CALCAVECCHIA BEATS THE RAIN TO LEAD BY TWO IN CALIFORNIA

FROM THE US CHAMPIONS TOUR WEBSITE
NEWPORT BEACH, California (AP) -- Mark Calcavecchia shot his second straight 4-under 67 in rainy conditions Saturday to take a two-stroke lead in the Champions Tour's Toshiba Classic.
Calcavecchia, the 13-time winner on the US PGA Tour who won the Boeing Classic last year for his lone victory on the 50-and-over tour, had six birdies and two bogeys on the Newport Beach Country Club course.
Fred Couples, the 2010 winner, was a stroke back along with Loren Roberts. Couples shot a 69 in the round delayed about two hours because of the rain. Roberts had a 70.
Calcavecchia bogeyed the par-3 fourth and par-4 sixth holes when the rain was at its strongest. He was on the seventh hole when the horn sounded to suspend play.
"It was tough out there at times," Calcavecchia said. "It was raining heavy. Obviously, right before the delay was the hardest time."
Couples said his back stiffened during the delay, but he managed to make two birdies on the back nine.
"Any golf course is hard when you are playing in rain most of the day and it's windy," Couples said. "But as far as the round, I thought it was pretty good. I did have a couple of bogeys on those holes that were into the wind."
The round was moved up 2 1/2 hours in an effort to play as many holes as possible before the heavy rain arrived.
Calcavecchia returned from the suspension to birdie the par-4 seventh, and also birdied the par-4 ninth, par-4 12th, par-5 15th and par-5 18th. He drove into the greenside bunker on the par-3 17th, but salvaged par with a long putt.
"A tough bunker shot, and I kind of blasted it about 18 feet by, almost off the back of the green there, and I made the downhill 18-footer for par," Calcavecchia said. "These greens are tough."
Couples, playing in the group in front of Calcavecchia, reached the right greenside rough on the 18th in two shots, but his chip shot from 20 foot went 4 feet past the hole and his downhill birdie putt slid by on the left side.
"I actually thought I hit a really good second shot," Couples said. "I didn't even hit it 230 yards with a 3-wood. I didn't misjudge it. I was shocked I couldn't hit it that far."
Bernhard Langer (72) is three strokes back at 5 under along with Mark McNulty (70) and David Eger (71).
Defending champion Nick Price (68) topped the group at 4 under.
Sandy Lyle has scored 73-76 for 149 and is in joint 72nd place.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 142 (3x71)
Players from US unless stated
134 Mark Calcavecchia 67 67
136 Fred Couples 67 69, Loren Roberts 66 70.
137 Mark McNulty (Ireland) 67 70, David Eiger 66 71, Bernhard Langer (Germany) 65 72.

SELECTED SCORE:
149 Sandy Lyle (Scotland) 73 76 (T72)


