Choi, Kang tied at Women's PGA
Triplett holds lead at U.S. Senior Open
Kirk Triplett watched a TV documentary on the Celtics and Lakers before teeing off in the U.S. Senior Open on Saturday at Peabody, Mass., then he and Kenny Perry tried to turn the tournament into a two-man show Larry Bird and Magic Johnson would be proud of. Starting the day tied at a record 11 under and playing together in the final group, Triplett and Perry turned a two-stroke edge into a five-shot advantage over their nearest competition. Triplett shot a 4-under 66 to improve to 15 under, and Perry was right with him until a bogey on No. 18 dropped him a stroke back. "It felt like match play, the two of us have separated ourselves a little bit from the field and he kept putting pressure on," Perry said. "He's unreal. He doesn't make many mistakes. I'm going to have to really play good tomorrow to get ahead of him." Denying that he was pandering to the Boston crowds, Triplett said he's been a fan of Bird's since the 1979 NCAA championship game. He also played golf with Hall of Famer Kevin McHale this spring and called it one of his most enjoyable rounds ever.
Then, Triplett arrived in Celtics territory ready to go one-on-one with Perry.
The two matched each other birdie for birdie and were tied on the 18th, when Perry wound up in the rough above and to the left of the pin. He chipped it past the hole and down a ridge but was able to leave himself a tap-in for bogey.
Brandt Jobe matched the tournament record with a 62 — the same score that Triplett had on Thursday — shooting 29 on the back nine to move into third. Fred Couples and Tom Lehman each shot 70 to head into the final round at Salem Country Club tied for fourth, at 7 under. When the wind picked up in the afternoon and the sun beat down on Olympia Fields, Chella Choi delivered a smart, steady performance.
The kind that wins major championships.
Choi shot a 4-under 67 for a share of the lead with Danielle Kang heading into the final round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Olympia Fields, Ill. Kang birdied the par-5 18th to join Choi at 10 under, setting up a final pairing of two players looking for their first major title. Kang had a 68, also birdieing the 18th. Jiyai Shin rocketed up the leaderboard with a 64, the best round of the day and good enough for third all by herself at 8 under. Defending champion Brooke Henderson was another stroke back after a 69. Kang and Sei Young Kim were tied for the lead after the second round. While Kim stumbled to a 72, the 24-year-old Kang had five birdies and two bogeys. She saved par with a perfect bunker shot on No. 12 and then birdied the par-4 14th to get to 10 under for the first time. She gave a shot back with just her second bogey of the tournament on 16, but recovered with another nice bunker shot to set up her closing birdie.
Lingmerth maintains lead at Quicken
David Lingmerth waved his arm disgustedly to the right to warn the gallery after he blocked his tee shot on the tight par-5 10th hole at TPC Potomac. After two shots from the rough, one from a hazard and one from a bunker, he made a 6-footer for bogey to fall to 3 over for the day. He was still tied for the lead. Minutes later, he led by himself again when Daniel Summerhays bogeyed 11. It was that kind of day at the Quicken Loans National in Potomac, Md. Lingmerth steadied himself after his adventure on 10 and made an aggressive swing with a driver that came off perfectly on the short par-4 14th, leading to a two-putt birdie. The 29-year-old Swede made a sloppy bogey on 17 and managed a 3-over 73 to drop to 7 under and maintain a one-shot over Summerhays. Spencer Levin, who teed off two hours ahead of Lingmerth, was alone in third at 5 under after the best round of the day, a 65. There was little wind Saturday, and the greens were softened by a thunderstorm that caused a 90-minute delay, but TPC Potomac played as difficult as ever, showing as much bite as its storied neighbor, Congressional. Saturday ended the same way the first two rounds did — with Lingmerth atop the leaderboard.