Goosen goes two shots clear in Nedbank Challenge

Retief Goosen extended his lead at the Nedbank Challenge to two shots with a five-under-par third round of 67 at Gary Player Country Club, Sun City, Johannesburg, South Africa.
The former US Open champion is two shots clear of Australian Robert Allenby and Argentinian Angel Cabrera.
Goosen missed a couple of easy birdie putts but holed a 25-footer from the fringe for an eagle on the ninth. He added three birdies to sit at 12-under 204.
Allenby and Cabrera both shot a 68.
Rory McIlroy, who struggled during the first two days, withdrew before the third round with a stomach ailment.
Nick Watney of the United States had the best round of the tournament, equalling the course record with a nine-under 63. Watney had a flawless round with nine birdies, but is still five shots behind Goosen in a tie for sixth with Tim Clark.
Ross Fisher of England shot a 66 to climb into a tie for fourth with defending champion Henrik Stenson of Sweden, who missed a number of easy putts and settled for a 70.
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
204 R Goosen 69 69 67.
206 R Allenby 68 70 68, A Cabrera 71 67 68.
208 R Fisher 73 69 66, H Stenson 70 68 70.
209 N Watney 73 73 63, T Clark 69 72 68.
211 L Donald 72 71 68.
213 R Karlsson 70 72 71, H Mahan 70 71 72.
217 R Sterne 72 75 70.
Retired: R McIlroy 73 76 - .

Great Scott! Adam leads Aussie Open

Arizona-based Aussie Adam Scott will carry a two-stroke lead over the field into Sunday's fourth and final round of the Australian Open at New South Wales Golf Club near Sydney.

Scott shot clear with a five-under-par third round of 67 for a 15-under tally of 201.

Scott, pictured right, had trailed second-round leader Stuart Appleby by two strokes after completing his second round Saturday morning due to a wind suspension the day before. Scott took over the lead within four holes while Appleby (71) trailed for the rest of the day.

It's an Aussie 1-2-3 after 54 holes, which is not surprising given that so few "foreigners" are in the field, with Appleby second and Nick O'Hern(71) third, seven shots off the lead.

Another Australian, James Nitties, is in fourth place after a 70. He is eight strokes back.

American David Oh (69) and Australian Scott Strange (68) were tied for fifth, nine strokes behind Scott.
American John Daly shot 78, moving from a tie for 10th after the second round to a tie for 36th. His second-round 69, completed Saturday morning, enabled him to make the cut - something he hadn't achieved in all three Australian tournaments he played in last year: the Open, PGA and Masters.
Scott has never won a professional tournament in Australia.
"It's there for me with a good round tomorrow," Scott said after birdies on his final two holes.
"For an Aussie it's like the next major in a sense. It'd mean a lot to me at any point but it'd be great coming off a pretty ordinary year. If I had the chance to win I'd certainly savour it for a while."
Scott had back-to-back bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes. They were his first blemishes in a bogey-free 39-hole stretch spanning the first and third rounds.
Scott is anticipating another duel with Appleby in the final round.
"It was great to see us both go out there and play good today," he said. "We're a fair way out in front and it could be us getting the gloves off and having a bit of a ding-dong (battle) tomorrow hopefully."
While he will be anxious about what Sunday holds, it should not prevent Scott from sleeping.
He had a 4:15 a.m. wake-up call on Saturday so he could finish the final 12 holes of his second round before beginning his third.
"There aren't too many 4:15 calls, not even for a surf," he said. "That's an early one. I should've slept in the clubhouse."

