Golf-Overton takes Greenbrier control, 60 for Holmes (Reuters)
July 31, 2010
* Overton retains lead on low-scoring day
* Holmes and Points flirt with 59s
(Adds Overton quotes, detail)
NEW YORK, July 31 (Reuters) – American Jeff Overton,seeking his maiden PGA Tour title, shrugged off a poor start totake a three-shot lead in the third round of the GreenbrierClassic at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia on Saturday.
Four strokes ahead of the field overnight, Overton bogeyedthe second and fifth holes before recovering with five birdieson the back nine on the way to a four-under-par 66 on the OldWhite Course at The Greenbrier and 18-under-par total of 192.
Several blisteringly low scores were posted by some of hisrivals on the rain-softened layout, with fellow American DAPoints firing a sizzling 10-birdie 61 to vault to second, whilebig-hitting U.S. Ryder Cup player JB Holmes produced abrilliant 60 that lifted him to a four-way tie for fourth at 12under.
Double PGA Tour winner Boo Weekley was alone in third on13-under after carding a 67.
“It was kind of a weird start, I didn’t really hit it thatbad,” Overton told reporters after regaining control of thetournament with a back nine of five-under 31.
“But I played well. I missed some putts early, and then awhole bunch of putts kind of fell in for me late, fortunately.It was good to see them go in.”
FIRST TITLE
Asked what it would take for him to claim his first PGATour title after finishing second on three previous occasions,Overton replied: “A good round. You got to play well.
“Somebody at 12 under right now, I’m sure one of those guysis gonna shoot 65 or better. There’s gonna be some good scorestomorrow, and it’s gonna take a good score to win.”
Holmes recorded 11 birdies and a lone bogey at thepar-three third to end the third round level with compatriotsJonathan Byrd (64) and Jimmy Walker (67), and Zimbabwe’sBrendon de Jonge (65).
“I was hitting it close,” the American said of his lowestround on the PGA Tour. “I hit three inside a foot, so I wasdefinitely on with the wedges today.
“I was putting pretty good, I was doing everything prettygood today. You know, when it all clicks like that, golf is alot of fun.”
Holmes returned the fourth score of 60 or better on theU.S. circuit in the last month, following the 59 by Paul Goydosand 60 by Steve Stricker in the John Deere Classic first roundand a 60 by Carl Pettersson in the Canadian Open third round.
“If I had shot 60 maybe this time last year, it wouldprobably get a little more attention than it’s probably gonnaget,” said the American whose round included a missed birdieputt from just three feet at the 11th.
“But there has been a lot of great scores lately.”
(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing byDave Thompson/Greg Stutchbury; To query or comment on thisstory email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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Fourth-round tee times for Cox Classic Presented by Lexus of Omaha (PGATOUR.com)
July 31, 2010
Fourth-round times. All times are local.
Cox Classic Presented by Lexus of Omaha Tee #4TimePlayers7:54 amStephen Poole8:03 amKen DukeScott Dunlap8:12 amBrian BatemanJustin Smith8:21 amJason EnloeDave Schultz8:30 amZack MillerFabian Gomez8:39 amBobby GatesMorgan Hoffmann8:48 amWilliam McGirtTy Harris8:57 amScott BrownMatt Davidson9:06 amBubba DickersonTjaart van der Walt9:15 amJin ParkPeter Tomasulo9:24 amMatt MarshallBrandon Crick9:33 amBerry HensonGeoffrey Sisk9:42 amMichael PutnamJhonattan Vegas9:51 amScott SterlingJamie Lovemark10:00 amLuke ListJoel Edwards10:10 amTommy GaineyBrandt Jobe10:20 amAdam BlandAndrew Svoboda10:30 amKent JonesRobert Streb10:40 amA.J. ElgertChris Nallen10:50 amBrendan SteeleRyan Armour11:00 amSteven BowditchJeff Gallagher11:10 amJames VargasDavid Mathis11:20 amAlistair PresnellJason Gore11:30 amRoberto CastroTag Ridings11:40 amScott GardinerHunter Haas11:50 amJim HermanScott Stallings12:00 pmKyle ThompsonColt Knost12:10 pmDicky PrideBob May12:20 pmRon WhittakerAaron Watkins12:30 pmMartin PillerJon Mills12:40 pmPaul ClaxtonScott Gutschewski12:50 pmJames HahnKevin Chappell
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The Daily Wrap-up, Round 3: The Greenbrier Classic (PGATOUR.com)
July 31, 2010
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va.—Jeff Overton shot a 4-under 66 on Saturday for a three-stroke lead entering the final round of the inaugural Greenbrier Classic.
