythings fairly new, so we kind of went through the couple of weeks that were the hardest weeks of finding out and then realizing whats going to happen and how it changes your life, Stanford said earlier this week as she prepared for her 10th Open.
She won the season-opening event, the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, and is in the midst of a solid season, leading the LPGA in top-10 finishes with six in 11 events. She leads the tour in rounds under par and ranks fourth in scoring and is seventh on the money list with more than $630,000.
Suddenly, golf has become a struggle.
I need to learn how to mentally be in the present right now, she said. If I can conquer that this week, I think Ill be OK.
She took a week off after the LPGA Championship and returned last week because, she said, her mother basically kicked her out. It was a difficult week.
I had a tough time last week, so maybe it is just an adjustment, she said. Im not used to having to think about something like this.
Stanford said her mother never follows her on the course because she gets too nervous. Instead, she sits at a computer and watches live scoring.
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QUALIFYING CHANGES: With two of the LPGA Tours marquee names missing from the field for the U.S. Womens Open, the USGA announced a change in its qualifying process for the 2010 event, and explained how Michelle Wie and Natalie Gulbis missed out.
The USGA said Wednesday it is moving from a two-stage qualifying process to a single stage.
Mike Davis, the USGAs senior director of rules and competition, said the change will help ensure the qualifying procedure is fair and balanced in terms of which players should and shouldnt have to play to qualify for the championship.
Currently, between 68 and 75 players are exempt into the field, and the USGA periodically reviews its exemption rules.
We do that because we really want a fair balance between what players are good enough that they shouldnt have to play their way in through qualifying, and then we want to keep that balance with all of our championships having a certain number that are out there that you can qualify for, he said.
As long as youve got the handicap or the game to file an entry, youve got that dream.
The move to a single qualifying stage will be more efficient for the players and officials and help the USGA get qualifying sites, Davis said.
Davis prefaced his remarks by citing the absence of Wie and Gulbis, who failed to qualify under any of 10 criteria, or receive a special exemption.
While the two have only one LPGA title combined, both are fan favorites and two of the most recognizable faces in womens golf. Wie ranks 12th in earnings in her rookie season with more than $435,000 in 11 events, and Gulbis is 33rd with more than $225,000.
Both tried and failed to qualify this year.
Davis said there was never any serious consideration given to giving Wie a special exemption.
The USGA changed its exemption policy for this years championship:
-The low 15 scores and ties in the 2008 Womens Open earned a spot. Previously, the low 20 and ties clinched a spot the following year.
-The top five money winners on the Japan, European and Korean womens tours were exempt. Thats up from three each.
-The top 50 money winners on the LPGA Tour from the previous season gained entrance, up from 40.
-The top 10 on the LPGA Tour money list as of the cutoff date before sectional qualifying automatically got in, down from the top 35. Davis said the reduction in spots was a result of only 10 LPGA events being played before the Womens Open.
The USGA also is looking at the world rankings as a form of exemption into the Womens Open, and has been doing so for a number of years, Davis said.
In mens play, the top 50 in the world rankings get into the U.S. Open.
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PLAYING FAVORITES: The Womens Open at Saucon Valley is the 78th USGA championship held in Pennsylvania. This is also the seventh womens national championship held in the state.
That is far ahead of New York, which completed its 66th USGA championship a few weeks ago with the U.S. Open at Bethpage.
Pennsylvania will add to its count in the future as it is scheduled to host the Walker Cup at Merion Golf Club in September. The Womens Open will be at Oakmont next year, and the U.S. Open returns to Merion in 2013. The 2015 Womens Open will be held at Lancaster Country Club.
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STREAKING: Former Womens Open champion Laura Davies received a special exemption into the 2009 championship, keeping her streak of participating in the national championship alive.
Davies won the 1987 Womens Open, beating Ayako Okamoto and JoAnne Carner in an 18-hole playoff for her first professional victory. She has played in every Open since 1986.
The 20-time LPGA Tour winners last victory came in 2001, at the Wegmans Rochester International. She has struggled on tour this year, making the cut in five of 10 tournaments, with her best finish a tie for 33rd at Phoenix in March.
Davies has been inconsistent at the Womens Open, too. She has missed the cut in eight of the last 12 championships and last played the weekend in 2007, when she tied for 32nd. She does have eight top-15 finishes.
