Tight finish likely at Wells Fargo
WILMINGTON, N.C. — Patrick Reed had been befuddled by the wind when his golf ball was in the air, and he had gone by the book when he was on the green. Then he went back to playing aggressively, and it gave him the lead Saturday at the Wells Fargo Championship. But not by much. Reed’s 5-under-par 67 matched the low score of a blustery third round, which was good enough for only a one-shot advantage over Alex Norén (69) and Jon Rahm (69) going into the final round at Eagle Point Golf Club.
The tournament was wide open, even for Dustin Johnson.
The world’s No. 1 player, competing for the first time since his slip down the stairs the day before the Masters bruised his back and knocked him out of the year’s first major, rallied for a 67. He was four shots out of the lead, with a legitimate chance at his fourth straight PGA Tour victory.
In a scramble for the top — 18 golfers were separated by four shots after 54 holes — Reed finished strong and was at 8-under 208 after 54 holes.
His lone bogey came at the 14th, when he tried to finesse a 51-degree wedge in the wind and hit the ball 40 feet by the hole, leading to a three-putt. He had the same yardage (134) on the 17th hole and learned from his mistake. He asked for the 57-degree wedge with the idea of smashing it.
“I’ll hit it hard and hopefully be able to get it up there,” Reed said of his thought process, “and it ended up working out perfectly.”
He also quit relying so much on his book that shows every tiny movement on the green — the one the United States Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews might ban — to avoid information overload. He only asked his caddie to help read a putt on two occasions, making both.
“I used to just read putts myself and kind of step up, go first instinct and knock it in,” Reed said. “I’ve done that pretty well all week.”
Sweden’s Norén, a four-time winner on the European Tour last year who is No. 12 in the world, missed a five-foot birdie putt on the final hole that would have given him a share of the lead.
The scores have been so tight that when the cut was made Saturday morning because of a three-hour rain delay, only seven shots separated the 36-hole leader, Francesco Molinari, from the players who made the cut on the number.
Seung-yul Noh also had a 67 and was at 6-under 210, along with Molinari (72), Brian Harman (70) and Vaughn Taylor (70). Six players were another shot behind.
Ochoa semifinals set
MEXICO CITY — Michelle Wie rallied to beat Angel Yin in the Lorena Ochoa Match Play tournament to join Ariya Jutanugarn, Sei Young Kim and Mi Jung Hur in today’s semifinals.
Four down after 11 holes at Club de Golf Mexico, Wie twice rallied to tie the long-hitting Yin and won with a birdie on the par-5 20th hole. Today, Wie takes on Jutanugarn as she continues a quest for her first tournament title since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.
The third-ranked Jutanugarn lost a 3-up lead to Cristie Kerr before winning with a par on the 19th hole.
Hur had two 1-up victories, knocking off top-ranked Lydia Ko in third round in the morning and edging Shanshan Feng 1 up in the afternoon. In today’s other semifinal, she’ll face Kim, who was a 5-and-4 winner over Karine Icher.
Also in the morning, Wie topped Marina Alex, 5 and 4; Yin beat Sandra Gal, 3 and 2; Jutanugarn defeated Pernilla Lindberg, 5 and 3; Kim edged Charley Hull, 3 and 1; Feng beat Brooke Henderson, 1 up; Icher topped Angela Stanford, 1 up; and Kerr knocked out Cydney Clanton, 3 and 2.
Daly leads after 36
THE WOODLANDS, Texas — John Daly shot a bogey-free 7-under 65 in the second round to take a one-stroke lead over Kenny Perry in the PGA Tour Champions’ Insperity Invitational.
The 51-year-old Daly is trying to win for the first time on the 50-and-older tour — and for the first time since the PGA Tour’s 2004 Buick Invitational. He birdied five of the first seven holes on the back nine Saturday and closed with two pars to reach 11-under 133 after 36 holes.
Perry eagled the par-5 first hole on his way to a 65, and Jerry Smith was another stroke behind after a 66.
Daly — a five-time PGA Tour winner whose victories included the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1995 British Open — said he has grown more comfortable in his second season on the senior tour.
Taking the overnight lead into the final round is a new challenge, though one he’s happy to face.
“It’s not a familiar place I’m in,” Daly said. “It’s going to be great.”