A birdie hat-trick propelled Steve Marino into a tie for the lead with fellow American Paul Goydos after the Barclays Classic third round on Saturday.
Marino, chasing his first PGA Tour win, knocked his ball two feet from the pin at the par-three 14th before converting putts of 11 and seven feet at the next two holes as he registered a three-under-par 68 and a nine-under total of 204.
“I think if I play well, I’ll have a good chance to win the golf tournament,” he said.
The short-hitting Goydos had three successive birdies on the front nine as he carded 68.
The duo were two shots ahead of Swede Fredrik Jacobson (68) and 24-year-old American tour rookie Webb Simpson (72), who started the day two clear of the field. Steve Stricker was a further shot back on six under par, one stroke better than fellow American Heath Slocum.
US trio Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson and Matt Kuchar, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington and Briton Ian Poulter were tied for seventh on 209.
■JOHNNIE WALKER
REUTERS, GLENEAGLES, SCOTLAND
Sweden’s Peter Hedblom went to the top of the leaderboard for the second straight Saturday to take the lead after the Johnnie Walker Championship third round.
Hedblom was a four-under-par 68 for an eight-under 208, one ahead of 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie (73) who led for the opening two days.
Two late bogeys dropped Lawrie to seven-under, a stroke better than fellow Britons Steven O’Hara (66) and Jamie Donaldson (70), Frenchman Gregory Bourdy (71) and 2008 Ryder Cup player Soren Hansen (71) of Denmark.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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