American Jim Furyk shot a one-under-par 71 to maintain the lead in the second round of the US$5.75 million Chevron World Challenge on Friday.
The first-round leader, Furyk is at five-under 139, while South Korea’s K.J. Choi, Anthony Kim and Camilo Villegas are two shots adrift. Steve Stricker and Fred Couples are three strokes back at two-under.
Furyk was bogey-free until the last hole when he failed to make a 10-foot par putt after landing in the bunker on his approach.
PHOTO: AFP
Until the miscue on the final hole Furyk was error free, making birdies on the ninth and 16th hole. The 16th hole was his first birdie on a par five in 10 chances.
Unlike the first round when many of the players struggled in the colder conditions, the weather was pleasant and nine players finished under par for the two days.
■VOLVO MASTERS
AFP, BANGKOK
The season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia was left hanging on a knife edge after the third round ended with five players tied for the lead yesterday.
Overnight leader Lam Chih Bing of Singapore battled to an even par 72 at Thai Country Club and was joined at the top of the leaderboard on nine-under-par 207 by David Gleeson of Australia, who equaled the course record 63, compatriot Marcus Both (70) and Thai duo Chapchai Nirat (70) and Chawalit Plaphol (69).
Lin Wen-tang of Taiwan shot a 72 to be joint eighth on six under.
Lam, who led by two strokes after the third round, posted four birdies against as many bogeys as he failed to pull clear of the chasing pack in the US$750,000 event.
■SOUTH AFRICAN OPEN
AFP, PEARL VALLEY, SOUTH AFRICA
Michael Lorenzo-Vera of France climbed to the top of the South African Open leaderboard Friday after shooting a 65 to lie 12 under par for the tournament. Lorenzo-Vera enjoys a two-shot lead at the par-72 Pearl Valley Golf Estates course over Lee Westwood of England, Damien McGrane of Ireland and South African duo Ernie Els and Charl Schwartzel.
The 23-year-old Frenchman scored five birdies on the front nine and two on the back nine.
Els’ second 67 in a row left him strongly positioned to capture his fifth SA Open title.
McGrane shot a spectacular 64, with a 30 on his front nine, while Schwartzel’s 65 also left him two off the pace.
Tallon Griekspoor on Friday stunned top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in the second round at Indian Wells, avenging a devastating loss to the German at Roland Garros last year. Zverev, the world No. 2 who is heading the field of the prestigious ATP Masters event with No. 1 Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, is the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017. It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German. That included a five-setter
Donovan Mitchell on Wednesday scored 26 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers punched their ticket to the NBA playoffs with a hard-fought 112-107 victory over the Miami Heat. A seesaw battle in Cleveland saw the Heat threaten to end the Cavs’ 11-game unbeaten streak after opening up a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs clawed back the deficit in the closing minutes to seal their 12th straight victory and a place in the post-season. The Cavaliers improved to 52-10, maintaining their stranglehold on the Eastern Conference with 20 games of the regular season remaining. Mitchell was one of six Cleveland
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic on Saturday tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters, falling in his first match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp as two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced. “No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said after 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat. “It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” he said. “But congratulations to my opponent — just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.” Djokovic is just the latest in Van de Zandschulp’s string of superstar victims. He
Manchester United on Thursday settled for a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie. United led on Joshua Zirkzee’s goal in the 58th minute, but the hosts equalized 12 minutes later after Bruno Fernandes’ hand ball and Mikel Oyarzabal sent Andre Onana the wrong way from the penalty spot. The Europa League could be a way for United to finish the season with a trophy after crashing out of the FA Cup on Sunday. A spot in the quarter-finals is to be on the line at Old Trafford in the second leg on Thursday next
RSS