Sergio Garcia goes 4 shots clear in Thailand

 

 

CHONBURI, Thailand (AP) Sergio Garcia finished with back-to-back birdies to shoot a second straight 7-under 65 Saturday and seize a four-shot lead after the third round of the Thailand Golf Championship.

 

Garcia had eight birdies overall to go with a lone bogey on the fourth to move to an 18-under total of 198 at the Asian Tour event.

 

"I was able to hit some really nice shots and then was able to roll two or three really good putts in and it was nice to be able to finish birdie, birdie on this difficult finishing stretch," Garcia said.

 

Henrik Stenson also shot a 65 to sit tied for second with Anirban Lahiri of India (67). Justin Rose, who shared the overnight lead with Garcia, only managed a 70 to fall five shots back.

Garcia raised some eyebrows by playing with his girlfriend, Katharina Boehm, as his caddie this week, but the partnership seems to be working just fine on the golf course. The Spaniard, though, did joke that Boehm was holding him back.

 

"I think if she will not be on the bag it would probably be like 25 under," said Garcia, who had a hole-in-one on Friday. "No, seriously, it's great to have her around, forget about having her on the bag this week. Just a very positive person, a lot of good energy, that's what I love about her, and it's great to be able to go through this with her. I think the experience, not only for me but for her, I'm sure is interesting and a lot of memories."

 

Stenson, the hottest player in golf over the second half of the season, had a bogey-free round to put himself in contention. Having become the first player to win both the FedEx Cup and the European money title this year, Stenson certainly looks like the biggest threat to Garcia's chances of winning a first title of 2013.

 

"That was a good day, definitely was the best I played this week," Stenson said. "Made some good birdies and some really good saves to keep the momentum going. ... I saw Sergio, he finished with two birdies to pull away four ahead again, so it's going to take some golf to catch him tomorrow. I know he's desperate to get his hands on a trophy, he's played well this year but has not managed to win anything. I'll try to challenge and see what happens."

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SAfrica's Van der Walt wins Mandela Championship

DURBAN, South Africa (AP) Dawie van der Walt shot a 4-under 66 Saturday to win the Nelson Mandela Championship by two shots, giving the tournament a South African victory in a week when the country bids farewell to its former president.

 

Van der Walt finished with a three-round total of 15-under 195 as the sun eventually shone on the final day of the rain-shortened event. It was his second European Tour victory. England's Matthew Baldwin (68) and Spain's Jorge Campillo (68) were tied for second.

 

Even before the rain disrupted the first two days, organizers had changed the schedule ensure the tournament didn't run over into Sunday out of respect for the state funeral of Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid leader who died last week.

 

"It's making you kind of part of history, winning the Nelson Mandela at this time when it's sad for everyone and everyone's mourning and tomorrow's the big day," Van der Walt said, wearing a black ribbon on his cap. "It obviously means a lot and can be something that I can keep close to my heart forever."

 

Van der Walt lifted a trophy that depicts an image of Mandela surrounded by children and also won a painting bearing the signature of South Africa's most famous figure. The tournament donated money to one of Mandela's charities, a children's hospital that bears his name.

 

Englishman Daniel Brooks had held a three-shot lead after the second round in Durban, which was only completed earlier Saturday because of the weather delays. But he struggled with five bogeys and a double bogey in his final-round 76.

 

Van der Walt, who was tied for second heading to the final 18 holes, made five birdies and an eagle to go with three bogeys on the Mount Edgecombe course. He recovered from his third bogey at No. 11 by making eagle at No. 12 and birdie at No. 13. The South African also caught a break on the par-5 No. 14 when a shot heading toward the rough took a favorable bounce.

 

Neither Baldwin nor Campillo could apply enough pressure in the final stretch, with Baldwin making just one birdie in his last 11 and Campillo dropping a crucial shot at No. 15. Campillo and Colin Nel on Friday became the first players to shoot 59s in a European Tour event, although their scores don't count as records because players were given preferred lies on the rain-soaked course.

 

France's Romain Wattel was alone in fourth at 12 under and South Africa's Oliver Bekker fifth. American John Hahn finished in a four-way tie for sixth alongside four-time European Tour winner Branden Grace.

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Kuchar and English leading by 4 shots at Shootout

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) Matt Kuchar and Harris English took a four-stroke lead Saturday in the Franklin Templeton Shootout, playing the back nine in 9-under 27 in the better-ball round for a 12-under 60.

 

Kuchar and English were 20 under the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort's Tiburon course. They opened with a 64 on Friday in modified alternate-shot play. The team event ends Sunday with a scramble.

 

Retief Goosen and Fredrik Jacobson were second after a 61.

 

The teams of Ian Poulter-Lee Westwood and Charles Howell III-Justin Leonard were tied for third at 13 under. Poulter and Westwood shot 61, and Howell and Leonard had a 67.

Kuchar and English had nine birdies and an eagle on Nos. 8-17.

 

"It's pretty cool," English said. "You just kind of get on a hot streak and you don't really think about anything other than making birdies.

 

They had a chance for a 59, but Kuchar's 14-foot putt on 18 missed to the left.

Goosen and Jacobson had five straight birdies on Nos. 3-7 and row in a row on Nos. 14-17..

"Overall, not too bad, but yeah, four shots behind tomorrow, we need something really low," Goosen said.

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Jimmy V golf event ending after 20 years

CARY, N.C. (AP) The golf tournament developed to honor the late Jim Valvano's efforts to fight cancer is coming to an end after 20 years.

 

Organizers with The V Foundation announced in a statement that they are giving up the tournament to focus local efforts elsewhere, including a new partnership with the Rock `n' Roll Raleigh Marathon. The foundation says it is looking for runners to join its charitable team in the marathon, scheduled for April 13.

 

In its 20 years, the golf weekend drew about 500,000 spectators and raised about $13.5 million for cancer research.

 

Foundation spokeswoman Sherrie Mazur said the golf event was run by a staff of three, separate from the foundation. She says it's unclear if those staffers would remain with the foundation.

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Alfredsson removed from broadcast for inappropriate remark

Former LPGA player Helen Alfredsson was removed from the OSN Sports telecast of the Ladies European Tour's Omega Dubai Ladies Masters for an "inappropriate" remark pertaining to a helicopter crash that killed nine people in Glasgow, Scotland, last week, the National reported.

 

Alfredsson, winner of seven LPGA events, including the Nabisco Dinah Shore in 1993, made an off-handed attempt at humor when a helicopter flew overheard, saying she "hoped they are better pilots than they are in Scotland," the Daily Mail reported.

 

She issued an apology through the LET that said, "Regretfully, I made an inappropriate and distasteful comment on air today and apologize unreservedly for any offense that was caused by this mistake. I did not intend to hurt anybody and I am devastated if I have hurt anyone. I feel very embarrassed because this was not intended in any shape or form."

Alfredsson was replaced in the booth by Carin Koch, a fellow Swede, who had played in the tournament, but missed the cut.

 

Earlier, Steve Elkington, now a Champions Tour player, was taken to task for a similarly misguided attempt at humor via Twitter regarding the helicopter crash. "Golf is governed by so many rules," Tom English wrote in the Scotsman. "What about the rules pertaining to a guy who thinks it's funny to ridicule a disaster and not having the basic human decency to say sorry afterwards? What is the penalty for an offence like that?"

 

Elkington later claimed that he was unaware there were injuries, when he posted his Tweet.

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