Taiwan’s Yani Tseng, who was last year’s runner-up, fired a three-under 69 to surge into a tie for the lead after the second round of the LPGA MasterCard Classic on Saturday.
“Actually I feel pretty good today. But I had a bogey to start,” Tseng said. “I am very disappointed because I had a bet with Lorena [Ochoa] for bogey-free and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I made a bogey on the first hole.’ I had seven birdies today and I had one four-putt, and that’s really bad.”
Tseng is tied at seven-under 137 with South Korea’s Na Yeon Choi who shot two-under 70 at the BosqueReal Country Club course.
“I just made a few mistakes today but I made lots of birdies and I’m really happy for today,” Tseng said.
Tseng bogeyed the first hole before righting the ship and birdying four of the next six. She ran into trouble again on the par-four No. 8, finishing with a double bogey — her worst showing on any hole this weekend.
But she rebounded on the back nine with two more birdies and six pars and wound up on top, holding a one-stroke lead in the US$1.3 million event.
Choi, meanwhile, finished with a one-over 73, but at just one stroke back, she remains in the hunt.
■ TRANSITIONS CHAMPIONSHIP
AFP, TAMPA, FLORIDA
Tom Lehman, who was looking for his first victory in nine years, used a strong putter on the back nine to grab a one-shot lead after the third round of the PGA Transitions Championship.
The 50-year-old American shot a three-under 68 to move to eight-under 205 in the US$5.4 million tournament.
Two-time US Open champion Retief Goosen of South Africa is second. Lehman double-bogeyed the par-three fourth hole and made the turn with a round of one-over.
He reeled off four straight birdies from holes 12 to 15 before making par on his final three holes.
Goosen holed three birdies against one bogey to stay within one shot of Lehman.
He is two shots ahead of a quartet of golfers tied for third at five-under overall.
■ MADEIRA ISLANDS OPEN
AFP, MADEIRA, PORTUGAL
Argentine rookie Estanislao Goya opened up a three-shot lead after three rounds of the Madeira Islands Open on Saturday thanks to a two-under-par 69.
Damien McGrane moved into second on five-under after a second round 70 and Carlos Rodiles of Spain is another shot further back on four-under.
■ DELL CHAMPIONSHIPS
AFP, XIAMEN, CHINA
China’s Wu Weihuang shot a one-under-par 71 to take a four-stroke victory over fellow locals Alex Wu Ashun and Zhou Jun in the Dell Championship in Xiamen yesterday.
Wu, a former martial arts champion, was mobbed by fans as he walked away after his win.
Taiwan’s Lu Wen-teh shared fifth place in the tournament with China’s Zhang Lianwe and Singapore’s Goh Kun Yang.
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Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan yesterday dumped defending champions Germany out of the United Cup with world No. 2 Alexander Zverev sidelined by an arm injury barely a week away from the Australian Open. The upset in Perth sent the Kazakhs into the semi-finals of the 18-nation tournament. In Sydney, women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek led Poland into the last eight by winning a rematch of her 2023 French Open final against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. Britain also progressed to the quarter-finals with Katie Boulter’s dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki enough to guarantee they won their group. The US and
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Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek yesterday beat Elena Rybakina in straight sets to take Poland into the final of the mixed-teams United Cup with victory over Kazakhstan. Last year’s runners-up face the US today for the title in Sydney after they beat the Czech Republic in the other semi-final. “This win makes me really proud,” Swiatek said after seeing off Rybakina 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to give Poland an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie. It was a statement of intent from the world number two with the first major of the year to start on Jan. 12. “It is perfect preparation for the
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