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GOOSEN AND FURYK JOINT THIRD-ROUND LEADERS IN TRANSITIONS

FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
By Staff and wire reports
PALM HARBOR, Florida -- Retief Goosen was about ready to give up.
His lower back was in so much pain that he decided to withdraw next week from the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard so he could get treatment. A double bogey late in his second round knocked him nine spots down the leaderboard, which he figured was the end of his hopes to get into the Masters.
One day later, everything changed.
Goosen ran off three straight birdies on the back nine and closed with a tough par from the fairway bunker on the 18th hole Saturday for a 6-under 65 that put him atop the leaderboard with 2010 FedExCup champion Jim Furyk in the Transitions Championship.
Goosen is No. 52 in the world ranking, and he has to be in the top 50 after next week to avoid missing out on a trip to Augusta National for the first time since 1999.
Or he can avoid the math and just win the tournament, which comes with an automatic invitation.
Those prospects looked dim when he decided Friday to pull out of Bay Hill, and arranged for a protein injection in Virginia on Wednesday. Suddenly, the final round is packed with significance.
"Maybe I'm fighting for that last spot in Augusta," he said.
Either way, it figures to be quite a battle.
Furyk, determined to overcome an atrocious season in 2011, surged into the lead with a 6-iron that covered the flag on the par-3 15th hole and settled 3 feet away for a birdie. He fell back into a tie on the 18th hole with a three-putt bogey up a steep ridge. That gave him a 66.
Furyk and Goosen, former U.S. Open champions who have won before at Innisbrook, were at 11-under 202.
"I made some birdies out of the rough today, and was able to knock some putts in and keep the round going," Furyk said. "I played very patient, and when I struggled -- no putts were going in -- I didn't let it bother me."
Furyk was tied for the lead with Sang-moon Bae, the South Korean rookie who lost in the quarterfinals of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship to Rory McIlroy.
Bae escaped with a par on the par-5 14th after his 3-wood found the water by making an 18-foot putt. He wasn't so fortunate on the 16th, however. He drove left into the trees to protect against water running down the right side of the hole. He pitched out to the fairway into the rough, flew the green and three-putted for a triple bogey.
He had at least made birdie on the 17th, and wound up with a 68.
Bae was one shot behind, along with Jason Dufner, who struggled to a 71 and hopes is worst round is out of the way as he tries to win for the first time on the US PGA Tour.
Dufner tends to see the glass half-full. Even though he made three straight bogeys to lose a five-shot lead in the final hour of the PGA Championship, he thinks about the tough par he made on the 18th to at least get into a playoff that he lost to Keegan Bradley.
And even though Dufner's bogey-free streak ended Saturday on a par 5, he walked off the Copperhead Course realizing that he was only one shot behind, very much in the hunt.
"Anything can happen with as many people bunched up like that," he said.
Goosen started the third round five shots out of the lead and finished atop the leaderboard. There were 28 players separated by five shots going into the final round Sunday.
Ernie Els, who likely would need to win to get into the Masters, had a 68 and was only three shots behind. So was Luke Donald, who can return to No. 1 in the world by winning at Innisbrook.
Harrington has been dropping shots since his course-record 61 on Thursday. He had a 72, yet still was only four behind.
The mystery, however, is Goosen.
He has a bulging disk and a degenerating disk in his lower back, which forced him to miss two majors last year. Kicking a soccer ball with his son last month caused it to flare up again, and the pain has been getting worse. What has saved the South African this week is the warm weather (85 degrees), and a few adjustments in his stance to help get through the ball.
"It's not good," Goosen said.
He plans to get a protein injection in his disks on Wednesday in Virginia, similar to the treatment that Vijay Singh and Fred Couples have received in Germany. Goosen's pain was so bad last year that his left leg went numb when he stooped over, and he started to put 90 percent of his weight on the right side.
He has lost length off the tee, which isn't as big of a factor at Innisbrook. He atoned for that with his putting, which has carried him two a pair of U.S. Open titles over the years.
"The last three weeks, it's really just started getting bad again," Goosen said. "So hopefully, I'll be ready to get going again after the Masters -- or maybe the Masters, if I play well tomorrow."
Furyk won the Transitions two years ago, part of a big year that ended with a $10 million bonus for winning the FedExCup. He hasn't won since then, and Furyk said he had no one to blame but himself for falling out of the top 50.
He couldn't wait for last year to end, though it finally did on a happy note. He shot 69 the last day at Sherwood for a tie for sixth, earning just enough points that he finished the year at No. 50 by two-hundredths of a point. That at least made him eligible for the Masters, though Furyk hasn't had to worry about qualifying for majors for some 10 years.
His long offseason -- Furyk didn't return until Pebble Beach -- allowed him to clear his head, and he also sorted out some equipment.
"My results probably don't look good on paper, but I feel good about the way I'm playing," Furyk said. "I've been playing much better golf this year than I was last year."
DIVOTS: Stewart Cink had a hole-in-one on the par-3 eighth, notable in that he said he also made an ace on the same hole 10 years ago ... Nine of the 20 players separated by four shots going into the final round are not eligible for the Masters. A win comes with an automatic invitation. The group includes Chris DiMarco and former US PGA champion Shaun Micheel.

