Leishman maintains lead at BMW
LAKE FOREST, ILL. » Marc Leishman got upand-down from a tough lie behind the 18th green for one last birdie that gave him a 3-under 68 and extended his lead to five shots over Jason Day and Rickie Fowler going into the final round of the BMW Championship.
Leishman gets another chance to win a FedEx Cup playoff event and grab one of the top five seeds at the Tour Championship next week. The top seeds have the clearest path to claim the $10 million bonus.
And this opportunity is much better than two weeks ago.
Leishman shared the 54-hole lead at the TPC Boston with Justin Thomas, who surged past Leishman and held off Jordan Spieth. This time, no one could make a run at him Saturday on a warm day with a steady wind at Conway Farms.
Fowler rolled in a 25-foot eagle putt from just short of the green on the opening hole, and made only one birdie the rest of the way. He missed putts from the 6-foot range on consecutive holes on the back nine, one of them for birdie, and couldn’t make birdie with an iron in his hand for his second shot on the par-5 18th.
Day pulled within two shots with a birdie at the turn, but played the back nine with eight pars and a bogey. He also had an iron for his second shot on the 18th, but it plugged into the side of the bunker. Fowler and Day each shot 70. Leishman was at 19-under 194 after the kind of round that limited the possibilities for the final day. No one else was closer than seven shots of the affable Australian.
Jutanugarn in front at Evian
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE » Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand shot 3-under 68 to lead the Evian Championship second round on Saturday, and could join her younger sister Ariya in golf’s record book.
Seeking to be the first sisters to win a major title, Moriya’s 9-under total left her one shot ahead of Ayako Uehara of Japan, who had seven birdies in her round of 66.
The leading group on Sunday is completed by Katherine Kirk of Australia, who carded a 69 to trail Moriya by two strokes. All three playing partners will seek their first major.
Victory for the Moriya — who as a career-best finish of 10th at a major — would make the Jutanugarns the first sisters to win a Grand Slam title since the U.S. LPGA Tour was founded 67 years ago.
Ariya, who was top-ranked this season, won the 2016 Women’s British Open.
Two pairs of brothers have won major titles, though not for more than 50 years.
Lionel and Jay Hebert of the United States each won a U.S. PGA Championship, in 1957 and 1960, respectively. The Park brothers of Scotland, Mungo and Willie, won back-toback British Opens in 1874 and ‘75. That was Willie Park’s fourth Open title.
McKenzie, Smith share Champions lead in Victoria
VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA » David McKenzie birdied the final six even-numbered holes for a 7-under 64 and a share of the lead with Jerry Smith in the PGA Tour Champions’ Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship.
McKenzie, the 50-year-old Australian who Tuesday qualified to get in the field, began the unique run on the par-4 eighth and added birdies on Nos. 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 to match Smith at 12-under 130 on Bear Mountain’s Mountain Course.
Kiradech leads KLM Open
SPIJK, NETHERLANDS » Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand birdied his last hole to card 5-under-par 66 and take the lead after the third round of the KLM Open on Saturday.