Theegala takes 1-shot lead at Phoenix Open with 5 birdies
Sahith Theegala used five birdies on the back nine at TPC Scottsdale to shoot a 7-under 64 on Saturday and take a one-shot lead into the third round of the waterlogged Phoenix Open.
Nick Taylor and Andrew Novak are tied for second. Taylor tied the course record with an 11-under 60 in the first round and shot 70 in the second. Novak shot 65 in each round.
It's been a soggy tournament so far in the desert — though the weather is expected improve for the final two rounds. A long weather delay on Thursday left half the field needing to finish their first rounds on Friday and a 90-minute frost delay on Friday pushed tee times back even more.
That moved much of the second round into Saturday and there was another delay — this one for just 21 minutes — in the morning because of unplayable conditions.
The third round will begin later Saturday.
Maverick McNealy is three shots back at 10 under after shooting 67. Doug Ghin is at 9 under.
Scottie Scheffler — eyeing his third straight Phoenix Open win — shot 66 and is four shots back at 8 under. He's trying for the first three-peat on the PGA Tour in 13 years.
Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth are also among five players at 8 under.
Theegala shot up the leaderboard on the back nine, with birdies on Nos. 11, 13, 14, 15 and 17. The 26-year-old — a three-time All-American at Pepperdine — earned his first PGA Tour win last year at the Fortinet Championship.
“Today, after the first few holes, we finally got scoreable conditions,” Theegala said. “No wind, soft greens, which is rare out here.”
LIV Golf
Dustin Johnson won LIV Golf Las Vegas on Saturday in windy and chilly conditions for his third victory on the Saudi-funded tour, pulling ahead with a birdie on No. 17 and closing with a par to edge Peter Uihlein and Talor Gooch by a stroke.
Johnson shot a 1-under 69 to finish at 12-under 198 at Las Vegas Country Club, breaking out of a late six-way tie on another day with the temperature barely climbing into the 50s in the shadow of the Super Bowl.
Johnson opened with a birdie on the par-5 first, then dropped back with bogeys on Nos. 6, 9 and 11.
The two-time major champion rallied with birdies on Nos. 13, 15 and 17 — holing a 12-footer on the par-4 17th — and made the par save on the par-4 18th for the victory, hitting to 12 feet from the rough and two-putting.
DP World
Rasmus Hojgaard, Rikuya Hoshino and Ugo Coussard were tied for the lead after the third round of the Qatar Masters, with the top eight on the leaderboard separated by just two shots.
Hojgaard — at No. 68, the highest-ranked player in the field — and Coussard both shot 5-under 67s to move to 10-under par overall. Hoshino, who was playing in the last group, joined them by making birdie at No. 17 and parring the last for a 69.
The three leaders were a shot ahead of Niklas Norgaard (69), Tom McKibbin (68) and Ewen Ferguson (66).
Of those six players, Hojgaard is the only one in the top 100 of the world rankings. The Dane is chasing a fifth title on the European tour and a first since the Made in Himmerland event on home soil in July.
English pair Sam Bairstow (69) and Paul Waring (68) were two shots back.
Australian golfer Haydn Barron, who led by two strokes after the second round, shot 74 and was on 7 under — three off the lead.
The Qatar Masters is the fifth straight European tour event in the Middle East.