Dec 5, 2004 4 min read

SUN CITY, South Africa (AP) – Lee Westwood ignored temperatures in the high 90s to shoot a 1-under 71 Saturday and take the lead after three rounds of the Nedback Challenge. Westwood, who had a three-round total of 5-under 211, held a one-shot lead over Retief Goosen and a two-shot margin over Stuart Appleby heading into Sunday’s final round.

Saturday’s best round came from Jim Furyk, who shot a 6-under 66 that included eight birdies. He moved into a tie for sixth with Ernie Els.

Appleby, who began the third round with the lead, shot a 74 – and that score could have been a lot worse. He came within 30 seconds of being penalized for a lost ball when his second shot to the 18th hole plunged out of sight in the thick kikuyu grass face of a sand trap guarding the green.

After an intense search, playing partner Westwood’s caddie found the ball.

“The ball was buried so deep, I had to mark it to be able to play it,” said Appleby, who managed to shoot it out to about 20 feet and sank the putt to save par.

Father-Son Challenge

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Larry and Drew Nelson combined for a 12-under 60 take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Father-Son Challenge.

Jerry Pate made just one birdie, and teamed with son Wesley for a 61 in windy and chilly conditions in the scramble event at ChampionsGate Resort.

Seven teams were within four strokes of the leaders. The pairing of Lee Janzen and Aaron Stewart, the 15-year-old son of the late Payne Stewart, played the last three holes in 4 under for a 30 on the back nine and a 64.

Three-time major winner Larry Nelson, paired with sons Drew or Josh, has five top-five finishes, including a third in 2003, in the nine-year history of the event. He is poised to make a run at his first win.

“We’ve played good over the years, had some good starts and some good finishes,” the elder Nelson said. “Hopefully, we can put them together this time.”

Drew Nelson, 28, nearly hit the pin from 167 yards with his second shot at the 18th, and made a 5-foot eagle putt to maintain the lead in 50-degree weather with the wind gusting to 25 mph.

“He took the pressure off me, especially as cold as it was,” the 57-year-old Nelson said. “The last five holes, it was hard to make a full turn. It was nice to have a young back out there.”

Former U.S. Open champion Jerry Pate did plenty of spectating, too, making his only birdie at No. 10.

“My back’s hurting a little bit,” 24-year-old Wesley Pate said, joking.

Janzen and the 15-year-old Stewart rallied for a 30 on the back nine.

Stewart had the shot of the day at No. 18, hitting a 4-iron from 200 yards to 8 feet.

“It was a little bit nervous out there,” Stewart said. “It got to me a little bit. It was a good learning experience and hopefully I’ll improve because of it.”

Vijay Singh, ranked No. 1 in the world, teamed with 14-year-old Qass for a 66, good for 12th place. Playing in the final group with the deliberate pair of Bernhard and Stefan Langer, their round took 5 hours, 35 minutes.

Hong Kong Open

HONG KONG – South Africa’s James Kingston shot an 8-under 62 for a share of the third-round lead in the Hong Kong Open with European Ryder Cup players Padraig Harrington and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Jimenez, the 40-year-old Spanish star coming off a four-victory season, shot a 71, and Harrington had a 67 to match Kingston at 10 under on the Hong Kong Golf Club course.

“There’s a lot to play for tomorrow. It will be hard work,” said Harrington, who sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole.

England’s Nick Faldo (65) was a stroke back along with countryman David Howell (70), Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn (65) and Thailand’s Thammanoon Srirot (66).

The tournament, co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours, is the second event of the 2005 European schedule.