Feng leads Women’s U.S. Open
BEDMINSTER, N.J. — Frontrunning Shanshan Feng rolled in a short birdie putt on the final hole Saturday to take the third-round lead in the U.S. Women’s Open.
Teenager Hye-Jin Choi and perennial Open bridesmaid Amy Yang were a stroke back heading in the final round of the biggest event in women’s golf — and one that had an even bigger stage with President Donald Trump in attendance for the second straight day.
Feng, from China, shot a 1-under 71 to reach 9-under 207 at the president’s Trump National Golf Club.
Choi and Yang each shot 70. All three players are going to have Trump watching over them and probable a lot of South Korea, too, with the top six players chasing Feng all from the country.
Sung Hyun Park, the top rookie on the LPGA Tour, was 6 under after a 67.
Top-ranked So Yeon Ryu (71), Mirim Lee (67) and Jeongeun6 Lee (73) were 5 under.
Cristie Kerr, a former Open winner and a member at this course, gave the president an American to root for with a 70 that put her at 4 under with Spain’s Carlota Ciganda (72).
Feng had a one-shot lead after the first round and a two-shot margin at the halfway point, but the 27-year-old star just could not hit it close in the third round. She had a couple of 10- to 15-footers for birdie on the back nine that never threatened the hole and she did not convert until hitting her third on the par-5 18th to about 5 feet.
Choi, the 17-year-old who is the world’s No. 2-ranked amateur, might have been the most consistent player after bogeying her first hole. She birdied Nos. 8, 11 and 16 and just missed another on the final hole.
JOHN DEERE: In Silvis, Ill., Patrick Rodgers is 18 holes away from his first PGA Tour win.
But the 25-year-old former Stanford star knows that it’ll likely take a lower score than the one he shot Saturday to secure such a milestone victory.
Rodgers shot a 3-under 68 in the third round, maintaining a two-stroke lead in the John Deere Classic.
Rodgers had a 16-under 197 total at TPC Deere Run. He’s trying to become the third player in five years to win the Quad Cities event for his first PGA Tour title.
“It’s going to be a shootout because there’s a lot of birdies to be made out here, and I’m going to have to make my fair share in order to stay at the top,” Rodgers said.
Daniel Berger had a 63 to match Scott Stallings (64) at 14 under.
Nicholas Lindheim (66) was 13 under, and Jamie Lovemark (66), Bryson DeChambeau (70) and J.J. Henry (68) were another stroke back. Area favorite Zach Johnson had a 70 to drop five strokes back.
Rodgers, who opened with rounds of 65 and 64, was hampered by a pair of bogeys. But Rodgers also had five birdies, and he saved par on the 17th after hitting his tee shot into the gallery.
“I wasn’t as sharp as I was the past couple of days. So, I guess I did a good job mentally to get in at 3 under par,” Rodgers said. “All in all, if you told me at the start of the day that I’d have the same lead I started with, that’s a positive thing.”
Berger, who won the St. Jude Classic last month in Memphis, Tenn., and lost a playoff at the Travelers Championship in his last event when Jordan Spieth holed out a bunker shot, birdied seven of his first 11 holes. Six of those birdie putts came from inside 10 feet.
Berger and Rodgers are among four players with a tournament-high 19 birdies.
SENIORS: In Owing Mills, Md., Bernhard Langer shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 and took advantage of Brandt Jobe’s late collapse to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Constellation Senior Players Championship.
Langer had six birdies to complete the third round at 18 under. He trailed after 15 holes but made up three strokes over the next two holes to take control of the major tournament he’s won the last three years.
Jobe shot a 65 to finish the day in second place. Corey Pavin (71) and Scott McCarron (69) were tied for third at 12 under.