Davies is in the first group off the first tee at 7 a.m. in Thursdays opening round.
July 9, 2009
Trevor Immelman has withdrawn from the British Open next week at Turnberry because of a wrist injury that has been slow to heal.
Immelman, a former Masters champion also had to withdraw from the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black because of the injury, which he suffered at the Memorial.
Immelman said Wednesday he hopes to return at the Canadian Open, a week after the British Open.
My wrist injury has been responding well to treatment, but at this point, it just isnt far enough along to allow me to be ready for the Open, he said. As disappointing as it will be to not be there, I have to continue doing whats right for my longterm health.
July 8, 2009
Jose Maria Olazabals only remaining chance of qualifying for the British Open is by securing one of the exempt spots available through the Scottish Open later this week.
The two-time Masters champion missed out Tuesday on one of the four places available at the 288-man British Open qualifying event at Kilmarnock Barassie, Scotland.
The 43-year-old Spaniard shot par 73 to put him seven strokes back. He bogeyed the long first hole and blasted a drive out of bounds at the third to run up a triple-bogey seven.
Lloyd and Elliot Saltman became the first brothers since Seve and Manuel Ballesteros 26 years ago to qualify for the British Open, which starts next week at Turnberry in Scotland.
July 8, 2009
The US Open typically plays as a par 70, which requires converting a couple of par 5s into par 4s. There are a few par 71s, such as Torrey Pines, where USGA setup man Mike Davis wisely decided to leave the 18th as a par 5, leading to one of the most memorable finishes.
Par has not been decided for Chambers Bay outside Seattle, site of the 2015 U.S. Open.
It could be a par 70. It could be a par 71.
It very likely will be both.
You cant change par in the middle of a tournament, Tiger Woods said, thinking aloud as he tried to process the possibility.
Considering that Davis isnt afraid to break the unwritten rules, the possibility is very real.
One thing Im absolutely positive well do in the future, perhaps in 2015 at Chambers Bay, is play a hole certain days as a par 4, and certain days as a par 5, Davis said in a telephone interview over the weekend.
Davis mentioned the first and 18th holes at Chambers Bay, which he felt could be played as either a par 4 or a par 5.
We would hate to make a decision one way or another, because they could be such a good par 5, and such a good par 4, he said. I would hate to give up playing it multiple ways because we have a set par.
That could be a first - a U.S. Open where par for the four days would be 282.
Par is just a number, Paul Goydos said with a shrug when told of the concept. All you care about is the total score. What wins is 277, not 3 under or 5 under.
He figured big hitters would have an advantage on a par 4 that measured 525 yards, such as the seventh hole at Bethpage Black. Turn that into a par 5, and big hitters still would have an advantage by reaching it in two with less club.
Someone will complain either way, Goydos said.
There surely could be some complaints on this one, for no other reason than trying to change par once the tournament starts.
It might be perceived as goofy, Davis conceded. But all were looking for his the low 72-hole score. That doesnt change.
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GOING IN STYLE: Even as his British Open prospects starting looking good, Paul Goydos decided against reworking his schedule to play in the John Deere Classic so he could take the charter to Turnberry. Players are to make a charitable donation to ride on the charter, and its far less than first-class airfare to Britain.
Goydos played in a charity event for Steve Flesch on Monday in northern Kentucky, then went home to California for the week. He would get a little time off, even if it would cost him a lot more money.
With that came a shrug and perspective.
If youre concerned about the amount of airfare, maybe I should just go to Milwaukee, he said. No disrespect whatsoever to Milwaukee. My point is, maybe you should be playing somewhere else.
His hotel room at Turnberry was going to run him about $800 a night, with a minimum stay. Goydos did some quick math - remember, he was a substitute teacher - and figured the trip would cost him about $20,000.
Sounds like the old days, when some players actually lost money by playing the British Open.
Well, back then they went by boat, he said.
He played the British Open for the first time last year, missed the cut, and called it the coolest tournament he ever played.
I would look forward to eating lunch with the spectators, Goydos said before he qualified. Remember that big concession they had by the practice green at Birkdale? Ate fish and chips there probably four times that week. Loved it.