Overton, the second-round leader, overcame a pair of early bogeys with a solid back nine. He’s at 18 under through three rounds on the Old White course.
Overton kept the lead despite a pair of others flirting with 59s.
D.A. Points three-putted the par-5 17th for bogey, finished with a 61 and is alone in second at 15 under. Boo Weekley shot a 67 to reach 13 under.
Earlier, J.B. Holmes couldn’t convert a 10-foot eagle try at No. 17 and shot 60. He’s in a four-way tie for fourth place with Jonathan Byrd (64), Brendon de Jonge (65) and Jimmy Walker (67) at 12 under for the tournament.
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Overton has 3-shot lead at Greenbrier Classic
July 31, 2010
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP)—Jeff Overton overcame a tough start to shoot4-under 66 Saturday for a three-stroke lead entering the final round of theinaugural Greenbrier Classic.
Overton made five birdies on the back nine of the Old White course to moveto 18 under.
The second-round leader kept the lead despite a pair of others flirting with59. D.A. Points three-putted the par-5 17th for bogey, finished with a 61 and isalone in second at 15 under, and J.B. Holmes couldn’t convert a 10-footer foreagle at No. 17 and shot 60.
Boo Weekley shot a 67 to reach 13 under, and Holmes is in a four-way tie forfourth with Jonathan Byrd (64), Brendon de Jonge (65) and Jimmy Walker (67) at12 under for the tournament.
Holmes was among 17 players who made the 36-hole cut on the number. He looksto repeat the performance of Carl Pettersson, who a week ago also made the cuton the number at the Canadian Open, shot 60 in the third round and eventuallywon by a stroke.
Double heart transplant recipient Erik Compton, seeking his first top-10 PGATour finish, is among three players at 11 under.
Overton didn’t come close to matching the 62 he shot Friday, his best roundof the year.
He started the day with a four-shot lead over Weekley but bogeyed Nos. 2 and5. By then, Points had taken over with a stretch of nine birdies over his first13 holes.
Despite difficulty finding greens in his round, Overton answered with fivebirdies down the stretch, including short putts at Nos. 16 and 17.
Overton, a former Big Ten player of the year at Indiana who joined the PGATour in 2006, is having his best season with four top-five finishes. He’s 12thin FedEx Cup points and could jump to No. 2 with a victory.
Points, also seeking his first win after joining the Tour a year ago, admitsthinking about a 59 after holing an 11-foot putt at No. 16. But those thoughtswere short lived.
His second shot on No. 17 found a greenside bunker, where he had an awkwardstance and blasted out to 28 feet. His birdie attempt was well short and his4-footer for par slid past.
Points still had a chance to become the fifth player to shoot 59 on Tourwith a hole-in-one at the 148-yard 18th, a rare par-3 finishing hole. His teeshot safely found the middle of the green and he made par.
Holmes, who had 11 birdies and a bogey, went driver-9 iron on No. 17 butwatched an 11-foot eagle putt slide to the left. He birdied the par-3 18th forhis 60.
Because 85 players qualified for Saturday’s play, there will be a 54-holecut to the low 70 and ties, a policy the PGA Tour implemented two years ago toavoid two-tee starts and long weekend rounds.
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Fourth-round tee times for The Greenbrier Classic (PGATOUR.com)
July 31, 2010
Fourth-round times. All times are local.
