PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida, 29 March 2004 — Australian Adam Scott took the lead through three rounds in The Players Championship on Saturday as Tiger Woods finally made his move.
Woods shot a four-under-par 68 at Sawgrass to move to four under-par for the championship but his score could have been lower had it not been for a bogey-bogey finish to his round. Scott, one of the youngest in the field at 23, recorded a three-under-par 69 to take a two-shot lead as he moved on to a total of 10-under-par, while Kevin Sutherland (73) and Frank Lickliter II (68) are at eight-under-par.
Paul Stankowski shot a six-under-par 66 to jump 19 places into a tie for fourth at seven-under-par where he was joined by Kenny Perry, Phil Mickelson, South African Ernie Els and second round co-leader Jerry Kelly, who fired a two-over-par 74.
The best round belonged to Australian Craig Parry, who had two eagles on the back nine and shot an eight-under-par 64 to move to six-under for the championship and into a tie for ninth with Duffy Waldorf (71) and Fiji’s Vijay Singh (72).
Song and Wie Vying to Make LPGA Tour History
In Rancho Mirage, California, teenagers Aree Song and Michelle Wie both set their sights on becoming the youngest winner of an LPGA Tour event after the third round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship on Saturday.
Song, 17, fired five birdies in a three-under-par 69 to join fellow South Korean Grace Park (67) at the top of the leaderboard on 208, eight under. Another South Korean, Lee Jung-yeon, was one stroke adrift. Hawaiian schoolgirl Wie shot a 69 to share fourth place on 210 with former world No. 1 Karrie Webb of Australia at Mission Hills Country Club.
Wie, 14, burst to fame when she returned a 66 in the third round here last year and went on to finish joint ninth.
This is Song’s fifth appearance here and her seventh major, but her first as a professional. In ideal scoring conditions, Park had a faultless five-birdie round.
Lee, 25, had a two-stroke lead with five holes to play but hit her tee shot into water at the short 14th and eventually slipped back with a 71. Webb also carded a 71 and was hoping her experience of winning six majors would be a telling factor on Sunday.
High Winds Cause Havoc in Madeira as Kennedy Slips Up
In Machico, Madeira, overnight leader Brad Kennedy of Australia signed for an incorrect score as high winds caused havoc before the weather-delayed Madeira Island third round was completed yesterday.
The 29-year-old, from the same Sanctuary Cove club as compatriot Adam Scott, became confused after watching his ball being blown downhill on the final hole and mistakenly signed for a quadruple-bogey eight — one shot more than he had taken.
That meant his third-round 79 became an eight-over 80, leaving him at two-under 204 and five strokes adrift of joint pacesetters Knud Storgaard of Denmark and Steven Jeppesen of Sweden.
Mardan Makes History With Royal Challenge Indian Open Victory
In New Delhi, Mardan Mamat claimed an emphatic five-stroke victory in the $300,000 Royal Challenge Indian Open yesterday to become the first player from Singapore to win on the Asian Tour.
The 36-year-old Mardan, who started the day three off the lead, fired a superb final round of seven-under-par 65 to overhaul overnight leader Pablo Del Olmo of Mexico, who shot a 73 for second place, at Delhi Golf Club. The victory, worth $50,000, was long overdue for the Singaporean number one, who in recent months produced three top 10 finishes in Asia, including a tied eighth finish at last week’s European Tour-sanctioned Caltex Masters in Singapore where he played in the final group at the weekend.
