Golf roundup
Leonard sets Harbour Town scoring mark HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) – Making up for years of frustration at Harbour Town, Justin Leonard shot a 5-under 66 Saturday to break the WorldCom Classic’s 54-hole scoring record.
Leonard, who has never finished higher than 30th in the event and thought about skipping the tournament, has thrived on the Harbour Town’s tight, tree-lined fairways and small greens.
He had seven birdies and two bogeys for a 16-under 197 total, surpassing the mark of 198 set by Hale Irwin in 1994 and tied by Loren Roberts two years later.
“Fifty-four-hole records are great,” said Leonard, who had a three-stroke lead. “But we want to have 72-hole records. Those are what count.”
He needs a 68 to tie Roberts’ record of 265, set en route to the 1996 title. But that’s more than Leonard’s shot (67-64-66) in three rounds so far.
Leonard led Cameron Beckman by three strokes. Phil Mickelson, who matched Jack Nicklaus’ 1975 scoring mark for the first two rounds, faded to a 1-over 72 and was tied with Heath Slocum (66), four shots behind.
Leonard says he’s over the surprise of Harbour Town success and zoning in the winner’s tartan jacket.
“I think I was a bit surprised the first day. And after yesterday’s round, maybe a little less surprised,” Leonard said. “Now, I’m very pleased but not surprised.”
Leonard, known for his 45-putt that won the 1999 Ryder Cup for the United States, was particularly accurate on the greens. He had a 12-foot putt for birdie on the fifth hole and followed that with a 15-footer that tied Mickelson at 13 under. After a bogey from the bunker on the par-3 seventh, Leonard made a slippery downhill 25-foot putt to again tie for the lead.
Mickelson, cheered at every tee box and green, remained out front with Leonard through 12 holes. But like several other times on top this season, Mickelson could not avoid a tumble.
He had consecutive bogeys on the 13th and 14th holes, and needed 12-footer on the par-5 15th hole simply to save par.
When Leonard, Mickelson’s playing partner, rolled in an 8-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole, Lefty was down by three strokes.
Leonard closed his round with a magnificent approach that settled 4 feet from the cup on No. 18, the famous lighthouse hole.
“I didn’t play as well as I’d like. I had trouble making birdies,” Mickelson said. “I felt like I did a good job keeping it around par because I did not hit very many greens today.”
Davis Love III had opened with a 62 and looked good bet to run away with the tournament he’s won four times. But for the second straight round, Love could not find his rhythm. He fell behind with bogeys on the 13th and 14th holes and missed a short par-putt on the 18th to fall six shots back with a 72. Angel Cabrera also was at 10-under 203 after a 70.
Beckman, who tied the front-nine scoring mark Friday with a 29, kept up his solid play with a 67. He opened with consecutive birdies, then moved a shot out of the lead with birdies on the 11th, 12th and 15th holes.
Slocum, who won three Buy.com Tour events last year to graduate to the PGA Tour, moved into contention with a 66.
Beckman said Harbour Town’s greens will be rock solid by the end Sunday. “I think it’s going to be a good day to tell myself to hang in there,” he said. “You just never know.”
DIVOTS: You could call Heath Slocum a streaky player. He finished with his third straight round in the 60s on the PGA Tour this year after nine in a row at 70 or higher. … Tim Herron had one of the day’s best stretches with three birdies and an eagle from Nos. 2-5. The run didn’t last through as he bogeyed three of the next five holes. … Sergio Garcia, finishing well before the leaders began, shot a 5-under 66, his first time under 70 in five career Harbour Town rounds. … Greg Chalmers had the day’s best round, a 7-under 64.
Longs Drugs
LINCOLN, Calif. – With a five-stroke lead, Cristie Kerr couldn’t help looking ahead to her first LPGA Tour victory.
Kerr, in her sixth full season on the tour at age 24, shot a 5-under 67 in perfect conditions Saturday for an 11-under 205 total on the challenging Twelve Bridges course.
“I have played well in the final group a number of times,” said Kerr, one of the tour’s fittest players after losing 50 pounds in the last 31/2 years. “I feel like I’m a whole different player now. I have more of the total package.”
Australia’s Jane Crafter was second after a 70, and Heather Bowie (68) was six strokes back along with South Koreans Mi Hyun Kim (71) and Hee-Won Han (67).
Even in some difficult conditions during the first two rounds, Kerr played steady, starting with a 66 and adding a 72 Friday, surviving the wind and difficult pin positions.
With the wind dropping and temperatures rising, Kerr played the front nine in 2 under, then birdied the first three holes on the back nine to pull away. She bogeyed No. 15, but got the stroke back with a birdie on No. 16.
“It’s easy to get the momentum when you’re hitting to within 10 or 12 feet of the pin,” she said. “When you’re playing like that, it seems to snowball.”
Kerr, who joined the tour right out of high school, entered the week fifth on the money list and could move into second place behind Annika Sorenstam with the $135,000 winner’s check.
Trailing by two strokes entering the day, Crafter matched Kerr on the front nine with two birdies, but played the final nine holes in even par.
“Cristie really got hot with her putter,” the 46-year-old Australian said. “I tried not to get discouraged by how well she was playing.”
Juli Inkster, the 1999 and 2000 winner, was seven strokes back after a 70.
“I didn’t play great today,” Inkster said. “I putted well and I chipped well, but I didn’t drive the ball well. I just felt uneasy with my swing. Tomorrow I will try to play more aggressive.”
DIVOTS: Defending champion Se Ri Pak shot a 70 – including a front-nine 39 – to drop 10 strokes behind Kerr. … Sara Sanders followed her first-round 66 with rounds of 77 and 80. She was tied with Kerr for the first-round lead. … Carin Koch had a second straight 74 and is 14 strokes off the lead.
Seve Trophy
NEWTOWNMOUNTKENNEDY, Ireland – Britain and Ireland won three best-ball matches and halved the alternate-shot competition Saturday for 10-6 lead over Europe in the Seve Trophy.
Europe will need a minimum of seven points from today’s 10 singles matches to retain the trophy it won two years ago on the strength of Seve Ballesteros’ victory over Colin Montgomerie.
The two captains will meet again Sunday under the rules of the event.
Ballesteros played his first match of the competition, teaming with Jose Maria Olazabal, his former Ryder Cup partner, for a 2-1 victory over Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley in a morning best-ball match.
Ballesteros mixed a few wild drives with brilliant shotmaking, chipping in from a greenside bunker at No. 17.
Olazabal also chipped in on No. 10, and the pair got to 6 under par for the eight holes they played on the back nine.
“They were just awesome,” McGinley said. “They had just six putts on the back nine.”
But Britain and Ireland won the other three matches and held an overall 8-4 lead after the morning competition.
In the other fourballs, Montgomerie and Ian Woosnam beat Robert Karlsson and Mathias Gronberg 4 and 3, and former British Open champion Paul Lawrie and Paul Casey beat Thomas Bjorn and Niclas Fasth 2 and 1. Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood defeated Miguel Angel Jimenez and Raphael Jacquelin 1-up.
After the excitement of the fourballs, the foursomes were anticlimactic and unspectacular.
Montgomerie and Clarke lost on the last green to Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez. Harrington and McGinley beat Alex Cejka and Niclas Fasth on the last hole, and the other two matches were halved.