Varner, Kraft tied for lead at Greenbrier
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Harold Varner and Kelly Kraft are looking to add to the crop of first-time winners on the PGA Tour in West Virginia.
Varner shot a 4-under 66 Saturday to tie Kraft at the top entering the final round of A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier.
Both are seeking their first tour wins in their 85th starts. Since this tournament debuted in 2010, there have been four firsttime champions, but no third-round leader has won.
“I wish we could go play right now,” Varner said. “I’m pretty hungry. This is what you work for. This is what I get so pumped up to do.”
Varner had four back-nine birdies after 10 consecutive pars to catch Kraft, the second-round leader who let a four-stroke lead slip away and shot 1-under 69. Both were at 14-under 196. Varner’s best finish on tour was a tie for fifth at the OHL Classic in Mexico in 2016. He has one top-10 finish in each of the past two years and won the Australian PGA Championship in 2016.
“I guess this whole thing’s new to me because I’ve never had a lead going into the last day,” Varner said. “But I don’t really lack confidence. That’s never really been a problem. I just need to slow down and take it all in. Because there’s going to be something that happens tomorrow where I can learn and I can grow and I can get a lot better. So it goes back to keeping it in perspective. “That was deep. Sorry.” Kraft, who finished fifth in last year’s tournament, refused to get down on himself despite bogeys on two of his final three holes Saturday.
SOUTH AFRICA’S VAN ROOYEN LEADS IRISH OPEN BY 4
DONEGAL, Ireland — South African golfer Erik van Rooyen left behind his overnight co-leaders to grab a commanding four-shot lead going into the final day of the Irish Open on Saturday.
Van Rooyen began the third round in a threeway tie for the lead, but stormed to the turn in just 29 shots on his way to a superb 6-underpar 66 to finish 14 under.
He’s four shots ahead of Joakim Lagergren of Sweden (69) and Ryan Fox of New Zealand (70).
Former Masters champion Danny Willett (69) was five shots off the pace after recovering from a poor start with the aid of four birdies in a row on the back nine, and Lee Westwood was seven behind after a 70.
Defending champion Jon Rahm of Spain was eight shots off the lead after a 67 which included a front nine of 30, and tournament host Rory McIlroy was 13 adrift following a 72.
Van Rooyen, seeking a first European Tour title, made the ideal start at Ballyliffin with birdies on the first and second before picking up further shots on the fourth, seventh, eighth and ninth.
“I wasn’t very much aware of my score or the situation,” Van Rooyen said. “You sometimes get in a groove as a golfer where things just happen and you hit great shots and great putts and that’s what happened.”
KIM SETS 54-HOLE MARK AT 24 UNDER AT LPGA CLASSIC
ONEIDA, Wis. — Sei Young Kim won’t only be chasing a victory at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic on Sunday. She will also be chasing history.
Sei Young Kim shot an 8-under-par 64 in the third round of Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic on Saturday to tie Annika Sorenstam’s 54-hole record of 24 under and take a commanding eight-stroke lead.
In the final round, Kim will be trying for Sorenstam’s 72-hole record of 27 under.
“I just want to keep challenging myself and what I can do,” she said. “Even if I break it, I’ll keep [making] the challenges higher. That’s my goal.”
Kim, who had a 63 on Thursday and a 65 on Friday, got rolling with an eagle on No. 3 and added six birdies. A birdie on No. 16 tied Annika Sorenstam’s 24 under at the Mizuno Classic in Japan in 2003. After Kim missed a long birdie putt on the par-3 17th, she hit her tee shot on the 390-yard 18th into the left rough. Her approach was well short of the hole, and her birdie putt missed badly. She made a testy putt to save par.
Kim will take aim at Sorenstam’s 72-hole record of 27-under par, set at the Standard Register Ping in 2001 in Phoenix. Kim will need a 4-under 68 on Sunday to break that record.