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GRADUATED ROUGH: Mike Davis of the USGA first introduced graduated rough at Winged Foot in 2006, and it has been a standard at the U.S. Open ever since. Hell have his work cut out for him at Congressional in 2011.
Staggering the height of rough requires a lot of property, and there was plenty of it at places like Torrey Pines and Bethpage Black. Congressional, however, is a traditional, tree-lined course. The trees on some holes are about 10 yards from the fairway.
In other words, theres not a lot of room.
Some courses work better than others for that, but the answer is well definitely graduate it, said Davis, who will be coming to Congressional in two weeks for early planning. Some places it will be tough for sure, not only with the trees, but with some of the holes being parallel, you need to move spectators. So were not going to get the width we want.
The ideal situation is to never have a player hit it outside the ropes unless they really, really miss one.
One thing Davis knows for certain - the sixth hole, which was a par 4 at the 97 U.S. Open and in the last three years at the ATT National, will play as a par 5. There already is a new tee to add significant length, and Davis said the pond wrapping around half the green makes it more prudent to accept wedge instead of 3-iron or hybrid.
I hated it as a par 4, he said of the 97 U.S. Open. Its not shaped for a par 4.
Congressional still will play as a par 70, with the plan to move the tee slightly forward on the 16th and convert that to a par 4.
That would be the classic par 4 1/2, Davis said. The green is somewhat receptive to a long shot. If you made it a par 5, nobody would argue that its a great par 5.
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DIVOTS: Tiger Woods victory at the ATT National was the 25th tournament on the PGA Tour that he has won. It was his first time winning somewhere new since Quail Hollow in 2007. … The latest suggestion from Joe Ogilvie? I think a player ought to be on the executive committee of the USGA, said Ogilvie, still perplexed at the various dates when new grooves rules take effect. … Maryland was the 15th state where Woods has won on tour. … Neither of the LPGA Tours major champions this year, Brittany Lincicome and Anna Nordqvist, are among the top 10 on the money list.
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STAT OF THE WEEK: Tiger Woods last five PGA Tour victories in stroke play have been by one shot, the longest streak of his career.
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FINAL WORD: I dont know and I dont care. I wont be here. Ill be 100 years old by then. - Fred Couples, who turns 50 in September, on what changes can be expected at Congressional for the 2011 U.S. Open.
July 7, 2009
Six weeks after Phil Mickelson announced his wife had breast cancer, his mother was diagnosed with the disease and is to have surgery later this week.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on its Web site that Mary Mickelson discovered she had breast cancer last week. She is to have surgery Friday at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the same hospital where Mickelsons wife, Amy, had surgery last Wednesday.
Mickelsons sister, Tina, told the newspaper she wanted to make her mothers condition know so she could receive the same outpouring of support and prayers that meant so much to Amy Mickelson.
Mickelson has not spoken publicly since the U.S. Open where he was a runner-up for a record fifth time.
His parents live in the same San Diego house where they raised their three children. Mary Mickelson was honored in 1998 as Mother of the Year by the San Diego chapter of the March of Dimes. She said at the time, I dont know if Ive done anything extra than other mothers. Weve always been involved and have just been there.
Mickelson said at Bethpage Black that it was highly unlikely he would play the British Open, and said his schedule the rest of the year depended on his wifes battle with cancer.
July 7, 2009
Notah Begay III was nearly at a loss for words.
I am humbled, Begay said Monday in announcing that Tiger Woods, his former roommate at Stanford University, would play in a skins game in August to benefit Native American children. You come up with certain ideas and sometimes they come true. Part of what I learned at Stanford is that you try and create win-win situations, and this is a win-win for everybody. What a testament to our foundations work.
Woods, who originally agreed to play last year but had to pull out after undergoing knee surgery, has rarely played in charity events like this. He will be competing against Begay, Mike Weir, and Camilo Villegas on a layout hes never played, Atunyote (uh-DUNE-yote) Golf Club. The course, one of three at Turning Stone Resort and Casino, also hosts a PGA Tour event.
The inaugural NB3 Challenge in 2008 was the foundations first national event and raised nearly $200,000. Begay, the only full-blooded Native American on the PGA Tour, said he expects this years competition to net between $600,000 and $800,000.
Its the Tiger factor, he said.
