The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Poulter stays hot, leads RBC by a shot after 67
The resurgent Ian Poulter shot a 4-under 67 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the RBC Heritage, putting him in position for his second victory in three weeks.
Before April, Poulter had not won on tour in more than five years. Now, he’s one more solid round away from adding another title to his dramatic win at the Houston Open on April 1.
No joke, Poulter’s play is for real.
Seven of the Englishman’s last 11 rounds have been in the 60s after having just three such showings in his first 20 rounds this season. His latest left him at 13-under 200, and a stroke ahead of Luke List (67) and Si Woo Kim (68).
C.T. Pan and Billy Horschel, both with 67s, were another stroke back at 11 under, and Kevin Kisner (66) and Chesson Hadley (69) were three shots behind at 10 under.
“There’s been quite a bit of lows in the last 18 months, to be honest,” Poulter said. “So if you ride the waves and you trust yourself and you believe in your ability, then hopefully, it’s still in there.”
Poulter and his chasers will have a quick turnaround today with tour officials starting play at 7 a.m. and going off in threesomes on both tees because of expected bad weather in the afternoon.
Champions Tour: Steve Flesch needed 38 holes Saturday to win the Mitsubishi Electric Classic for his first senior tour victory.
The 50-year-old Flesch birdied the second hole of a playoff with Scott Parel at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga., in an event completed a day early because of forecast rain and lightning. Bernhard Langer was eliminated on the first extra hole.
The left-hander won in his 22nd start on the 50-andover tour after winning four times on the PGA Tour.
LPGA Tour: Brooke Henderson kept giving herself chances to run away from the field Friday at the Lotte Championship.
Instead, she had to be satisfied with barely hanging onto the lead.
After two nearly flawless, bogey-free days at windy Ko Olina Golf Club in Kapolei, Hawaii, the 20-year-old Canadian had a frustrating third round that saw the wind switch directions.
Then again, so did nearly every other player.
Henderson took a onestroke advantage over 2014 Women’s British Open champ Mo Martin, whose eagle on the 13th kept her at evenpar for the day, into Saturday’s final round.
The leader was 3 over on the final three holes, four-putting the 16th for double-bogey. Henderson, who has already won five times on the LPGA Tour, finished with a 1-over 73 left her at 9 under.
European Tour: Ireland’s Paul Dunne held onto a one-shot lead after shooting a 4-under 68 in the third round of the Spanish Open in Madrid.
Dunne moved to 17 under overall after making five birdies, to go with one bogey, at the Centro Nacional de Golf.
Nacho Elvira of Spain (66) reduced Dunne’s three-shot overnight lead to a single stroke. World No. 4 Jon Rahm (66) and Henric Sturehed of Sweden (66) finished the day two strokes back. Rahm, a local favorite coming off a fourth-place finish at the Masters, made seven birdies to move into contention.