Henderson stalls but still leads by 3 in LPGA season opener
Brooke Henderson went from complete control of her game for two days to having to scratch out a good score Saturday. The result was a 3-under 69 and a three-shot lead in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando.
Henderson was up for the fight and moved to 14-under 202 in the LPGA Tour season opener at Lake Nona. The Canadian will take a three-shot lead over
Nelly Korda (68) and
Nasa Hataoka of Japan (66) into the final round.
Maja Stark of Sweden (68) and Charley Hull of England (69) trail by five.
After a pedestrian stretch of golf early on her second nine that included a bogey at the par-4 12th — only her second bogey of the week
— Henderson managed to slide in a 30-foot curler for birdie from the left side of the 16th green.
It was a huge bonus, returning a small dose of momentum after her game had surprisingly stalled after 2 1⁄2 rounds of red-hot play.
Henderson missed a short birdie putt at the 14th hole — a par 4 where the tee was pushed up to only 229 yards — and failed to get up and down for birdie at the reachable par-5 15th, where her approach shot tugged left of the waterguarded green but at least had the good fortune to stay up. She didn’t make the most of the break, settling for par. Then came the unexpected slider on 16, which provided a nice, and needed, lift.
“That putt on 16 was a huge help,” said Henderson, who is chasing her 13th LPGA victory. Last season she won twice, including her second major, the Evian Championship in France, but ended the year struggling with a bad back. “It wasn’t quite as smooth today, but big putts like that in big moments definitely help.”
Elsewhere: ... Shane Lowry moved into position to win the Abu Dhabi Championship for a second time but the Irishman has plenty of company on a stacked leaderboard. That includes, out of nowhere, his compatriot and fellow major winner Padraig Harrington. Lowry, the 2019 champion, shot 6under 66 to tie for the third-round lead with Francesco Molinari and Min Woo Lee at 13-under overall.
AETC.
ASkiing:
American skier
Mikaela Shiffrin’s pursuit of a record-breaking 83rd World Cup victory is still on hold. Shiffrin finished seventh, 0.39 seconds behind Slovenian winner
Ilka Stuhec in a downhill at Cortina D.Ampezzo, Italy, on the course that will be used for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. Shiffrin therefore remained tied with former teammate
Lindsey Vonn for the women’s record at 82 wins each. ... Aleksander Aamodt Kilde turned around his Kitzbuehel weekend, winning the second men’s World Cup downhill on the demanding Streif course at Kitzbuehel, Austria, after overcoming two eventful days in the posh Austrian ski resort.
Soccer: Despite reaching 1,000 games in management, Jurgen Klopp must feel like he is at the beginning of a new journey
Aat Liverpool. An uninspiring 0-0 draw with Chelsea in the English Premier League was in stark contrast to the glorious performances his teams have produced during his trophy-laden time at Anfield. His 250th game in charge of Liverpool laid bare the challenge he faces to get his struggling team back in contention for the biggest prizes. ... Alexandre Lacazette’s hat trick ensured Lyon avoided a French Cup upset by beating fifth-tier Chambery 3-0 to reach the round of 16. ... Serie A leader Napoli bounced back from its Italian Cup elimination with a 2-0 win at regional rival Salernitana. Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Victor Osimhen scored either side of halftime as Napoli moved 12 points clear of defending champion AC Milan ahead of the Rossoneri’s game at Lazio on
Tuesday. ... Led by an ageless David Silva and a striker making the most of a second chance, Real Sociedad is threatening to make it a three-way title fight in the Spanish league.
MLB: Trey Mancini can earn up to $21 million in his two-year contract wth the Chicago Cubs based on escalators and bonuses for plate appearances. Mancini’s deal, finalized Friday, calls for $7 million salaries in each of the next two seasons. He has a conditional right to opt out after this season if he has 350 plate appearances. ... Sal Bando ,a three-time World Series champion with the Oakland Athletics and former Milwaukee Brewers executive, has died. He was 78. The family said the former third baseman lost a battle with cancer that began over five years ago.
A