Kenny Perry is leading the Bay Hill Invitational, thanks to amazing accuracy off the tee that kept him out of the rough on all but two holes during a marathon yesterday in Orlando.
Vijay Singh is winning the battle for No. 1, thanks to astonishing collapses by Tiger Woods and Ernie Els.
Kenny Perry displays his birdie touch on No. 9 during the second round of the Bay Hill Invitational.
(Joe Skipper -- Reuters)
|
|
When the third round was suspended by darkness, Perry was at 9 under and leading by one shot over Stephen Ames, with Singh and K.J. Choi another stroke behind. The final shot from Perry was another driver he blistered down the middle of the 12th fairway, an indication that he wanted to keep playing.
Not true.
"I wanted to stop," Perry said as he mixed nutrients into a bottle of water to help his 44-year-old body recover from 4 a.m. wakeup calls and 29 holes of golf on a difficult course. "I was mentally and physically tired, and I was ready to go. It's going to be a long day [Sunday]."
It felt like eternity to Woods and Els, who took turns hitting tee shots out of bounds and bumbling their way around Bay Hill -- Els in the morning, when he shot himself out of contention with a 77 in the second round; Woods in the afternoon, when he hit one drive onto the range and was nine shots out of the lead when play was halted.
Singh not only can move to No. 1, he can win the tournament where his PGA Tour career took root.
"They gave me an invite early in my career, and I think I owe them one," Singh said.
• LPGA TOUR: Lorena Ochoa gave up a commanding lead with a double bogey on the 16th hole, but still finished with a 1-under 71 to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Safeway International in Superstition Mountain, Ariz.
Ochoa, the 23-year-old Mexican star who won twice last year as a tour sophomore, had a 13-under 203 total. Playing partner Soo Yun Kang was second after a 70, and defending champion Annika Sorenstam was four strokes back at 9 under.
• CHAMPIONS TOUR: Tour rookie Mark Johnson shot an 8-under 63 to take a three-stroke lead over former University of Houston coach Keith Fergus after the second round of the Toshiba Senior Classic in Newport Beach, Calif.
The 50-year-old Johnson, the qualifying tournament winner known as the "Beer Man" because he drove a Budweiser truck for 18 years before turning pro, had an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey to reach 12 under.
• EUROPEAN TOUR: Ryder Cup stars Colin Montgomerie and Paul Casey shared a one-stroke lead with Thailand's Chawalit Plaphol after three rounds of the TCL Classic in Sanya, China.
Montgomerie, the defending champion from Scotland, and Casey of England shot 4-under-par 68s while Chawalit had a 66, leaving the three at 16-under 200.
