The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Cristie Kerr leads LPGA ShopRite Classic
- Simba surprised & stopped by veteran Botha
- Brooks maintains lead in Champions event
| Cristie Kerr leads LPGA ShopRite Classic Posted: 04 Jun 2011 05:29 PM PDT GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, New Jersey (AP): Cristie Kerr birdied the final hole for a 6-under 65 and a one-shot lead over Catriona Matthew after Saturday's second round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic. The 33-year-old Kerr rolled in three of her eight birdies after making a double bogey on the 12th hole on the Bay Course at Seaview. Kerr capped the round with an 8-footer at the par-5 18th to put herself in position to win for the first time this year and for the 15th time in her LPGA career. Kerr, who won this event in 2004, had an 8-under 134 total after a round that was played in a slight breeze in stark contrast to the strong wind that blew Friday. There were 53 sub-par rounds in the second round compared to 13 the day before and, if the conditions don't change, a low score will probably be needed Sunday to collect the top prize of $225,000. "You just have to feel out the conditions and see what the optimum score will be in those kinds of those conditions," Kerr said. "Shooting even par, I know, is not going to get it done." Matthew is looking to become the first player in her 40s to win on the LPGA Tour since Helen Alfredsson won in China in 2008 at 43. The 41-year-old mother of two who has won only three times in 17 years on tour, had a 67 on Saturday. Her last win was the 2009 British Women's Open, 11 weeks after she gave birth to her second child. "I've learned from those situations before and I'll be nervous tomorrow," said Matthew, who had six birdies and two bogeys. "So I just need to hopefully learn from being there in the past and cope with it." Brittany Lincicome, looking for her first win since 2009, was alone at 6 under after shooting a tournament-best 64 that featured seven birdies and no bogeys. "I drove it well, I hit it to most of the greens well and I just seemed to make everything," said Lincicome. "Nothing really went in yesterday so I must have been saving them for today." Lincicome has not won since capturing the Kraft Nabisco Championship for her first and only major. "I am just looking to win and get back in the winner's area, even the same zip code," she said. "It's been a while so it's nice to be near the top of the leaderboard. It's nice to be back in the media room and getting asked questions about my round. Everything is going in the right direction. I am working hard and playing well." First-round leader Jiyai Shin (71), fellow South Korean Amy Yang (67) and American Mindy Kim (65) were tied for fourth place, three shots behind Kerr. Brittany Lang (66) and Shi Hyun Ahn (67) were four shots behind the leader. Anna Nordqvist (68), Katie Futcher (68), I.K. Kim (70), Karen Stupples (70) and Haeji Kang were all at 139, five back. There were some amazing second round turnarounds. Birdie Kim followed an opening-round 85 with a 70, but still missed the cut at 4 over. Beatriz Recari of Spain shot a second-round 65 to move from a tie for 89th to a tie for 20th at 1 under. Sandra Gal, who was a shot behind Shin after the opening round, had a 74 and also was at 1 under. Michelle Wie and Paula Creamer were at 1 over after rounds of 71. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Simba surprised & stopped by veteran Botha Posted: 04 Jun 2011 04:48 PM PDT JOHANNESBURG (AP): Promising South African heavyweight Flo Simba suffered a surprise sixth-round stoppage by veteran Francois Botha on Saturday for his first defeat in 11 professional fights. The 21-year-old Simba was rocked by two big right hands from compatriot Botha - 21 years his senior - and the referee stepped in soon after with Simba out on his feet. Botha, who lost to Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield in his career, improved to 48-5 with three draws and one no-contest. Simba looked to dominate a seemingly out-of-shape Botha early, landing his trademark right hook in the first round. But Botha used his experience to ride Simba's onslaught and caught the youngster with two right hands and then a combination later in the sixth for a TKO victory. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Brooks maintains lead in Champions event Posted: 04 Jun 2011 04:47 PM PDT WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP): Mark Brooks survived a shaky finish that left him with a 4-under 67 and a one-stroke lead Saturday after the second round of the Principal Charity Classic. Brooks, a Champions Tour rookie who began the day two strokes in front, salvaged a bogey on 18 after twice hitting into bunkers and finished 36 holes at 10-under 132. Mark Calcavecchia, playing in the same group as Brooks, closed with three straight pars after an eagle on 15 to wind up with a 66, putting him 9 under. Peter Senior (67) and 2002 winner Bob Gilder (66) were 8 under. "It's fun," Brooks said, savoring his spot atop the leaderboard. "There are good galleries here, it's a great tournament. It feels like a real tournament." The weather calmed after Friday's breezy conditions and Glen Oaks yielded far lower scores as a result, including a 64 by Jay Don Blake that was one off the tournament record. It was the day's best score and left Blake 6 under heading into Sunday. Brooks, who hasn't won a tournament since the 1996 PGA Championship, was in danger of losing the lead when he hit out of one fairway bunker and landed in another on 18. His next shot, to the back of the green, left him with a 45-foot putt for par and he got close enough for little more than a tap-in for bogey. Calcavecchia had a chance to tie for the lead, but rammed his birdie putt on 18 past the hole before nailing his comebacker. Brooks thought he, Calcavecchia and Senior, who also played in the final group, left a lot of makeable putts on the greens. "Our whole group could have shot lower today," Brooks said. "There weren't a whole lot of putts being made. Our whole group could have shot better scores with good putting." Brooks just missed a hole-in-one on No. 5, the ball skidding inches right of the cup. His 5-footer for birdie spun out and he had to settle for par. He came back with a birdie on 8 and an eagle on No. 9 after a nice 7-iron from 195 yards, but Calcavecchia kept plugging away and staying with him. Even on the day through six holes, Calcavecchia birdied four of the next seven, then offset a bogey on 14 by sticking a 5-iron to 15 feet on No. 15 and sinking the putt for an eagle. He was kicking himself after missing a 3-footer for birdie on 17, but settled down to finish with his par on 18 after overshooting his birdie putt. "I was glad I made that one after yanking that three-footer on the hole before," Calcavecchia said. Gilder, playing in the 178th straight tournament for which he was eligible, had five birdies in a bogey-free round. His streak will end with this tournament because he leaves Monday for a two-week trip to Europe and will miss the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn starting June 10. Dana Quigley's record streak of 278 is out of reach, Gilder said. "There aren't enough tournaments," he said. "I'd have to play until I was 80." Still, he'll head off on vacation feeling better about his game than he has for a while. "It's been a tough year," Gilder said. "But some of things I've been working on are starting to pay off now. I'm very happy with (the round), very happy." Senior stayed close to the lead with six birdies in the first 11 holes. After a bogey on 12, he finished with six pars. Blake knocked in a sand wedge from 40 yards for an eagle on 11 and was on track to at least match the tournament record after a birdie on 15 dropped him to 7 under for the day. But he ran into trouble on 17 when his tee shot sailed into the long grass right of the fairway, though he almost salvaged par when his chip stopped on the lip of the cup. "I was lucky to make bogey on that hole," Blake said. He almost got it back on 18, but his birdie putt from 18 feet curled around the left side of the hole. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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