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD

Par 216 (3x72)

201 Adam Scott 68 66 67
203 Stuart Appleby 66 66 71
208 Nick O'Hern 69 68 71
209 James Nitties 67 72 70
210 David Oh (USA) 68 73 69, Scott Strange 72 70 68
211 Jarrod Lyle 69 68 74, Richard Green 73 71 67
212 Michael Sim 71 70 71, Michael Long (Nzl) 69 75 68, Tim Wilkinson (Nzl) 73 67 72
213 Chris Campbell 71 69 73, Peter O'Malley 69 74 70
214 Greg Chalmers 70 72 72, Bryce Molder (USA) 70 72 72
215 Rodney Pampling 74 71 70, Mathew Goggin 73 71 71, Andrew Tschudin 73 70 72, Cameron Percy 74 75 66, Brad Kennedy 75 70 70
216 Paul Gow 78 69 69, Ben Campbell (Nzl) 76 68 72, Craig Parry 80 67 69, Leigh Mckechnie 70 72 74, Stuart Bouvier 72 71 73
217 Aaron Baddeley 73 68 76, Scott Hend 66 71 80, Brendan Smith 74 67 76, Matthew Millar 71 75 71, Michael Brennan 69 73 75, Terry Pilkadaris 71 70 76, Gavin Flint 70 74 73
218 Gareth Paddison (Nzl) 73 72 73, Jae-woong Eom (Kor) 71 71 76, Michael Curtain 71 69 78
219 John Daly (USA) 72 69 78, Josh Carmichael 73 69 77, Marc Leishman 71 75 73, Stephen Leaney 73 72 74, Peter Wilson 67 78 74, Heath Reed 71 71 77, Stephen Allan 68 77 74
220 Henry Epstein 76 72 72, Andrew Dodt 69 78 73, Rohan Blizard 78 71 71, Paul Sheehan 74 74 72
221 Paul Marantz 71 75 75, Scott Laycock 76 69 76, Min-chang Lee (Kor) 75 73 73, Scott Arnold 72 75 74
222 Jason Norris 79 69 74, Won-Kyung Heo (Kor) 73 74 75, Matthew Stieger 72 75 75, Chang wan Woo (Can) 73 74 75
223 Anthony Summers 79 69 75, Geoff Ogilvy 73 76 74, Michael McGrath 72 71 80, Brendan Stuart (Nzl) 72 74 77, Do eun An (Kor) 73 74 76, Andrew Mckenzie 75 74 74, Stephen Dartnell 75 72 76, Anthony Brown 77 72 74
224 Kim Felton 76 73 75
225 Peter Nolan 74 74 77, Mithun Perera 77 70 78
228 Rudi Bezuidenhout 72 72 84, Kelvin Jones (Nzl) 73 74 81, Terry Price 74 71 83

Golf and Tiger can bounce back, says Harrington

FROM THE IRISHTIMES.COM WEBSITE
Pádraig Harrington believes the game of golf is well placed to recover from the negative publicity surrounding the current scandal involving Tiger Woods.
World No 1 Woods has dominated the front pages rather than the sports columns since crashing his car outside his Florida home in the early hours of November 27.
Woods refused to speak to police about the accident, withdrew due to injuries suffered in the crash from his own tournament - this weekend's Chevron World Challenge - then admitted to "transgressions" as American tabloids printed allegations he has been involved in a string of extra-marital affairs.
Harrington, currently tied for second at the Sherwood Country Club event which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation, backed his sport to bounce back.
"I suppose things like this have happened before at times and we move on," the Dubliner said. "I know this may be saying it from inside the sport, but golf is constantly the number one sport with the moral ethics and things like that. So I think we're in a very strong position going forward."
Woods, however, would still have to face plenty of questions whenever he decided to return to competition in 2010, said Ireland's three-time major winner.
"The next big thing for Tiger is when he comes back out," Harrington added. "He probably has six or seven weeks to sort things out and figure things out and then he'll have a barrage when he comes back out, probably in San Diego.
"What does it mean for golf? It is very much a private matter, He wasn't speeding and driving under the influence and he didn't hurt somebody else.
"So it is very much now a personal thing. Yes, he's going to have to deal with it, and that's the nature of the fact of being the number one sportsman in the world, highly profiled.
"You have to take it with the territory."
Before then Harrington, England's Ian Poulter and American Kenny Perry will try to reel in the two-shot halfway lead held by US PGA champion Yang, who shot a a seven-under-par 65 to move to nine under par in the Chevron Challenge.
American Perry matched the Korean's 65 to get to seven under par alongside Harrington and first-round co-lead Poulter, whose 69 followed an opening 68.
Newly-crowned European number one Lee Westwood, the world No 4, is a shot further back alongside Americans Zach Johnson and Sean O'Hair.
SCROLL DOWN FOR A REPORT ON THE SECOND DAY'S PLAY AND ALL THE SCORES.

