Geoff Ogilvy rolled to his third final in four starts in the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship on Saturday with an emphatic 4-and-2 semi-final victory over Stewart Cink.
Australia’s Ogilvy had three birdies and an eagle in the last four holes as he pulled away for the victory.
It was his second superb finish of the day after he closed out his morning quarter-final against teenage sensation Rory McIlroy with three birdies.
In the final, Ogilvy will face Paul Casey, who held off fellow Englishman Ross Fisher 2-and-1 in the other semi-final.
Casey led Fisher all the way, but didn’t wrap up the win until a birdie at 17.
■MAYAKOBA CLASSIC
AFP, RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO
Americans Mark Wilson and Bo Van Pelt shared the lead at 11-under 199 on Saturday after the third round of the US PGA Mayakoba Golf Classic.
Van Pelt fired a three-under 67 to move into a share of the lead with Wilson, who shot 69.
Van Pelt birdied the eighth before taking his one and only bogey to finish the front nine. He added birdies at 15 and 16 to claim a share of the lead.
Wilson answered his bogeys at the fifth and 12th holes with birdies on the next holes and added a birdie at the 16th to stay level for the lead.
American Briny Baird fired a 67 to stand third on 200, one stroke ahead of countryman J.J. Henry and two ahead of American Chris Riley and Australian Jarrod Lyle.
■MOONAH CLASSIC
AP, FINGAL, AUSTRALIA
Australian Alistair Presnell birdied the 18th hole for a four-under 68 and a one-stroke victory yesterday at the Moonah Classic.
Presnell finished on a nine-under total of 279.
Australian veteran Peter O’Malley bogeyed the 17th for a 70 to finish second. Australian Michael Sim was third after a 70, three strokes behind, while Americans Skip Kendall (70) and Daniel Summerhays (72) were in a group of four tied for fourth, four back.
■INDONESIA OPEN
AP, BALI, INDONESIA
Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee set a record for most wins on the Asian Tour and took his first European Tour title in four years with victory yesterday at the Indonesia Open.
Thongchai shot a three-under 69 for a four-round total of 12-under 276, putting him two strokes ahead of three European pursuers — English pair Steve Webster (68) and Simon Dyson (69), and Sweden’s Alexander Noren (70).
Thongchai, who had a one-shot lead entering the round, set up his victory with three straight birdies from three to five that gave him a four-stroke buffer and the Thai went on to become the first man ever to win 11 Asian Tour titles.
■LPGA THAILAND
AFP, PATTAYA, THAILAND
Mexican golfing star Lorena Ochoa clinched LPGA Thailand yesterday with an impressive six-under 66 round that included seven birdies.
The world No. 1 started the tournament slowly on Thursday, but powered up the leaderboard with low scores throughout the weekend to finish on 274, three strokes ahead of second-placed South Korean Park Hee-young.
In third place was Paula Creamer on 278.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
MILWAUKEE PREVAIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points as the Bucks withstood Nikola Jokic’s 27th triple-double of the season to beat the Nuggets Golden State star Stephen Curry on Thursday drilled 12 three-pointers in a scintillating 56-point display that carried the Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic. Curry’s explosive performance helped the Warriors dig themselves out of a 17-point hole, with the point guard signaling the start of the fightback with a three-pointer from beyond the half-court line to end the first half that pulled the Warriors within 66-52 at the break. In the third quarter, he single-handedly outscored the Magic with 22 points to Orlando’s 21. The four-time NBA champion finished two three-pointers shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s record for most