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 213 (3x71)
Players from US unless stated
202 Retief Goosen (S Africa) 69 68 65, Jim Furyk 66 70 66.
203 Sang-Moon Bae (S Korea) 69 66 68, Jason Duffner 66 66 71.
204 John Mallinger 72 66 66, Ken Duke 66 67 69.
205 Chez Reavie 68 70 67, Ernie Els (S Africa) 7 67 68, Luke Donald (England) 67 68 70.
206 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 68 68 70, P Harrington (Ireland) 61 73 72 (T10).

SELECTED SCORES
207 William McGirt 66 68 73 (T21)
209 Greg Owen (England) 70 70 69, Brian Davis (England) 69 71 69 (T39).
212 Justin Rose (England) 67 70 75 (T59).

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DE LA RIVA MAINTAINS ONE-STROKE LEAD IN ANDALUCIA OPEN

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Eduardo De La Riva retained his slender one shot advantage after the third round of the Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol with a 68 that left the Spaniard 12 under par.
Plenty of challengers came and went on Moving Day, but it was 29 year old De La Riva – who secured his place in the field via the Spanish Order of Merit – that claimed an advantage going into the final round.
England’s former BMW PGA Championship winner Simon Khan and Italian teenager Matteo Manassero, the first-round leader, are a shot behind on 11 under par.
It was a great display of control from De La Riva, who carded six birdies and two bogeys, and he now has a good chance to better his previous best finish of third on The European Tour at October’s Bankia Madrid Masters.
After birdieing the first from six feet, De La Riva – whose father was Spanish amateur champion seven times and mother won the Spanish junior title on three occasions - bogeyed the next but birdied the third and seventh from 12 feet to turn in 35.
Having been deposed at the head of affairs by that stage, the World Number 610 responded with an inward 33, pitching to three feet at the 14th and knocking in a six foot birdie putt at the 16th.
Manassero responded well to losing his three shot first-day advantage, a 25 foot putt at the 12th and a wedge approach to within two feet at the 14th the highlights of his five birdies.
“I played a better golf from tee to green,” said Manassero – who became The European Tour’s youngest-ever winner in Spain two years ago.
“I made quite an easy 68, if you can say that. It could have easily been a 67 with a five on 16 (his only bogey), which is routine.
“Today I played even better than the first day from tee to green and gave myself many chances. My only bad moment was three-putting 16, which pushed me back nearly two shots. The rest was all good.”
“It’s good to be up there and give me some chances tomorrow. This course is good for me, I like it, but there are many guys up there, so it's going to be fun tomorrow and I'm happy to be in it.”
Khan was another to finish well, he holed a 40 foot birdie putt at the 15th and from ten feet at the next en route to a back-nine 31 and six under par 66.
“I played nicely all through the week and if I had taken a couple more chances I would have been further up,” said Khan.
“I had a figure in my mind, and I thought that if I could play steady and pick up the birdies, that score would be possible.
“Last year’s French Open was the last time I was in position to win - hopefully it'll all come flooding back. I've had times like this before when I haven't been up there consistently and I managed to have good weekends. I'm going to enjoy it tomorrow and rely on my game."
England's David Lynn and South African Hennie Otto are another stroke back on ten under, as is local favourite and tournament promoter Miguel Angel Jiménez.
The 48 year old is trying to become the oldest winner in European Tour history on the course where he is an honorary member and added a 69 to previous rounds of 69 and 68, thanks largely to a strong finish.
After birdies at the 14th and 15th Jimenez produced one of the shots of the day at the 16th, sending a fairway wood up and over the trees and to within five feet before sinking his eagle putt.

THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
204 Eduardo De La Riva (Spain) 67 69 68
205 Simon Khan (England) 70 68 66, Matteo Manassero (Italy) 64 73 68.
206 David Lynn (England) 70 68 68, Hennie Otto (S Africa) 67 71 68
207 Philip Price (Wales) 69 72 66, Darren Fichgardt (S Africa) 69 71 67, Marcel Siem (Germany) 9 71 67, Julie Quesne (France) 68 72 67, Raphael Jacquelin (France) 70 68 69.

SCOTS' SCORES
212 Alastair Forsyth 71 70 71 (T39)
214 Marc Warren 74 70 70, Gary Orr 71 73 70, Richie Ramsay 72 71 71 (T51)
215 George Murray 72 72 71, David Drysdale 71 71 73, Stephen Gallacher 75 69 71 (T60).

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AMERICAN ROOKIE LIPSJKY WINS CAMBODIAN CLASSIC PLAY-OFF

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ASIAN TOUR
Siem Reap, Cambodia: American rookie David Lipsky produced a superb chip-in birdie to defeat a luckless Elmer Salvador of the Philippines in the first play-off hole and win the inaugural US$300,000 HANDA FALDO Cambodian Classic today.
The 23-year-old, who won the Asian Tour’s Qualifying School in January, enjoyed his maiden professional victory in front of six-time Major champion Nick Faldo, who watched the shootout at the impressive Angkor Golf Resort, a course he designed.
Starting the day seven shots off the lead, Lipsky closed with a stunning seven-under-par 65 for a 15-under-par 273 total. A gritty Salvador had a 10-foot birdie putt at the last hole in regulation play for the outright win but he missed for a 68.
It was a frenetic final day as there were six players tied for the lead at one stage before Lipsky and Salvador, who also lost in a play-off at last year’s ISPS Handa Singapore Classic, edged ahead of the pack.
“I really can’t believe I’m here right now,” said a jubilant Lipsky, who earned US$47,550 and a priceless winner’s exemption on the Asian Tour till the end of 2014.
“The chip-in was unbelievable. I practice my short game pretty hard and I thought I had a chance to make it. It was one of those makeable ones up the hill. Just tried to give it a good strike and see what happens,” added the Korean-American.
Before the play-off, the pivotal moment for Lipsky came at the 15th hole. “I won Q-school and I knew I had the game in me. I’m happy it showed up here. On 15, I saw that everyone was bunched on 13-under. I had a 50 foot putt (for birdie) and I jarred it and thought I could have a chance to win,” said Lipsky, who went on to birdie the 16th hole to pull ahead of the pack.
“This is phenomenal as it opens up so many doors for me. Apparently, I’m in the winner’s category now and I didn’t know what that meant. I guess I’ll find out.”
The 42-year-old Salvador had a good look for an outright win but misjudged his putt at the 72nd hole.
“My putting was sometimes good, sometimes bad. On 14, I had a putter length chance for birdie but I didn’t get it in. On 18, I charged my putt and my line was not good. That was my chance,” lamented the Filipino.
“It was a good chip (by Lipsky), it was like a billiard shot … the way he stopped the ball (into the hole). Can’t do anything about that. I still feel happy. Two times losing in a play-off now, I don’t know why. I’ll keep trying,”added Salvador.
The lanky Turner was disappointed he finished third, one shot shy of the play-off after an even par 72. “It wasn’t meant to be. I just couldn’t get a putt to drop. I guess I was trying too hard to make the putts instead of letting it happen,” said the Irishman.
The consolation was he earned a spot into the next Asian Tour stop at the Panasonic Open India in two weeks’ time. “That was the goal, to finish top five. I guess I accomplished that. But having a chance to win, that’s disappointing but I’ll take a ton of positives from this, it’s been a great week,” said Turner.
Finland’s Kalle Samooja enjoyed his best finish on Tour with a tied fourth placing with Thailand’s Chinnarat Phadungsil and Korea’s Baek Seuk-hyun on 275. He closed with a 65.
“I saw the leaderboard after 15 after I made three birdies in a row and I was tied for the lead. I just tried to birdie a couple more but it ended like this. I played a solid round. I’m pleased,” said Samooja, who is playing in his second season on the Asian Tour.
“I had a bad drive on 16 where I pulled it into the water and maybe it cost me the tournament.”
Overnight leader Kim Hyung-sung settled for joint seventh position after signing off with a disappointing 75.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Angkor Golf Resort
Par 288 (4x72). Yardage 7,279
273 - David LIPSKY (USA) 73-68-67-65, Elmer SALVADOR (PHI) 68-69-68-68.
(Lipsky won play-off with a birdie on the first extra hole)
274 - Niall TURNER (IRL) 67-67-68-72.
275 - Kalle SAMOOJA (FIN) 72-69-69-65, Chinnarat PHADUNGSIL (THA) 69-64-76-66, BAEK Seuk-hyun (KOR) 66-71-69-69.
276 - KIM Gi-whan (KOR) 69-71-70-66, Thanyakon KHRONGPHA (THA) 71-66-68-71, KIM Hyung-sung (KOR) 68-65-68-75.
278 - Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 71-70-71-66, Scott BARR (AUS) 71-71-69-67, Berry HENSON (USA) 68-72-70-68, Chawalit PLAPHOL (THA) 68-70-71-69.
279 - Sushi ISHIGAKI (JPN) 73-69-68-69, Hirotaro NAITO (JPN) 72-70-67-70, Pablo HERRERIA (ESP) 71-68-69-71, Sam CYR (USA) 70-70-68-71.

