Leishman tightens grip on lead
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — As much as Marc Leishman has been through, especially off the golf course, it takes a lot to get to get under his skin. He tells his wife that even after a particularly bad round, give him 10 minutes and he’ll be fine.
His last tournament, when Leishman lost a twoshot lead on the final back nine at TPC Boston, was an exception.
“That one probably took a day,” he said. “It stung a bit.”
Saturday at the BMW Championship brought Leishman to the verge of redemption.
Leishman got up and down from a tough lie behind the 18th green for one last birdie that gave him a 3-under-par 68 and extended his lead to five shots over Jason Day and Rickie Fowler going into the final round at Conway Farms Golf Club.
Leishman, who was at 19-under 194, gets another chance to win a FedEx Cup playoff event and grab one of the top five seeds for this week’s Tour Championship. The top seeds have a clear path to earn the $10 million bonus.
Fowler and Day each shot a 70.
“Leish is playing spectacular,” Day said. “He’s going to be very difficult to beat tomorrow. I’ve got to come and play really good golf, because he’s not making any mistakes.”
Justin Rose had a 66 and was alone in fourth, though he was seven shots behind.
Baylor School graduate Luke List (67) was tied for 20th at 8 under.
Close in France
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — Moriya Jutanugarn shot a 3-under 68 in the second round of the Evian Championship and took a one-stroke lead into the final round of the year’s final women’s major.
Jutanugarn’s 9-under total kept her just ahead of Ayako Uehara, who made seven birdies in a second-round 66. They’ll be joined in the final group by Katherine Kirk (69) who was two strokes out of the lead.
There was a trio another stroke back: In-Kyung Kim (69), Lydia Ko (68) and first-round leader Sung Hyun Park (73).
McKenzie contends
VICTORIA, British Columbia — David McKenzie birdied the final six even-numbered holes for a 7-under 64 and a share of the lead with Jerry Smith in the PGA Tour Champions’ Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship.
McKenzie, a 50-yearold Australian who qualified on Tuesday to get in the field, began the interesting run on the par-4 eighth and added birdies on Nos. 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 to match Smith at 12-under 130 on the Mountain Course.
Smith, tied for the firstround lead with Steve Flesch, followed his opening 64 with a 66.
Jerry Kelly was a stroke back after a 66, while Flesch had a 70 to drop into a tie for sixth at 8 under.
Duncan still leads
BOISE, Idaho — Tyler Duncan shot a 3-under 68 to increase his lead to two strokes in the Albertsons Boise Open, the second of four Web.com Tour Finals events.
Duncan had four backnine birdies at Hillcrest Country Club and had a 15-under 198 total.
Jonathan Randolph was second after a 66. Alex Cejka was 12 under after a 70, and Taylor Moore (71) and Ted Potter Jr. (70) were 11 under.
Change at the top
SPIJK, Netherlands — Kiradech Aphibarnrat birdied his last hole for a 5-under 66 that gave him the lead after 54 holes of the KLM Open.
His 14-under total at The Dutch gave him a one-shot advantage over Romain Wattel (64), who had to play nine holes of his rain-delayed second round in the morning.
Second-round leader Joel Stalter (69) was another stroke back in third.