Taylor takes 1-shot lead into Sunday at waterlogged Phoenix Open
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. » Nick Taylor had a oneshot lead at 13 under with 12 holes left in the third round of the waterlogged Phoenix Open when play was suspended Saturday because of darkness .
The Canadian continued to ride his fast start after matching the TPC Scottsdale record with an 11-under 60 to finish his first round Friday. Taylor completed just six holes Saturday, with one birdie and five pars.
Sahith Theegala used five birdies on the back nine of the second round early Saturday to shoot a 64 and take a one-shot lead into the third. He bogeyed his first two holes of the third, but made a birdie on No. 4 to pull within a stroke.
The 35-year-old Taylor is going for his fourth PGA Tour victory. The former University of Washington star lives in the area.
Doug Ghim and Andrew Novak were 11 under, with Jordan Spieth and Cameron Young at 10 under.
Scottie Scheffler — eyeing his third straight Phoenix Open win — was five shots back at 8 under. He’s trying for the first three-peat on the PGA Tour in 13 years.
It’s been a soggy tournament so far in the desert, though the weather was drier by Saturday afternoon. A long weather delay Thursday left half the field needing to finish their first rounds on Friday and a 90-minute frost delay Friday pushed tee times back even more.
That moved much of the second round into Saturday and there was another delay — this one for just 21 minutes — in the morning because of unplayable conditions.
Much of Saturday’s biggest news happened outside the ropes. The famously no-holds-barred tournament had to turn away some ticket holders and limited alcohol sales because the course became too crowded.
The Phoenix Open, dubbed the “Greatest Show on Grass,” is unlike anything in golf. Masses of up to 200,000 fans pack TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course with cheers, boos and the occasional beer shower. The eye of the rowdy hurricane is the stadium 16th hole, a multi-tiered frat party of a par-3 where “Quiet please” signs are met with ample disdain.
Johnson wins LIV Golf Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS » Dustin Johnson won LIV Golf Las Vegas on Saturday in windy and chilly conditions for his third victory on the Saudifunded tour, pulling ahead with a birdie on No. 17 and closing with a par to edge Peter Uihlein and Talor Gooch by a stroke.
Johnson shot a 1-under 69 to finish at 12-under 198 at Las Vegas Country Club, breaking out of a late six-way tie on another day with the temperature barely climbing into the 50s in the shadow of the Super Bowl.
Johnson opened with a birdie on the par-5 first, then dropped back with bogeys on Nos. 6, 9 and 11.
“Tough day. Got off to a little bit of a rocky start,” Johnson said. “I was hitting really good shots, they were just ending up in poor spots. I was hitting the shots I wanted to, I just was not playing the wind right.”
The two-time major champion rallied with birdies on Nos. 13, 15 and 17 — holing a 12-footer on the par-4 17th — and made the par save on the par-4 18th for the victory, hitting to 12 feet from the rough and two-putting.
Three tied for Qatar lead
DOHA, QATAR » Rasmus Hojgaard, Rikuya Hoshino and Ugo Coussard were tied for the lead after the third round of the Qatar Masters on Saturday, with the top eight on the leaderboard separated by just two shots.
Hojgaard — at No. 68, the highest-ranked player in the field — and Coussard both shot 5-under 67s to move to 10-under par overall. Hoshino, who was playing in the last group, joined them by making birdie at No. 17 and parring the last for a 69.
The three leaders were a shot ahead of Niklas Norgaard (69), Tom McKibbin (68) and Ewen Ferguson (66).