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LANGER, CLAMPETT, BROWNE SHARE US SENIORS' TOUR LEAD

FROM THE US CHAMPIONS TOUR WEBSITE
NEWPORT BEACH, California -- Bernhard Langer birdied the final hole for a 6-under 65 and a share of the first-round lead with Bobby Clampett and Olin Browne in the Champions Tour's Toshiba Classic.
Langer, the 2008 winner, holed an 8-iron from 143 yards for an eagle on the par-4 sixth hole in his bogey-free round at Newport Beach Country Club.
"I played solidly all round," Langer said. "The only trouble I had was 17, but I got it up and down from a bunker to save par."
Clampett birdied three of the last four holes and finished with eight birdies and two bogeys. He holed a 30-foot birdie chip in the sixth hole.
Browne also birdied the par-5 18th, and had just 27 putts.
"I don't think I had but one chip the whole day," Browne said. "I basically hit every green."
Loren Roberts, Tom Kite, Steve Pate, Bill Glasson and David Eger were a stroke back.
Fred Couples, the 2010 winner, had a 67.
Defending champion Nick Price shot a 70. He opened with a career-best 60 last year.
Heavy rain is expected Saturday and Sunday.
"Everyone knows it's going to be cold and wet," Browne said. "Every shot you made was one less you have to try and make up in bad conditions the next couple days."
Germany's Langer, who now lives in Florida, isn't looking forward to the weekend weather.
"I used to be a good bad weather golfer," Langer said. "When guys were complaining about the weather, I was grinding it out. I certainly don't like playing in the rain now."
Clampett is happy to just be playing. After spending many years working in the broadcast booth, he has been able to get sponsor exemptions for tournaments.
"For me it was 15 years that I was away from the game," Clampett said. "I was really looking forward to turning 50 because my passion for the game is back. I wanted to play."
Scot Sandy Lyle had a two-over-par 73 and is in T59 position.

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CONTROVERSY AT SCOTTISH UNIVERSITIES' EVENT AT DUNDONALD

There was a little bit of controversy at yesterday's Scottish Universities stroke-play tournament at Dundonald Links.
It involved Graeme Robertson (Stirling University and Glenbervie GC).
Jack McDonald and Eilidh Briggs were the individual winners after some awful weather.
Read all about it on our sister website, http://www.kirkwoodgolf.co.uk/, where we carry all our university golf news, from this country and the United States.