Stomach virus knocks McIlroy out of Sun City Challenge

World No 10 Rory McIlroy has withdrawn after two rounds of the Sun City Challenge in South Africa due to a stomach virus.
The 20-year-old, making his debut in the 12-man invitational event, had shot a one-over-par 73 followed by a four-over 76.
The Northern Irishman has been troubled by the virus since last week's World Cup of Golf in China.
Sunshine Tour communications manager Michael Green told reporters McIlroy was suffering from "a stomach ailment".
McIlroy finished second in the European Tour's Race to Dubai order of merit, narrowly edged out by Englishman Lee Westwood.
However, McIlroy's third place at the Dubai World Championship saw him move up from 13th to 10th in the latest world rankings, making him one of only two players in their 20s - along with Spain's Sergio Garcia - in the top 10.

Two Scots in Thailand tournament's leading 10

Simon Yates, wrist injury keep him out of competitive action for a year

Yates charges into King's Cup contention with a 66

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Khon Kaen , Thailand: Chinese Taipei’s Chan Yih-shin produced a superb back nine performance to open up a two-stroke lead after the third round of the King’s Cup on Saturday.
Chan romped home in 32 en route to a five-under-par 67 to lead the US$300,000 Asian Tour event on 12-under-par 204. Scot Simon Yates charged into contention with an impressive 66 and was joined in second place by India ’s Rahil Gangjee, who signed for a 68 at the Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Club.
Englishman Nick Redfern and New Zealand ’s Mark Purser are four strokes off the lead on 208 after rounds of 68 and 65 respectively. The King’s Cup, presented by Singha and Sports Authority of Thailand, is the final tournament of the Asian Tour season.
After holing a 95yd pitch for an eagle 2 at the par-4 fourth hole, the 32-year-old Chan increased his lead with a 45ft birdie putt at the 13th to give himself a huge boost in his hunt for a maiden Asian Tour title.
“Everything clicked for me on the back nine and that worked out nicely because I was able to stick to the game plan and remain in control,” said Chan, whose card included one eagle, five birdies and two bogeys.
“I will not be over-confident tomorrow and will just try to enjoy myself. I do not want to think of winning the title just yet but I will go out and try my best. I’ve got a good chance,” added Chan, whose best finish was a fifth place finish at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters this season.
Thai-based Yates turned in 36 but burst into life with a superb back nine performance, sprinkling his card with six birdies over a seven-hole stretch after the turn.

“I wasn’t in contention after five holes but golf is a funny game, so you have to keep trying,” said Yates, one of the most successful international golfers on the Asian Tour with two career wins.
It was a welcome return to form for the Scot as a wrist injury kept him away from competitive action for nearly a year and he was delighted to be in contention at the King’s Cup, which is staged to commemorate the birthday of the King of Thailand.
“I used to give up too easily but now I just want to play my best and never give up. I’m changing my swing a little bit. I’m rotating my club more and it has been working great. It is good to be back and having a chance,” said Yates.
Gangjee, who won his maiden Asian Tour title in 2004, was beaming after returning a bogey-free card which included four birdies. A good performance this week has also eased his worries of keeping his Tour card where he is currently in 63rd place on the Order of Merit.
“I came in today feeling more confident and I have been hitting the ball and putting the ball very well. Two months ago I wasn’t scoring but now I’m beginning to score and that has been the difference,” said Gangjee, who needs to stay inside the top-65 to earn his full playing rights for next year.
“I didn’t expect to be in this position but I’m going to use the most of it. I’m not going to do anything different and just play my game one shot at a time,” said Gangjee.
Purser produced the round of the day, shooting five birdies and an eagle to move into contention. “It was an entirely different round for me and it all boiled down to my putting. I was a little tensed yesterday as I was thinking about holding it together because I didn’t know what the cut was going to be. Today was completely different, I was relaxed and played nicely,” said the Kiwi.
Dubai-based Ross Bain is a second Scot in the top 10. He shot a third-round 71 for 209.

