Australian Adam Blyth snatched a one-shot lead yesterday after the third round of the Maybank Malaysian Open, the event where he made his professional debut in 2005.
Blyth produced a superb six-under-par 66 to take the lead from Chinese star Liang Wenchong, who carded a 67, and Sweden’s Alexander Noren, who returned a 69. The final round promises to be a thriller with a jam-packed leaderboard at Saujana Golf and Country Club.
Thai star Prayad Marksaeng (65), American Anthony Kang (64) and England’s Miles Tunnicliff (63) are two shots off the pace, while overnight leader Danny Chia of Malaysia is a further stroke behind after a 74 to lie alongside India’s Shiv Kapur, who shot a 66.
PHOTO: AP
■PEBBLE BEACH
AFP, PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA
South Africa’s Retief Goosen fired a blistering eight-under-par 64 on Friday to charge to the top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage of the US$6.1 million Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
An eagle on his par-five second hole launched Goosen on his superb round, which gave him a 12-under total of 132 and a two-shot lead over Dustin Johnson.
First-round co-leader Johnson, who played at Spyglass Hill, was alone in second place after a 69 for 134.
Johnson also got off to a quick start, with four birdies in his first six holes before a double-bogey at 17.
Robert Garrigus, who shared the first-round lead with Johnson, carded a 71 and was tied with Charley Hoffman, Canadian Mike Weir and Mark Calcavecchia for third place on 136. Weir and Calcavecchia both shot 69, while Hoffman had a 70.
■SBS OPEN
AFP, KAHUKU, HAWAII
Michelle Wie, playing her first event as an LPGA Tour member, captured a share of the lead on Friday alongside Angela Stanford after two rounds of the US$1.2 million SBS Open.
Wie carded a two-under 70 to claim her share of the lead on eight-under 136 with 18 holes to play in the 54-hole season-opener.
The 19-year-old from Hawaii, who earned her tour card through LPGA Qualifying School late last year, started the day one stroke behind overnight leader Stanford but made up the deficit quickly.
Wie defied the blustery weather, opening her round with a birdie for the second straight day — this time on the par-four 10th.
She gave the shot back with a bogey at 17, but notched three straight birdies from the second before shooting a bogey at the par-three eighth.
“I have to say I am satisfied, I guess, because I did shoot a fine round, but I feel like ... I left a couple shots out there, especially the short putts, so that’s in my mind right now,” Wie said.
Stanford, who surged to the top of the leaderboard on Thursday with a 65, was unable to build on her lead despite a consistent one-under 71 that included 17 pars and a single birdie.
Angela Park, who is seeking her first LPGA victory, had the low round of the day, notching five birdies and a bogey en route to a four-under 68 for 137.
Japan’s Momoko Ueda was a three shots off the lead on 169 after a 71, and it was a further two shots back to a group of four players headed by Taiwan’s Yani Tseng.
■WOMEN’S AUSTRALIAN OPEN
AP, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
South Korea’s Lee Chang-hee held a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the Women’s Australian Open yesterday, closely pursued by two Americans and a group that included four-time champion Karrie Webb.
Lee shot a two-over 75 yesterday at the Metropolitan Golf Club, her second-round lead shrinking by one stroke. Her five-under total of 214 was one better than the US pair of Alison Walshe (69) and Beth Allen (73), who were tied for second.
Webb shot 75 and is in a four-way tie for fourth.
The Rakuten Monkeys on Sunday downed the CTBC Brothers 2-1, handing the hosts their second consecutive loss in the best-of-seven CPBL Taiwan Series at the Taipei Dome. Monkeys’ ace starter Pedro Fernandez of the Dominican Republic dominated on the mound, cruising through six scoreless innings before giving up a run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning. He gave up only three hits and walked two batters in a 93-pitch outing, giving his Taoyuan-based team an edge. Offensively, the Monkeys’ leadoff batter Lin Li hit Brothers starter Brandon Leibrandt’s pitch over the center-field wall in the game’s first at-bat,
Barcelona star Lamine Yamal would be motivated by criticism ahead of the Clasico, Barcelona assistant coach Marcus Sorg said yesterday. Teenage winger Yamal has been in the spotlight in the Spanish capital after joking that Real Madrid “steal” and “complain” during an appearance on a social media stream. Champions Barca face Real Madrid today in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu, looking for a fifth consecutive win over their rivals. “Lamine is a top player and I think [the criticism] will be motivating for him,” Sorg told a news conference. “I hope we all see him tomorrow [give] the best performance.” The 18-year-old Spain
Rafael Leao on Sunday shot AC Milan to the top of Serie A with a brace in a 2-1 win over ACF Fiorentina who were enraged by the “scandalous” awarding of the penalty that decided the game. Portugal winger Leao pushed Milan one point ahead of local rivals Inter, SSC Napoli and AS Roma with a coolly taken spot-kick, given for what looked like a soft foul on Santiago Gimenez by Fabiano Parisi, with four minutes remaining. That goal capped a fine first league start of the season for Leao and came after he drew the hosts level with a brilliantly struck
‘A HISTORIC moment’: ‘I think we all need to take a step back and appreciate Leo Messi is playing in Major League Soccer,’ league commissioner Don Garber said Lionel Messi raised the Golden Boot. He then got Inter Miami started with his head. The Argentine opened the scoring with a diving header in the first half, then capped the scoring in the 96th minute as Inter Miami opened the MLS playoffs with a 3-1 win over Nashville SC in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference best-of-three first-round series on Friday night. Messi and Ian Fray had the assists on Tadeo Allende’s second-half tally for Inter Miami, who now get two chances to advance out of the first round for the first time in Messi’s two-and-a-half-year tenure with the team. Game
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