The Greenbrier Classic Tee #4TimePlayers2:00 pmJeff OvertonD.A. Points1:51 pmBoo WeekleyJ.B. Holmes1:42 pmJonathan ByrdBrendon de Jonge1:33 pmJimmy WalkerStuart Appleby1:24 pmCharles Howell IIIErik Compton1:15 pmJustin LeonardRoger Tambellini1:06 pmBob EstesSpencer Levin12:57 pmJim FurykScott Piercy12:48 pmBriny BairdDerek Lamely12:39 pmMatt KucharRocco Mediate12:30 pmAron PriceMarc Leishman12:21 pmBrandt SnedekerKevin Na12:12 pmTim HerronSkip Kendall12:03 pmBrett WetterichTroy Matteson11:54 amPaul StankowskiJohn Rollins11:45 amMatt BettencourtChris Couch11:36 amScott McCarronChris Stroud11:27 amAaron BaddeleyBrenden Pappas11:18 amNicholas ThompsonJ.J. Henry11:09 amDean WilsonMathew Goggin11:00 amStephen AmesWoody Austin10:51 amSergio GarciaPat Perez10:42 amBen CraneRichard S. Johnson10:33 amRoland ThatcherJoe Durant10:24 amChris RileyCharles Warren10:15 amCameron PercyMichael Letzig10:06 amGraham DeLaetArjun Atwal9:57 amMichael BradleyChad Collins9:48 amBen CurtisJohn Senden9:39 amSteve FleschDavis Love III9:30 amGarrett WillisJay Williamson9:21 amGreg ChalmersJohn Daly9:12 amJeev Milkha SinghCharlie Wi9:03 amCarl PetterssonTom Gillis8:54 amBlake AdamsJeff Quinney8:45 amJerod TurnerCraig Bowden8:36 amBrent DelahoussayeJoe Ogilvie8:27 amKevin SutherlandChris DiMarco8:18 amMatt Every
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Couples shoots 65, moves into tie with Langer
July 31, 2010
SAMMAMISH, Wash. (AP)—When Fred Couples was struggling to stay near par in thefirst round, the cheers he heard were mostly from friends and family out toexult the Seattle native.
On Saturday, the hometown boy gave everyone at Sahalee Country Club a reasonto roar.
“Today I didn’t hear many family because it was loud and so much fun,”Couples said.
Couples shot a bogey-free 5-under 65 on Saturday, surging into a share ofthe U.S. Senior Open lead with Bernhard Langer with a round left. Feeding offthe raucous hometown crowd, Couples made five birdies and posted the lowestscore of the week.
A week after winning the Senior British Open at Carnoustie, Langer shot 68on Saturday, posting his third straight round in the 60s.
Couples and Langer were five shots clear of Chien Soon Lu and Tom Kite,giving Sunday a match play feel with a little Ryder Cup thrown in.
“I’m sure there are many, many people rooting for him but I’ve heard a fewGermans out there and I might have my own 12 people cheering for me or whatever,who knows,” Langer joked.
Normally reserved, Couples got into the crescendo of sound as his roundprogressed. When he holed his bunker shot on the sixth to save par, Couplessimply flicked his wrist with a little wave. By the time he dropped an 8-footdownhill putt on the 16th, Couples added a subtle fist pump and grin as hewalked to the 17th tee.
The whole time galleries six- to eight-deep wedged between Sahalee’s massivetrees to get a glimpse at the round Couples was giving to his hometown. Now theyget to see if the local kid who grew up learning the game at Jefferson Park onSeattle’s Beacon Hill can win his first U.S. Golf Association championship 20miles to the east.
“I’m in a great position to win in my hometown,” Couples said. “That’sprobably not going to happen again, so I don’t think that’s going to make memore nervous than trying to win the U.S. Senior Open than I think it is, butI’ll let you know on the first tee tomorrow.”
Couples’ round was bogey-free and his best score since shooting a 63 in thefirst round of a Champions Tour event in late April. His 31 on the front ninecould have gone lower, if not for missing a short birdie putt at the fourth.