THIRD-ROUND LEADERS

Par 216 (3x72)
204 Chan Yih-shin (TPE) 64-73-67
206 Simon Yates (SCO) 71-69-66, Rahil Gangjee ( IND ) 74-64-68
208 Mark Purser (NZL) 68-75-65, Nick Redfern (ENG) 74-66-68
209 Ross Bain (SCO) 69-69-71, Anirban Lahiri ( IND ) 66-72-71
210 Matthew Griffin (AUS) 72-69-69, Craig Smith (WAL) 70-69-71, Harmeet Kahlon ( IND ) 71-67-72
211 Neven Basic (AUS) 73-68-70, Prayad Marksaeng (THA) 70-70-71, Kim Dae-Hyun (KOR) 70-68-73
212 Digvijay Singh (IND) 70-73-69, Vasin Sripattranusorn (THA) (am) 71-70-71, Thammanoon Srirot (THA) 73-68-71, Corey Harris (USA) 69-70-73, Lin Wen-hong (TPE) 67-71-74
214 Chen Yuan-Chi (TPE) 73-71-70, Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 70-73-71

Driving ban for Colin Montgomerie

FROM THE SCOTSMAN WEBSITE
By Patrick Hill
Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie was yesterday banned from driving after being caught speeding. Montgomerie, 46, reached the legal maximum of 12 points on his licence when he was given three points, having been caught travelling at 37mph in a 30mph zone.
His black BMW X5 was clocked breaking the limit on the A69 eastbound in the village of
Corby Hill, near Carlisle, Cumbria, in November last year.
The European Ryder Cup captain did not attend on either day of his two-day trial at Carlisle Magistrates' Court. He pleaded not guilty through his solicitor, Michael Shrimpton. His defence counsel unsuccessfully tried to question the accuracy of the LGi2020 laser device used to record the speed, claiming it was "not foolproof" and prone to interference from side-beams.
But District Judge Gerald Chalk told the court: "I reject the defence argument. This is a Home Office-approved device. It is type approved, and whether it is vulnerable to side-beams is not something I can, or would want to, adjudicate on."
"I am satisfied Mr Montgomerie was using excessive speed. I endorse his license with three points, and as he is liable to the 12-point totting-up procedure, I am disqualifying him for six months."
Judge Chalk ordered Montgomerie to pay an £850 fine, £4,000 costs and a £15 victim surcharge, pending an appeal launched by the golfer's lawyer.

E-mail from Gavin Clark:

Why should anyone's handicap be controlled

by the rest of the players in the field?

I read with interest Cameron Barrie's article on the current amateur handicapping system and the subsequent replies from both Brian Young and Steven Robertson.
Whilst not of international standard, indeed a mere layman in the game of golf, I would tend to agree with Cameron's views. I think we all accept that the current handicapping system generally favours the lower handicapper.
Indeed, if conditions are difficult as a result of adverse conditions, invariably standard scratch rises to the level of three over par+ (non counting). Thus the majority of the golfers in the field use their "get out of jail free card " and the handful of top players benefit from the lesser quality of the players in the event putting up the Standard Scratch.
The question I would ask is: Why should anyone's handicap be controlled by the rest of the players in the field by varying the standard scratch ?
It is interesting to note that when I played in Category 1 events, as a result of the CONGU weighting system, standard scratch tended to rise more often than not. However, having slipped into Category 2, the result being that I play in events from 5 to 18 handicap, usually standard scratch stays either the same or indeed is reduced.
In brief, it could be said that whilst it is a major hurdle to achieve that "magical" Category 1 status, it's easier to keep once your there.
Finally, Cameron highlighted the issues of many top international amateurs being funded by the Amateur game and then switching to the Professional ranks. With golf subscriptions continually rising and the SGU increasing their annual fees year after year, perhaps we should adopt the Swedish philosophy, i.e when the amateurs turn professional they pay a percentage of their winning back into the amateur game, the people who helped fund them, coached them and made them what they are !

