The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thomas, Scott take lead at rain-delayed Riviera
Justin Thomas and Adam Scott each completed rounds of 6-under 65 on Saturday and shared the lead when the second round finally ended in the rain-delayed Genesis Open.
Both played only six holes, finished when breakfast was still being served in the Riviera clubhouse, and were likely to play only a few holes of the third round in what daylight was left.
They were a shot ahead of J.B. Holmes (69). Jordan Spieth (70) was three shots behind, while Tiger Woods finished with a birdie for a 71 and was 10 shots behind.
The start of the tournament was delayed seven hours because of rain. The plan was to complete the third round this morning and keep the same groups for the final round immediately after.
Thomas and Scott were at 11-under 131.
European Tour: Sweden’s Per Langfors was at the top of the leaderboard after three rounds of the World Super 6 in Perth, Australia, with Ireland’s Paul Dunne, Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan and Australian Brad Kennedy one stroke behind. Langfors shot an 8-under 64 and had a 10-under total of 206 after three rounds. Reitan shot 65, Dunne 66 and Kennedy 69.
LPGA: Nelly Korda made up for an early bogey on the back nine with three consecutive birdies and four on her final six holes to shoot a 5-under 67 and take a threestroke lead after three rounds of the LPGA’s Women’s Australian Open in Adelaide. Korda, tied for third after the second round, had a 54-hole total of 12-under 204 at The Grange. Japan’s Haru Nomura had a 70 Saturday and was in second, with three players tied for third, four strokes back. Five-time winner Karrie Webb shot 71 and was eight strokes behind.
PGA Tour Champions: Ken Tanigawa had six backnine birdies in a 5-under 66 for a share of the Chubb Classic lead with Glen Day and Stephen Ames in Naples, Fla. Tanigawa rebounded from bogeys on Nos. 8 and 9 with birdies on Nos. 10-12, 14, 15 and 17 at The Classics at Lely Resort. Day birdied the final two holes for a 66. Ames, tied for the first-round lead with Sandy Lyle after a thencourse-record 63, had a 68 to keep a share of the top spot at 11-under 131. Kevin Sutherland broke the dayold course record with a 62, birdieing six of his first eight holes in a round that started on No. 10.
Gene Littler, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open champ, dies: Gene Littler, whose fluid swing carried him to 29 PGA Tour wins and a U.S. Open title at Oakland Hills, died Friday night in San Diego with his family at his side, son Curt Littler said. He was 88.
Littler emerged from San Diego with a tempo to his swing that made the game look easy. Gene Sarazen once said Littler had a perfect swing, like Sam Snead, “only better.” He was known as “Gene the Machine,” and he won the first of his 29 tour titles in 1955 at the Los Angeles Open and went on to win three more times that year.
Littler won his first major title in the 1953 U.S. Amateur in Oklahoma City. He won the San Diego Open the following year while still an amateur, turned pro a month later and finished one shot behind Ed Furgol in the U.S. Open at Baltusrol. His most productive year was in 1959 when Littler won five times, was runner-up three times and finished No. 2 on the PGA Tour money list behind Art Wall.
Two years later, Littler rallied from three shots behind in the final round at Oakland Hills to win the U.S. Open. That was his only pro major, though he nearly won the 1977 PGA Championship at Pebble Beach until losing to Lanny Wadkins in the first sudden-death playoff in a major.