Veteran defending champion Lu Wen-teh took a big step toward a record fourth Taiwan Masters title with a solid three-under 69 that left him one shot clear yesterday.
Lu, 45, nailed five birdies against two bogeys for a 10-under 206 total to grab the third-round lead over Thai star Thaworn Wiratchant, who recorded a 67 at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club.
American-based Anthony Kang shot the lowest round of the day after a 66 pushed him up to third place.
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUN, TAIPEI TIMES
Thailand’s Wisut Artjanawat remained in contention after a 72 to lie in joint fourth alongside Myanmar’s Zaw Moe, who carded a 70, and Taiwanese overnight leader Lin Wen-hong, who stumbled to a 78.
“I did not have a very good round today, but it was enough to get on top. I made the birdies where it mattered and kept it in play,” said Lu, who won way back in 1994 and 1996 before his success last year. “It’s going to be exciting as I will be playing with my friend Thaworn tomorrow.”
“But out on course, it’s down to business as we will both be gunning for the title,” Lu said.
Former Asian Tour No. 1 Thaworn enjoyed a bogey-free round with five birdies at the Tamsui Course.
“I am very happy with my score. But this is the home course for Lu and he will be backed by the local fans, so I know it’s going to be tough tomorrow,” Thaworn said.
North Korea’s FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup-winning team on Saturday received a heroes’ welcome back in the capital, Pyongyang, with hundreds of people on the streets to celebrate their success. They had defeated Spain on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the U17 World Cup final in the Dominican Republic on Nov. 3. It was the second global title in two months for secretive North Korea — largely closed off to the outside world; they also lifted the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in September. Officials and players’ families gathered at Pyongyang International Airport to wave flowers and North Korea flags as the
Taiwan’s top table tennis player Lin Yun-ju made his debut in the US professional table tennis scene by taking on a new role as a team’s co-owner. On Wednesday, Major League Table Tennis (MLTT), founded in September last year, announced on its official Web site that Lin had become part of the ownership group of the Princeton Revolution, one of the league’s eight teams. MLTT chief executive officer Flint Lane described Lin’s investment as “another great milestone for table tennis in America,” saying that the league’s “commitment to growth and innovation is drawing attention from the best in the sport, and we’re
Coco Gauff of the US on Friday defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to set up a showdown with Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the final of the WTA Finals, while in the doubles, Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching was eliminated. Gauff generated six break points to Belarusian Sabalenka’s four and built on early momentum in the opening set’s tiebreak that she carried through to the second set. She is the youngest player at 20 to make the final at the WTA Finals since Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in 2010. Zheng earlier defeated Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-5 to book
For King Faisal, a 20-year-old winger from Ghana, the invitation to move to Brazil to play soccer “was a dream.” “I believed when I came here, it would help me change the life of my family and many other people,” he said in Sao Paulo. For the past year and a half, he has been playing on the under-20s squad for Sao Paulo FC, one of South America’s most prominent clubs. He and a small number of other Africans are tearing across pitches in a country known as the biggest producer and exporter of soccer stars in the world, from Pele to Neymar. For
RSS