Gavin Clark

Weather hits US Tour School but J P Hayes

has clubhouse lead after a nine-under 63

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
J P Hayes posted a nine-under-par 63 on the Links Course at Bear Lakes Country Club, West Palm Beach, Florida to move into the clubhouse lead after his third round at the weather-interrupted US PGA Tour Final Qualifying School.
He is currently tied at 12 under with first- and second-round leader Troy Merritt, who will return on Saturday with two holes remaining to complete his round.
Graham DeLaet and Brendan Pappas are one back at 11-under 205.
Heavy rain showers forced a suspension of play from 9:07 a.m. until 10:38 a.m. A dangerous weather situation at 4:05 p.m. then forced the suspension of play for the remainder of the day, with play being called at 4:20 p.m.
================================
PGATOUR.COM:
Complete coverage of PGA Tour Q-School
================================
The fourth round will begin at 7:30 am (local time) Saturday, with the third round resuming at 9:00 a.m. Pairings and tee times for the fourth round will remain the same as they were for the third round, however the players will switch courses.
A total of 20 players failed to finish the third round, with 12 on the Links Course and eight on the Lakes.
Rickie Fowler flirted with a 59 on Friday, sitting at 10 under through 13 holes at the par-72 Links Course, but finished bogey-double bogey-bogey-par on his last four holes to post 6-under 66. He is at 8 under and currently tied for 13th place.
When the third round was suspended, Barrett Jarosch continued to lead the field with 20 birdies, two ahead of Scott Stallings. Jarosch (73-66-68) is currently tied for ninth.
Hayes' 63 was the low round of the day on the Links Course. Tommy Gainey also carded a 63 for the low round on the Lakes Course, and jumped 86 spots from a tie for 147th to a tie for 61st.
David Duval (71-73-69), making his first Final Stage appearance since 1993, posted a 3-under 69 on Friday at the Links Course to move to 3 under and tied for 36th through three rounds.
Sunny Kim (20 years, 8 months, 10 days) is the youngest player in the field, followed by Rickie Fowler (20 years, 11 months, 21 days).
Four players made 2s on a par-4 hole on Friday, all on the Links Course: Brian Stuard (No. 3), Brandt Jobe (No. 9), Chris Riley (No. 10) and Ray Beaufils (No. 12).
Joe Affrunti (71) had a hole-in-one on the Lakes Course at the par-3, 218-yard 13th hole.
Of the 170-man field, Esteban Toledo has the most appearances at final stage since 1990, with 12 starts. He is tied for 50th after rounds of 76-69-69. Toledo is coming off of a 29th-place finish on the Nationwide Tour money list. Next on the list (and in the field) with 11 starts at the Q-School finals since 1990 are Jeff Brehaut and Vance Veazey.
Three past Q-School medalists are participating this week at Bear Lakes, including 2003 winner Mathias Gronberg (tied for 61st), 2002 champion Jeff Brehaut (tied for 23rd) and 1992 co-medalist Skip Kendall (tied for 104th).
The top 25 players and ties at the conclusion of the tournament will receive 2010 PGA Tour cards, while the next number of players nearest 50 will receive full status on the Nationwide Tour. All remaining players will have conditional status on the Nationwide Tour in 2010.
THIRD-ROUND CLUBHOUSE TOTALS
+Several players still to complete third round
Par 216 (3x72)
204 J P Hayes 74 67 63.
205 Graham Delaet 70 71 64, Brenden Pappas 72 68 65.
206 Joe Ogilvie 73 69 64, Billy Horschel 69 70 67.
207 Chris Riley 71 71 65, Barrett Jarosch 73 66 68, Michael Connell 71 67 69.
208 Scott Stallings 73 69 66, Rickie Fowler 74 68 66.

