Schenk's late birdie gives him lead over Spieth, Fleetwood
Adam Schenk looked as though he and everyone else would get passed by Jordan Spieth on Saturday at the Valspar Championship. When a wild and windy round finished, Schenk was still the player everyone was chasing.
Schenk hit his approach to the 18th hole to 5 feet and made the birdie putt for a 1-under 70, giving him a one-shot lead over Spieth and Tommy Fleetwood as he goes after his first victory on the PGA Tour.
“We didn't have a ton go our way until the very end,” Schenk said.
Neither did Fleetwood, who opened with a birdie and followed with 12 straight pars. He wound up with a bogey-free 69 and realized not losing ground was one of the best things he had going on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook.
Spieth, however, is who dictated the action.
He had a 69 and had to decide when it was over whether that was a good score on account of all the mistakes he made or a wasted chance to separate himself from the field. Spieth opened with a 6-iron to 7 feet for eagle. He led by as many as two shots.
But he made only three pars over his final 12 holes — on four of those occasions, he followed a bogey with a birdie. But that ended on the 18th when he hit a tree on his drive, went into a front bunker and then blasted by the pin to the collar for a final bogey.
“I didn't have my best stuff in the approach game, but overall I'm in a good spot for tomorrow,” Spieth said.
Schenk was at 8-under 205 and will play in the final group with Spieth, whose game appears to be rounding into form with the Masters on the horizon.
THIRD ROUND SUSPENDED >> Kristian Krogh Johannessen and Matthew Baldwin shared the lead at the SDC Championship in South Africa when the third round was suspended because of fading light.
The pair had moved to 11 under par through 13 holes when players were called off at the St. Francis Links course on South Africa's south coast.
The tournament, which is making its debut on the European tour, is playing catchup after high winds caused a postponement on Friday, leaving many players to complete their second rounds and move straight to their third rounds on Saturday.
NHL SHARKS GOALIE DECLINES PRIDE JERSEY >>
San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer won't take part in pregame warmups Saturday night, saying the team's decision to wear Pride-themed jerseys in support of the LGBTQ community runs counter to his religious beliefs.
Reimer said in a statement Saturday that he made the decision based on his Christian beliefs, adding that he “always strived to treat everyone with respect” and that members of the LGBTQ community should be welcome in hockey.
“In this specific instance, I am choosing not to endorse something that is counter to my personal convictions, which are based on the Bible, the highest authority in life,” Reimer said.
Skiing
SHIFFRIN RECEIVES TROPHY >> Seven weeks after securing it, Mikaela Shiffrin was finally able to hold and kiss the crystal globe for the best slalom skier of the women's World Cup season.
The dominant American had already locked up the discipline title at a mid-season slalom in the Czech Republic in January, but trophies in ski racing are traditionally handed over only in the final week of the season.