ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Tyrrell Hatton equaled the course record at St. Andrews to take control of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Saturday. ADVERTISING ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Tyrrell Hatton equaled the course record at St. Andrews to take
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Tyrrell Hatton equaled the course record at St. Andrews to take control of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Saturday.
The English golfer carded 10 birdies in a flawless 62 on the Old Course, and will take a three-shot lead over compatriot Ross Fisher into Sunday’s final round at the same venue, one of three used for the pro-am event.
Hatton, ranked 53 in the world, finished 17 under par in pursuit of his first European Tour title.
“(It’s) quite clearly the best round I’ve ever had,” Hatton said. “My bad shots, I didn’t really get punished for them. I missed them in good spots and I just putted really well. If you are holing putts, you’re always going to shoot a decent score.
“The putt on 17 was probably the best putt I holed today, 25 feet. But the majority of them were around six to 15 feet and if you keep knocking them in, it’s certainly good for confidence.”
Fisher, the halfway leader who lost a playoff for the European Open last month, carded a 69 at Carnoustie to finish 14 under, with South Africa’s Richard Sterne and Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren a shot further back.
“Hopefully, I’ll be drawn with Tyrrell (on Sunday), because we’re pretty good friends,” Fisher said. “We’ve spent quite a few evenings together for dinner and stuff.
“I’m sure we’ll go out there and have some fun and put on some good golf for the public and, you know, whether it’s me, him, someone else, there’s going to be a worthy winner come tomorrow afternoon.”
Martin Kaymer is five shots off the lead after a 65 on the Old Course, but he was more concerned with making the cut in the team event with his father Horst.
“I know how hard he’s trying, and we played the last few years and we always came one shot short,” Kaymer said. “He never experienced the final round at St. Andrews, so the most important thing is that we have a good time out there as a family.”
LPGA TAIWAN CHAMPIONSHIP
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Ha Na Jang shot a 10-under 62 in calmer conditions Saturday at rainy Miramar to take a six-stroke lead in the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship.
Chasing her third victory of the year, the 24-year-old South Korean player hit a 30-yard flop shot to a foot in steady rain on the par-5 18th for her 10th birdie of the day.
“Really surprised my play because weather so bad on the back nine,” Jang said. “But just be patient every hole. Just simple my thinking. Just thinking hitting the flag and hitting the fairway.”
After shooting a 69 in high wind and early rain Friday for a share of the lead with fellow South Korean player Hee Young Park, Jang had her lowest score in her two-year LPGA Tour career and matched the best round in the three years the event has been played at Miramar.
“I want keep this, my scorecard,” Jang said. “Always I want inside my pocket.”
South Korea’s Inbee Park set the Miramar mark in 2014 and England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff tied it earlier Saturday.
Jang birdied three of the last four holes to reach 16-under 200. She hit a wedge to 4 feet on 15, made a 30-foot putt on 16 and closed the bogey-free round with the tap-in on 18 after the flop that landed on a ridge and trickled down.
China’s Shanshan Feng was second after a 67, and Hee Young Park was another shot back after a 69. Canada’s Brooke Henderson and South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace each shot 69 to get to 8 under.
“I don’t really look at leaderboards,” Feng said. “But somebody else told me Ha Na shot like 62 today. … Somebody shot 62 today. Maybe I’ll shoot 62 tomorrow. Who knows?”
Shadoff was tied for eighth at 6 under. After opening with rounds of 78 and 70, she birdied 10 of the first 15 holes and closed with three pars.
“It was getting the ball in the fairway,” Shadoff said. “The rough out here is so thick that it’s really hard to get spin from the rough. It’s tough even chipping from around the greens. So, I was just in the fairway.”
American Alison Lee also rebounded to get to 6 under, shooting 65.
Defending champion Lydia Ko was tied for 16th at 4 under after a 69. The top-ranked New Zealander won by nine strokes last year at 20 under.
Jang started fast with a wedge to 3 feet on No. 1 and hit another to 5 feet on the fifth, then holed putts of 10 feet on the sixth, 8 feet from the fringe on the seventh, and 15 feet on the ninth. She chipped in for birdie from 15 feet on 11, and made a 12-footer on 12.
Jang won her first tour title in February in Florida and added her second victory three events later in Singapore.
FIJI INTERNATIONAL
NATADOLA, Fiji — Brandt Snedeker took a three-stroke lead in the windswept Fiji International, shooting a 2-under 70 in difficult conditions at Natadola Bay.
Coming off the United States’ Ryder Cup victory in Minnesota, Snedeker had three birdies and a bogey to reach 12-under 204 on the Vijay Singh-designed layout. He opened with a 69 and shot a 64 on Friday.
Australia’s Anthony Houston was second after a 73, and countryman Matthew Giles, the second-round leader, was 8 under after a 75. New Zealand’s Gareth Paddison followed his course-record 64 with a 69 to join Australia’s Michael Hendry (68) at 7 under.
Snedeker parred the first eight holes, birdied the par-4 ninth and added another on the par-4 14th. He dropped a stroke on the par-4 16th — ending his bogey-free streak at 49 holes — and rebounded with an up-and-down birdie on the short par-5 17th.
Snedeker won at Torrey Pines in February for his eighth PGA Tour title. He’s trying to win his first international title in the event sanctioned by European, Australasian and Asian tours.
ASIA-PACIFIC AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
INCHEON, South Korea — Brett Coletta shot a 4-under 68 to take a two-stroke lead over Cameron Davis in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, setting up an Australian duel for the spot in the Masters that goes to the winner Sunday.
The 20-year-old Coletta birdied the last two holes to reach 14-under 202 at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club, the site of the Presidents Cup matches last year. He opened with two 67s.
Davis had a 69. He was second last year in Hong Kong. Two weeks ago in Mexico, the 21-year-old Davis led Australia to victory in the World Amateur Team Championship and won the individual title.