He made birdies at Nos. 2, 5, 7 and 9, nearly holing his second shot on theseventh, leading playing partner Tom Watson to question the gallery, “That’s agimmie, isn’t it?”
But the most important hole was the sixth where Couples appeared headed toat least a bogey, but made a spectacular par. His tee shot flared right andtucked near some overhanging tree limbs. His second caught one of the treelimbs, advancing only 70 yards, and his third was punched under another tree andinto a bunker fronting the right side of the green.
Fortunate to have a little green to work with, Couples flopped the bunkershot and watched it roll in the cup for a par, sending a massive roar throughthe course. The 31 tied the lowest nine-hole score in the first three rounds,matched only by Lu’s front nine Saturday.
Couples added par saves on the back at Nos. 15 and 18, sandwiched around an8-foot downhill birdie putt at the 16th. The score shocked other players, whothought Sahalee played just as tough as the first two rounds.
“The greens were microscopically softer today. I think somebody went outthere and spit on the greens a little bit,” Kite joked. “They were a littlesofter today than they had been but I mean the pin placements areunbelievable.”
Couples needed his amazing round just to stay even with Langer. Trying tobecome the first player to win back-to-back Champions Tour majors since 2003,Langer shot his third straight round in the 60s. His streak of 20 holes withouta bogey was snapped at the 12th, but rebounded with a 20-foot birdie at No. 18to get back even with Couples.
Lu shot a 68, and Kite had a 69. Peter Senior (68), Michael Allen (71),Tommy Armour III (72) and John Cook (72) were 1 over. A charge from the back ofthe field seems unlikely, considering Couples’ 65 is the lowest score of theweek.
“If we shoot even par or 1 or 2 under it’s going to be very hard for anyoneto get there,” Langer said.
While Couples was making his charge and eliciting waves of cheers throughthe trees of Sahalee, plenty of other contenders stumbled.
Playing with Couples, Watson was 10 shots worse, shooting a 75. J.R. Roth,in the final group with Langer, also shot 75. John Cook was 3 under for thetournament early in his round, then finished with a 2-over 72.
Cook still believes there’s a chance for those well back if the leadersstumble.
“(It) couldn’t be a better scenario for the tournament and for the area.That doesn’t mean we can’t go out and shoot 65 or ‘6 and steal one,” Cook said.“They might get wrapped up in that whole thing, and next thing you knowsomebody from behind when nobody is paying attention. It’s happened before, itcould certainly happen here.”
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Couples shoots 65, shares lead with Langer
July 31, 2010
SAMMAMISH, Washington (AP)—Fred Couples shot a 5-under 65 on Saturday for ashare of the U.S. Senior Open lead, feeding off a raucous hometown crowd hopingthe native son can win his first U.S. Golf Association championship.
Couples matched Bernhard Langer (68) at 5 under at tree-lined SahaleeCountry Club, with Langer birdieing the final hole to pull even with Couples.They are the only two players under par after three rounds.
Couples shot a 4-under 31 on the front nine Saturday, making birdies at Nos.2, 5, 7 and 9 and holing a bunker shot on the sixth to save par. He added abirdie at the 16th to post the best round of the week.
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Golf-Taiwan’s Tseng still on song at British Open (Reuters)
July 31, 2010
By Elspeth Burnside
SOUTHPORT, England, July 31 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s Yani Tseng,the leader from round one, sang to calm her nerves and fired athird successive 68 to retain her four-shot advantage in thewomen’s British Open at Royal Birkdale on Saturday.
The 21-year-old has had only one bogey in 54 holes and thethird round was a masterpiece.
She was in total control and made birdies at the 13th and15th before ending in style by hitting an eight iron second to20 feet at the 472-yard 18th and holing out for an eagle three.
Tseng finished the day on a 12-under-par total of 204 withKatherine Hull as her nearest challenger. The Australian birdiedthe final five holes for a 66 to close on 208.
South Korea’s Kim In-kyung eagled the last for a 68 tofinish on 210, six shots behind Tseng.
“I stayed patient and trusted myself,” said Tseng, twice amajor winner.