Begay said only 3,000 tickets would be sold, partly for security reasons. It will not be televised, but Begay said he would explore the possibility of having the players miked so fans can hear their banter.
We want it to be intimate, he said.
The Notah Begay III Foundation, established in 2005, seeks to reduce diabetes and obesity among Native American youth.
The event is a collaboration between Begay, the Oneida Indian Nation of New York, and the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians of California. It also presents an opportunity for the Oneidas to showcase the three championship golf courses the resort has built.
Having Woods in the field is a major breakthrough.
I was celebrating, said Ray Halbritter, chief executive officer of the Oneida Indian Nation of New York and a driving force in developing Turning Stone into one of the nations top golf attractions. I couldnt believe it, really. I just hope we can make the course hard enough for him.
Last year, Villegas won a chip-off against Weir, Begay, Vijay Singh, and Stewart Cink to walk away with top money of $220,000. Singh donated $80,000 of the $180,000 he won. Cink also won a hole, but Weir and Begay were shut out.
Begay said he would do his best to keep Woods at bay.
Im not going to give him any tips, Begay said. If a putt breaks left, Im going to say it breaks right.
The total purse will remain at $500,000. A year ago, the first six holes were worth $10,000 apiece, the second six $20,000, holes 13 through 17 $50,000 each, and No. 18 $70,000.
It was difficult to score a skin last year despite picture-perfect August weather with temperatures in the mid-70s. When Villegas hit a 250-yard fairway shot to within a foot of the pin at the par-5 fifth hole to set up an easy eagle, Weir nullified it with an 18-foot eagle putt.
With Woods competing, Begay said one thing would change.
Its going to be me, Mike and Camilo against Tiger, Begay said, smiling. Mike and I got shut out last year and I dont want that to happen again. If we have to resort to tackling him, we will.
July 5, 2009
Anthony Kim finally gets a crack at Tiger Woods, and when he says he has been practicing for a moment like this all his life, Kim isnt kidding.
As a 10-year-old growing up in Los Angeles, in those final hours of twilight as he waited for his father to pick up from the golf course, Kim imagined he was in the final pairing with Woods and had a 10-foot putt for the victory, with the worlds No. 1 player watching.
Man, they were going in a lot, Kim said, laughing.
He can only hope fantasy meets reality Sunday in the ATT National.
Kim kept his cool after a couple of blunders at Congressional, saving par from 84 yards with a creative chip he had been too scared to try in competition, then making birdie on the 16th that led to a 2-under 68 and his name atop the leaderboard.
Woods, having lost a three-shot lead in a span of two holes with a double bogey on the 11th, found one last birdie with a putt up the slope of the 16th green to tap-in range that allowed him to salvage a roller-coaster round at 70.
That gave him a share of the lead with Kim at 10-under 210, and gave Congressional a Sunday showdown a bustling gallery has been craving since the tournament began Thursday.
Woods is tournament host. Kim is the defending champion.
Woods is the guy who made golf cool, a multiracial talent who shattered records during his rise to No. 1. Kim is perfecting cool, a bundle of energy at 24 who practices with music blaring from his iPod.
They are separated by just under 10 years, but this generation gap seems wider than that. Woods also grew up in Southern California, and he often stayed late on the practice green dreaming of the putt to win a major.
And who was he trying to beat?
Jack Nicklaus. Arnold Palmer. Ben Hogan. Sam Snead.
Told about Kims tale of trying to beat him, Woods offered a wry smile.
Im aging, he said. Thats what that means.
But he has been around long enough to have built a 45-3 record on the PGA Tour when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead, a statistic that has defined why its so tough to beat him.
Kim is only thankful for the chance. He has never played in the same pairing with Woods, nor has Kim ever finished higher than Woods in any of the tournaments they have played since Kim joined the PGA Tour three years ago.
But the kid has an idea what hell see.
I expect hes going to be wearing a red shirt and be out there ready to go, Kim said. And Ill be ready, as well.
They both would do well do look over their shoulders, for this is far from a two-man race.
Michael Allen, who is 0-for-336 in his PGA Tour career but undefeated on the Champions Tour when he won the Senior PGA Championship earlier this year, made seven birdies in a round of 65, the best score Saturday.
