NAPA, Calif. — Brendan Steele had no complaints about his game Saturday in the Frys.com Open. He struck the ball well, made four birdies for a 3-under 69 and walked off Silverado with a one-shot lead going into the final
NAPA, Calif. — Brendan Steele had no complaints about his game Saturday in the Frys.com Open. He struck the ball well, made four birdies for a 3-under 69 and walked off Silverado with a one-shot lead going into the final round.
It was only after he finished that he saw that just about everyone else did so much more.
Andrew Loupe had a 63, starting with five straight birdies and making four in a row late in his round. Kevin Na and Jason Bohn each had a 64.
Three others shot 65, including Argentine rookie Emiliano Grillo, who played the final three holes in 3 under.
“The way it firmed up at the end yesterday, and how firm it was today, you really had to be on your game in order to do that,” Steele said. “I guess you never underestimate the talent level out here. I didn’t really ever flip the mindset. Just trying to do the best that I could.”
It was good enough to keep the lead — barely.
Sixteen players were within four shots of the lead, meaning the PGA Tour season opener was wide open.
Loupe went from a tie for 29th to playing in the final group with his 63, which matches the course record at Silverado first set by host Johnny Miller in 1976 and matched on Thursday by Steele. Na played the final three holes in 3 under to join Loupe just one shot out of the lead.
LPGA KEB HANA BANK CHAMPIONSHIP
INCHEON, South Korea — Lydia Ko and Sung Hyun Park rebounded to top the crowded leaderboard in the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship.
In position to take the top spot in the world, the second-ranked Ko overcame a double bogey with two late birdies in a 3-under 69. Park bounced back from a second-round 74 with a 67 to match Ko at 13 under 203 on Sky 72’s Ocean Course.
Ko made the double bogey on the par-4 14th, driving left into the water and missing a 4-foot putt. The 18-year-old South Korean-born New Zealander rallied, driving the short par-4 15th to set up a two-putt birdie and making a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th.
Park birdied three of the last four holes, also driving the 15th, holing a 20-footer on 17 and chipping to 2 feet on the par-5 18th. Making her first career LPGA Tour start, the 22-year-old South Korean player opened with a course-record 62. She would earn an LPGA Tour card with a victory.
American Lexi Thompson and South Korea’s Mirim Lee each birdied the 18th to pull within a stroke of the lead. Thompson had a 69, and Lee shot 67.
SAN ANTONIO CHAMPIONSHIP
SAN ANTONIO — Defending champion Michael Allen shot a 3-under 69 for a share of the lead with Scott McCarron in the Champions Tour’s San Antonio Championship.
McCarron also had a 69 to reach 6-under 138 on TPC San Antonio’s AT&T Canyons Course.
The 56-year-old Allen has seven victories on the 50-and-over tour after failing to win on the PGA Tour. The 50-year-old McCarron is making his seventh start in his first season on the Champions Tour. He won three times on the PGA Tour.
Fred Couples was a stroke back along with Bernhard Langer, Scott Dunlap and first-round leader Wes Short Jr. Couples shot 69, Langer 68, Dunlap 71 and Short 72. Couples won the 2011 event, shooting 62-62-66 for a seven-stroke victory.
FIJI INTERNATIONAL
SUVA, Fiji — American Matt Kuchar shot a 3-under 69 to maintain a two-stroke lead in the wind-swept Fiji International.
Kuchar had a 1-under 215 total at Natadolo Bay in the event sanctioned by the OneAsia and Australasian tours. Australia’s Aron Price was second after a 69. Fiji’s Vijay Singh was nine shots back after a 71.
PORTUGAL MASTERS
VILAMOURA, Portugal — England’s Andy Sullivan shot a 4-under 67 in windy conditions to take a five-shot lead in the Portugal Masters.
Sullivan, the South African Open winner this year, had an 18-under 195 total at Oceanico Victoria. He opened with consecutive 64s. Spain’s Eduardo de la Riva was second after a 68.
MACAO OPEN
MACAO — Australia’s Scott Hend had two eagles in a 7-under 64 to take a three-stroke lead over defending champion Anirban Lahiri of India in the Macao Open.
Hend, the 2013 winner, had a 15-under 198 total in the Asian Tour event. Lahiri, coming off his first Presidents Cup appearance, shot a 68.
