CHARLOTTE: Jhonattan Vegas, chasing his first major title, clung to a two-stroke lead in Friday’s second round of the PGA Championship while top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and South Korean Kim Si-woo made late charges at Quail Hollow.
Vegas closed with a double bogey to fire a one-under-par 70 and stand on eight-under 134 after 36 holes with France’s Matthieu Pavon shooting 65 to share second with England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and Kim on 136.
“It was a great day,” Vegas said. “I can’t really get too down on myself for making double on 18. I feel like I managed my game really well. I was feeling it out there. It was nice to keep the momentum. The game was there and the feeling was good.
“I wasn’t happy to finish with that double on 18 but we have two more days to go.”
Kim aced the par-three sixth hole from 252 yards with a five-wood, hitting the longest hole-in-one in major history, and added six birdies against a lone bogey to equal Max Homa for the day’s low round of 64.
“It was exciting,” Kim said of the ace. “I hit it like exactly how I wanted. So it was cool and it was pretty memorable hole-in-one in major.”
Sharing fifth in the clubhouse were Americans Homa and Scheffler, who shot 68 to stand on 137 — three off the lead.
“A little below average for me,” Scheffler said. “I felt like I did a good job scoring. I was able to hit the right shots when I need to.”
Scheffler’s playing partners in the feature group — second-ranked Masters winner Rory McIlroy and third-ranked defending champion Xander Schauffele — grinded through the final hole just to make the cut on the number at one-over 143.
McIlroy, who completed a career Grand Slam with his Masters win, closed bogey-bogey to flirt with missing the weekend, lipping out from three feet for par at 17 and hitting off a hospitality tent roof into rough at 18 and two-putting for bogey from 36 feet to shoot 69.
Closing par putts at 17 and 18 from inside four feet gave Schauffele a 71.
Vegas, who fired a 64 on Thursday, never lost the lead despite pressure while Pavon and Homa each delivered their career-low major rounds.
“That was really very solid,” Pavon said. “Got a nice momentum with the putter early on. A few birdies on the front nine helped me to be more confident on the back nine. Overall it was a super satisfying day.”
Homa shot 30 on the same back nine where he fired 39 on Thursday.
“I knew the game was good,” Homa said. “Didn’t know I was going to shoot seven-under but I’ll take it.”
Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, fired a 68 and will draw upon his major win to try and pad his trophy haul.
“The fact I’ve done it before, that’s always a big confidence boost,” he said. “You can lean on that. I’m just happy to be in this position.”
World number 70 Vegas was set to become the lowest-ranked player to lead a major outright after each of the first two rounds since American Gil Morgan at the 1992 US Open.
Vegas was battling after a sleepless night sitting on the lead.
“Not getting a great sleep and having to come back early put me not in the best mood all day,” Vegas said. “It felt like three hours, but I probably got a little bit more than that. I got some sleep but it wasn’t the best.”
American Jordan Spieth, needing a win the complete a career Grand Slam, missed the cut on 144.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, whose 19 made major cuts were the longest active streak, and two-time major winner Justin Thomas were out on 145.
Vegas clings to PGA lead as Kim, Scheffler charge
https://arab.news/2yrev
Vegas clings to PGA lead as Kim, Scheffler charge
- Vegas closed with a double bogey to fire a one-under-par 70
‘Worst’ Australian team in 15 years retains the Ashes against England
- It took all of 11 days — two in Perth, four in Brisbane and almost a full five in Adelaide — not quite a record for clinching an Ashes series but not too far off
LONDON: Apparently, the worst Australian cricket team in 15 years just won the Ashes with two matches to spare against the best England squad assembled since 2011.
Long-time protagonist Stuart Broad lit the fuse ahead of a volatile contest for the longest-running rivalry in test cricket when he described the host squad as the worst to contest the Ashes in Australia since England won the 2010-11 series Down Under.
The 167-test veteran played two matches for England in that winning series.
Since then, a drought has extended to 16 losses, two draws and no wins for England on Australian soil.
Marnus Labuschagne, who produced a spectacular catch to help hasten the end of England’s dogged last-day comeback in the third test on Sunday, reflected on the pre-series pronouncements by Broad and others.
“Have to say, being called the worst Australian team in 15 years … like it’s nice to be sitting where we are, 3-0 up,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “The job’s not done yet. We want to make sure it’s 5-0 and really take that urn.”
It took all of 11 days — two in Perth, four in Brisbane and almost a full five in Adelaide — not quite a record for clinching an Ashes series but not too far off.
Chasing what needed to be a world record for victory, England was all out for 352 in pursuit of 435, giving Australia an 82-run win. By going the distance, the third test drew a total crowd of 223,638.
The Barmy Army of traveling England supporters was in full voice as England took the record-chasing fourth innings into the penultimate session at the Adelaide Oval, but ultimately it was the Aussies crowing about yet another dramatic win.
It’s true, Australia had a patched-up squad, with skipper Pat Cummins missing the first two tests while he continued recovery from a back injury. Josh Hazlewood was ruled out for the series. That left Mitchell Starc as the only member of the regular pace triumvirate available for the first two tests. When offspinner Nathan Lyon was dropped for the second test, Starc was the only member of Australia’s longtime bowling quartet in the lineup.
He led from the front, with two man-of-the-match performances. With three of the last four wickets in Adelaide, he has 22 for the series and 51 for the calendar year.
“We just found a way, which I think is a feature of this group over a number of years now,” Starc said. “Even at times where it’s not going our way, we can find a way to get ourselves over the line.”
In the batting lineup, there were questions over who would open and who would bat at No. 3. Steve Smith led the team in the absence of Cummins in Perth and Brisbane but was ruled out of the third test because of vertigo. Usman Khawaja was rushed back into the lineup to replace him and helped hold things together in the first innings.
Cummins said the Australian players took the attitude of just playing what’s in front of them.