Allen turned 50 in January and ventured out to play against men his own age only once, winning at Canterbury at a senior major. He has won on the Nationwide Tour, the PGA European Tour and the Champions Tour.
This one would be the most meaningful.
It would be a culmination of what Ive always been try to do, Allen said. And champagne for everybody.
He was at 9-under 201 with Cameron Beckman, who chipped in for eagle on the par-5 16th for a 66.
A dozen players were separated by four shots going into the final round, including Jim Furyk (69) and Rod Pampling (71) at 8-under 202, and U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover (68) another shot behind.
Woods had a one-shot lead over Pampling, an advantage that was gone after the opening hole when Woods drove into the gallery and couldnt reach the green out of the thick rough, a sign of a struggles that would last most of the warm, blustery day before an enormous gallery that was as energetic as any for a non-major this year.
He recovered with a 3-iron to 25 feet, and a leaning fist pump when the eagle putt fell, giving Woods a three-shot lead.
Then came the 11th hole, which has given Woods fits this week. From the left rough, he hit into a bunker some 50 yards short of the green, caught that shot too heavy and slammed his club when it tumbled into another bunker. Woods blasted out to 7 feet, then missed the putt to make double bogey. He has played that hole in 4-over par for the week.
This one cost him the lead.
He didnt make any mistakes coming in, although he didnt give himself hardly any birdie chances except for the par-5 16th.
It was a tough day, Woods said. One of those things you just had to grind it out and get through it. There were a lot of lag putts. I just never had a whole lot of birdie chances.
Woods might need some Sunday playing with Kim, an explosive player who is regarded as the next American star the way he won last year at Quail Hollow and Congressional, then energized the U.S. team in a Ryder Cup victory.
Im excited to be there, he said, and it was evident the way he leaned into the microphone and smiled. Im excited for the opportunity. Theres not too many chances you get to play against the best in the world at his golf tournament. Ive won this tournament before, and I dont see why I wont have a good opportunity tomorrow.
He won last year with a 65 in the final round, and when he made the final putt for the victory, Woods was watching - from his couch in Florida, recovering from knee surgery.
On TV, Kim said. He was in a different state, which was weird. But he was watching. I would love to play great tomorrow.
July 5, 2009
BETHESDA, Md -Tournament host Tiger Woods and defending champion Anthony Kim set the stage Saturday for a showdown everyone wanted at the ATT National, with some expected company on a suddenly crowded leaderboard at Congressional.
Woods salvaged an even-par 70 from a roller-coaster round, losing a three-shot lead in two holes and having to scramble down the stretch to regain a share of the lead.
Kim turned birdie into bogey with an ugly three-putt on No. 9, but kept his cool in warm, blustery conditions for a 2-under 68.
The 24-year-old has never finished higher than Woods in a PGA Tour event, and this will be the first time they have been paired together in any round of any tournament.
Woods has a 45-3 record on the PGA Tour when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead, although it took work to get there.
Woods and Kim were at 10-under 200, but it was far from a two-man race.
Michael Allen, who is 0-for-336 in his PGA Tour career but undefeated on the Champions Tour when he won the Senior PGA Championship earlier this year, made seven birdies in a round of 65, the best score Saturday.
Allen turned 50 in January and ventured out to play against men his own age only once, winning at Canterbury at a senior major. He has won on the Nationwide Tour, the European PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.
He was at 9-under 201 with Cameron Beckman, who chipped in for eagle on the par-5 16th for a 66. A dozen players were separated by four shots going into the final round, including Jim Furyk (69) and Rod Pampling (71) at 8-under 202, and U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover (68) another shot behind.
Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic
SYLVANIA, Ohio - Eunjung Yi shot a 10-under 61 to take a four-stroke lead after the third round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.
The 21-year-old South Korean, seeking her first LPGA Tour victory, had an eagle and eight birdies to reach 18-under 195 at Highland Meadows.
Morgan Pressel (67) and Song-Hee Kim (64) were tied for second.
Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa was 11 under after a 67.
French Open
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France - Argentinas Rafa Echenique shot a 1-under 70 to take a one-stroke lead over Germanys Martin Kaymer in the French Open.
Echenique, coming off a second-place finish last week in Munich, had an 11-under 202 total on Le Golf Nationals Albatross Course. Kaymer shot a 69.
