Bhatia stretches lead to 5 shots at Texas Open
SAN ANTONIO — Akshay Bhatia survived a rocky start Friday in the Valero Texas Open by rallying with a pair of late birdies for a 2-under 70 that stretched his lead to five shots and raised hopes of getting the final spot in the Masters next week.
Bhatia started with a three-shot lead and opened with a 15-foot birdie putt, perhaps a sign that this might be another easy day. Far from it.
He made bogey from the bunker on the next hole. He three-putted for bogey from long range. He failed to birdie the par 5s on the back nine. He no longer had the lead.
But the 22-year-old settled himself with birdies on the par 5s on the front nine at the TPC San Antonio, and a birdie on the par-3 eighth. The wind kept whipping, challengers kept dropping and he wound up expanding his lead.
Bhatia was at 11-under 133. Denny Mccarthy, who played in the afternoon, got within four shots of him until a bogey from the fairway on the par-5 18th for a 70. That dropped him to 6-under 138, along with Brendon Todd (72) and Russell Henley
(69).
LIV Golf: At Doral, Fla., Sergio Garcia decided to refurbish the putter he used 25 years ago when he was a rookie and played like it was 1999 ]. He was bogey-free at Trump National Doral for a 5-under 67 to share the lead with Talor Gooch and Peter Uihlein in LIV Golf Miami.
Gooch had the lead until a bogey on his final hole, the par-4 second hole in the shotgun start. Uihlein dropped only one shot, at the par-4 18th, in his round of 67.
They led by one shot over a group that included Bubba Watson, a three-time runner-up on the Blue Monster course at Doral when it hosted a World Golf Championship event on the PGA Tour. LPGA: At North Las Vegas, Nev., Nelly Korda almost certainly kept her hopes alive for a fourth consecutive LPGA Tour victory by shooting a 3-under 69 for a three-day total of 1-under par in the T-mobile Match Play.
The top-ranked Korda was tied for fifth place with Narin An when she finished her round, and the top eight advance to match play Saturday. The cut line was 2 over when Korda walked off Shadow Creek Golf Course.