San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
With 60, Smith has share of lead
Cameron Smith missed out on his chance at a 59 and figured he at least would keep close to the lead Saturday in the PGA Tour’s Northern Trust in Jersey City, N.J.
Thanks to a few blunders by Jon Rahm, they wound up in a tie atop the leaderboard.
Smith missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole and had to settle for an 11-under-par 60 to set the course record at Liberty National. Rahm finally got going with a string of birdies, only to twice hit shots into the water that briefly cost him the lead and certainly slowed his momentum.
The U.S. Open champion had two birdies, one bogey, a double bogey and a terrific par save over the final five holes to scratch out a 67.
They were at 16-under 197, one shot ahead of Erik van Rooyen of South Africa. He made 10 birdies for a 62, one of four rounds at 62 or lower.
Smith narrowly missed an eagle putt on No. 16, hit a wedge stiff on the 17th to reach 11under for the round and was one birdie from the 13th sub-60 round on the PGA Tour. His approach on No. 18 settled 12 feet to the right of the flag.
“Just didn’t do it,” Smith said. The projected path of Hurricane Henri led PGA Tour officials to postpone the fourth round from Sunday to Monday. LPGA Tour: In Carnoustie, Scotland, Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist shot a bogey-free, 7-under 65 and Denmark’s
Nanna Koerstz Madsen countered with a 68, leaving them tied for the lead in the Women’s British Open at 9-under.
A bunched-up chasing pack, containing Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson, promises to make it a Sunday to remember at Carnoustie.
Nordqvist and Koerstz Madsen were a stroke ahead of Lizette Salas of the United States, whose up-and-down at the last completed a round of 70 that didn’t include a bogey from the fifth hole on.
Concord native Yealimi Noh, 20, wasn’t so lucky. She held at least a share of the lead for much of the round only to drop shots on her final three holes and finish at 6-under with a 71.
European Tour: Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen shot 6-under 66 to improve to 13-under, good for a two-shot lead in the Czech Masters near Prague.
Two Americans, Johannes Veerman (68) and Sean Crocker (70), and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson (69) were tied for second.
PGA Tour Champions: Woody Austin capped a bogeyfree round of 4-under 68 with a birdie on No. 18 to improve to 10-under 134, good for a oneshot lead over Jim Furyk and Colin Montgomerie in the Boeing Classic in Snoqualmie, Wash.