Spieth pulls within three of co-leaders

Jordan Spieth began the HSBC Champions at Shanghai with “very little confidence” in his evolving swing, but Saturday his nine-under 63 put him within three shots of the lead in the final World Golf Championship of the year.

The third round at Sheshan International ended Sunday morning when Russell Knox returned to play one hole and it proved to be a wiser decision than trying to finish in the dark. He made birdie for a four-under 68 and tied Kevin Kisner for the 54-hole lead at 16-under 200. Tied for second place, one shot back, were Dustin Johnson and Li Haotong, a 20-year-old from China.

Spieth, who was 12 shots behind about 24 hours earlier, moved up to a three-way tie for fifth at 13under.

“This will be the first and only time I would say this, but I was not expecting myself to be in this position come Sunday when the week started,” Spieth said.

Michael Allen held onto the lead in the Champions Tour’s season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Scottsdale, Ariz., and Bernhard

Langer pulled within a stroke to remain in position to take the points title. Allen shot a 69, on Desert Mountain’s Cochise Course and was at 12-under 198. Langer birdied the final two holes for a 68.

Sun-Ju Ahn birdied the first playoff hole to win the LPGA Tour’s Toto Japan Classic at Shima, Japan. Angela Stanford and Ji-Hee Lee parred the first hole in the three-way playoff. The three finished regulation at 16-under 200, moving ahead of third-round leader Jenny Shin, who finished one stroke back after a final-round 70.

Rain washed out all but 40 minutes of play Saturday in the Sanderson Farms Championship at Jackson, Miss. Roberto Castro holds a four-shot lead at 15 under through 36 holes.

Sweden’s Liselotte Neumann shot her second straight four-under 68 for a three-stroke victory in the Legends Tour’s Walgreens Charity Championship at Delray Beach, Fla.