She told reporters: “I did get nervous, but then I sang tomyself—a song from my schooldays in Taiwan.
“This feels very special and I am really enjoying it. Buttomorrow will be tough.
“There are three par-five holes near the end and someonecould eagle the last two holes, so no one will be able torelax.”
Hull had a flawless round, holing her longest putt of 20feet at the 16th. She has yet to feature in the majors, butsaid: “My ball-striking has just got better and better over thelast couple of years and that’s what you need at a British Open.”
World No.1 Shin Jiyai, the 2008 champion, had half a dozenbirdies but ruined her day with a quadruple bogey eight at the11th where she topped a shot and hit into a gorse bush.
Brittany Lincicome was the leading American after finishingwith back-to-back birdies in 71 for 211, while compatriot MorganPressel made the most significant move by covering the final sixholes in six under par for a best-of-tournament 65.
The 22-year-old, who finished joint second in last week’sEvian Masters in France, started with two bogeys but then reeledoff eight birdies and an eagle from 45-feet at the long 17th tojump into the top 10 on 213, nine behind Tseng.
(Editing by Dave Thompson;To query or comment on this storyemail sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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REFILE-Golf-Women’s British Open third round scores (Reuters)
July 31, 2010
(refiles making clear course is par-72)
July 31 (Reuters) – Leading third-round scores from theWomen’s British Open at the par-72 Royal Birkdale course onSaturday (U.S. unless stated):
204 – Yani Tseng (Taiwan) 68 68 68
208 – Katherine Hull (Australia) 68 74 66
210 – Kim In-Kyung (South Korea) 70 72 68
211 – Brittany Lincicome 69 71 71
212 – Seo Hee-kyung (South Korea) 73 69 70, Momoko Ueda(Japan) 72 70 70, Christina Kim 74 68 70, Suzann Pettersen(Norway) 73 68 71, Cristie Kerr 73 67 72
213 – Morgan Pressel 77 71 65, Choi Na Yeon (South Korea) 7470 69
214 – Shin Jiyai (South Korea) 71 71 72, Amy Yang (SouthKorea) 69 71 74
215 – Chie Arimura (Japan) 77 68 70
216 – Karine Icher (France) 74 72 70, Maria Hernandez(Spain) 73 70 73
- – - -
(Editing by Tom Pilcher; To query or comment on this storyemail sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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Fisher’s lead in Irish Open cut to 1
July 31, 2010
KILLARNEY, Ireland (AP)—Ross Fisher of England will take a one-shot lead intothe final round of the Irish Open after shooting an even-par 71 on Saturday.
Fisher built a five-shot lead after opening his third round with fourbirdies in his first seven holes. But after putting his approach shot into thewater the par-4 eighth, Fisher made double bogey and dropped two more shots latein his round to finish at 12 under.
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That gave renewed hope to his playing partner Francesco Molinari, who at onepoint was six strokes off the lead. Molinari shot a 69 to finish one behindFisher.
Another stroke back is Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, who shot a 3-under68.
Fisher had the consolation of knowing that despite playing his last 11 holesin 4 over, he had not played himself out of contention.
“I am a little bit disappointed,” he said. “And I hadn’t realized how farI was ahead at the start of the back nine. I certainly didn’t realize I was sixahead.
“But I am still leading, I have got a one-shot lead and I am still the manto catch. But if I am going to win I am going to have play more like Friday whenI shot 61.”
Molinari, seventh in the qualifying table that will provide Europe with nineRyder Cup players in October, knows that a victory will guarantee he makes hisdebut against America.
“Obviously I am in a good position,” Molinari said, “but I think quite afew very good players are within very few shots of the lead, so its going to bean interesting Sunday. And if the winds gets up its going to be tough.”
Australia’s Richard Green and Padraig Harrington, who both shot 69s, are infourth place, with the Irishman convinced he can repeat his 2007 victory atAdare Manor in Limerick.
“I am happy still to be in the tournament, and to have actually seen thelead cut down,” Harrington said. “If I play well and get in a good position, Ithink it’s possible to catch anyone out there.”
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