Sports

Leishman, Wise share lead

May 20, 2018
Marc Leishman plays his shot from the 18th tee during the third round of the AT&T Byron Nelson Golf Tournament at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas Saturday. — Reuters
Marc Leishman plays his shot from the 18th tee during the third round of the AT&T Byron Nelson Golf Tournament at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas Saturday. — Reuters

DALLAS — Australian Marc Leishman grinded through and clung to a share of the lead with US rookie Aaron Wise after Saturday’s windy third round of the US PGA Byron Nelson tournament.

The 34-year-old Aussie, who won the most recent of his three tour titles at last year’s BMW Championship, fired a two-under par 69 to stand alongside 21-year-old Wise on 17-under 196 after 54 holes at the par-71 Trinity Forest layout south of Dallas.

Leishman opened with a career-best 61 on Thursday but blustery weather kept him fighting just to stay in the front.

“Very different conditions to what it was Thursday afternoon,” Leishman said. “The course is firming up. A lot windier. Pretty happy with the way I fought back out there after a slow start.”

Leishman’s lone bogey came on the par-3 second. He answered with a seven-foot birdie putt at the fourth then caught fire again on the back nine, sinking a nine-foot par putt at 13, a 13-foot birdie putt at the par-5 14th and an 11-foot birdie putt at the 15th.

“You’re hitting such different clubs off tees. You just have to adapt to that. I feel like I learned a lot out there and hopefully I can use that to win tomorrow,” Leishman said.

Wise fired a 68 to grab the first lead or co-lead of his career after 54 holes. He comes off a career-best PGA finish of second two weeks ago at Quail Hollow and he found himself with raised levels of what he wanted Saturday.

“I almost felt like I had expectations,” Wise said. “I expected more from myself. Felt like I turned it around. Three-under is a good score around here.”

Wise went birdie-bogey twice in the first six holes, then birdied the par-5 seventh and closed the front nine with a 12-foot birdie putt.

After six consecutive pars, Wise dropped his approach inside three feet at the 16th and sank the birdie putt, then dropped another from nine feet at 17 to seize a one-stroke lead. But he closed with another bogey, missing a 10-footer for par, and finished level with Leishman entering the final round.

Aussie Matt Jones, seeking his first top-10 US PGA effort since 2015, and American Kevin Na shared a distant third four strokes adrift on 200 with Americans Brian Gay and Jimmy Walker on 201.

Jones, a 38-year-old Sydneysider, won his only US PGA event in Texas at the 2014 Houston Open. He shot 68 Saturday.

LPGA Kingsmill event trimmed to 54 holes

Rain washed out play Saturday at the LPGA Kingsmill Championship, forcing tournament officials to reduce the event to 54 holes with hopes of finishing Sunday.

South Korea’s Chun In-gee completed a second-round 66, five-under par, before darkness halted the storm-interrupted second round Friday to seize the clubhouse lead on 11-under par 131.

Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and American Austin Ernst shared second one shot behind, with Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn and the United States’ Angel Yin another stroke adrift.

Jessica Korda, a back-nine starter in round two, was the nearest player to the lead still on the course at eight-under with four holes to finish. — Agencies


May 20, 2018
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