Yang leads by two at Chevron World Challenge

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
Y E Yang managed to play good golf while coping with a fever and big headache, and his 7-under 65 gave him a two-shot lead going into the weekend at the Chevron World Challenge at Thousand Oaks, California.
Strangely enough, the PGA Champion recalls having a headache at a tournament about the same time last year.
His location speaks to what kind of year it has been.
=========================================
PGATOUR.COM:
Complete coverage of the Chevron World Challenge
=========================================
A year ago, Yang was grinding in the California desert during the final stage of Q-School, a six-round tournament that determined whether he would have a US PGA Tour card. Since then, he won his first U.S. title at the Honda Classic, then made history as the first Asian to win a men's major, and the first player to win a major when Tiger Woods had the lead going into the final round.
Yang, who is on nine-under-par 135, is chasing the $1.35 million winner's check while trying to hold off a group that includes Padraig Harrington (68), Ian Poulter (69) and Kenny Perry (65), who were two shots behind.
Q-School is at the halfway point in Florida, where the winner gets $50,000 and two dozen or so others get jobs.
"I haven't really thought about Q-School," Yang said. "Come to think of it, a year ago I had a huge headache because I was under a lot of mental stress. I still have a headache, but it's more because of illness, not because of any pressure or stress. So it's a different situation, yes."
Then he smiled as he continued to speak in Korean.
"Unfortunately," he joked through his agent, "I don't have the opportunity to compete at Q-School for about five years now."
He earned a five-year exemption for winning the US PGA Championship at Hazeltine. Perhaps it was only fitting that the man who became even more famous for taking down Woods is leading a tournament where Woods is the host, even if Woods is absent this week because of the car accident that set off a week of sordid allegations involving the world's No. 1 player.
"Last time I saw him it was on the golf course, and I only remember him as fun and really focused and competitive, but also a great guy on the golf course and in the clubhouse and locker room," Yang said.
"So I miss him, and I hope to see him on the course and the locker room again quite soon."
Poulter is completing a six-week run around the world, while Harrington is a past champion at Sherwood.
The surprise might be Perry, the 49-year-old wonder coming off a memorable year of two victories, a forgettable year off the course with the death of his mother.
Perry isn't quite ready to slow down, especially with what he hopes is the solution to eye problems. After two laser surgeries, he has a deal with a lens company and has prescription sunglasses, which is making everything clear.
He could even see the hole from some 40 feet away, the distance of the long putt he made on the 14th.
Zach Johnson (70), Lee Westwood (67) and Sean O'Hair (67) were in the group at 6-under 136, meaning seven players were separated by three shots going into the weekend.
Yang said he developed a fever and the headache flying over from China. He has been all over the place since the season ended, and still has a trip planned to Korea for a celebration of his PGA Championship title, before going home to Dallas. Before he knows it, Yang heads to Kapalua for the 2010 opener.
But he's not at Q-School, and that's a good thing.
"I hope that everybody who's competing there has a good time," he said. "But for me, I've been there and done that, so I'm moving on. Personally, it was just a horrendous experience."
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
135 Y E Yang 70 65.
137 K Perry 72 65, P Harrington 69 68, I Poulter 68 69.
138 S O'Hair 71 67, L Westwood 71 67, Z Johnson 68 70.
140 G McDowell 71 69.
141 L Glover 74 67, J Furyk 70 71.
142 C Villegas 73 69.
143 M Weir 73 70, S Cink 70 73.
144 P Casey 75 69.
145 M Kaymer 73 72, A Kim 71 74, S Striker 71 74.
146 J Leonard 72 74.