IRVING, Texas — Jason Dufner shot a 1-under 69 on Saturday, enough to keep a one-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Byron Nelson Championship. IRVING, Texas — Jason Dufner shot a 1-under 69 on Saturday, enough to
IRVING, Texas — Jason Dufner shot a 1-under 69 on Saturday, enough to keep a one-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Byron Nelson Championship.
On a day when nine players had or shared the lead, Dufner was the one on top alone for the second day in a row when play was done. He was at 8-under 202.
Jason Day shot a 67, with his only bogey coming after missing a short putt on the 18th hole. He was a stroke back along with J.J. Henry and Dicky Pride. Henry also had a 67, and Pride shot a 69.
Vijay Singh had a 66 and was two strokes back. Matt Kuchar, who won The Players Championship last weekend, was four shots back after a 72 with an up-and-down back nine. Kuchar still has a chance to become the first PGA Tour player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to win in consecutive weeks.
Dufner got his first PGA Tour victory three weeks ago at New Orleans, then took a week off to get married before returning to play at The Players Championship last week.
Dufner’s only bogey came at the 528-yard par-4 third hole, when he knew right away that his drive wasn’t a good one. He immediately dropped his club to watch as the ball flew into a bunker on the left side of the fairway, opposite the water on the right where he hit his tee shot the previous day.
He got that stroke back with a 10-foot birdie putt at No. 6, and had pars the rest of the way except for the 14-foot birdie at the par-4 14th.
Pressel wins twice
to reach Sybase semis
GLADSTONE, N.J. — Morgan Pressel inched closer to her first LPGA Tour title since 2008, posting two very different victories Saturday to reach the semifinals of the Sybase Match Play Championship.
Pressel rallied from 2-down with three holes to play to stun No. 2-ranked Na Yeon Choi in 19 holes in the morning and rolled over Anna Nordqvist of Sweden 5 and 4 in the afternoon quarterfinal of a surprised-filled event at the Hamilton Farm Golf Club.
Pressel will face former NCAA champion Azahara Munoz — a 5-and-4 winner over American Stacy Lewis — in the semifinals today, while American Vicky Hurst and Candie Kung will square off in the other match.
Hurst edged U.S. Women’s Open champion Ryu So Yeon of South Korea 2-up, and Kung, from Taiwan, topped Paraguay’s Julieta Granada 2 and 1.
The championship and consolation are this afternoon.
World Match play
semifinals set
CASARES, Spain — Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell advanced to the World Match Play Championship semifinals when Spanish favorite Sergio Garcia missed a par putt on the first extra hole.
McDowell will face Rafael Cabrera-Bello, a 3-and-1 winner over Spanish compatriot Alvaro Quiros.
Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts will play Scotland’s Paul Lawrie in the other semifinal at Finca Cortesin. Colsaerts beat American Brandt Snedeker 4 and 3, and Paul Lawrie routed South Africa’s Retief Goosen 6 and 5.
