Els To Take On Elkington

Ernie Els will get another look at Steve Elkington in today’s 36-hole final of the grueling World Match Play Championship at Virginia Water, England.

The South African won 1 up in Saturday’s 36-hole semifinals over Germany’s Bernhard Langer, and Elkington of Australia defeated Costantino Rocca of Italy 3 and 1 in the other semifinal.

Saturday’s two matches took their physical toll on the golfers, which seems to be an annual complaint in the World Match Play with its daily 36-hole format over four days. The lure is the prize money, $270,000 to the winner, Europe’s largest this year.

As the defending champion, Els had a bye in Thursday’s first round, as did Elkington on the strength of winning one of this season’s four majors.

Langer and Els were never separated by more than one hole. The three-hole edge in the Elkington-Rocca match came only at the end in a scramble that was almost as tight.

Jim Furyk shot a 5-under-par 67 to tie fast-finishing Billy Mayfair for the lead going into the fifth and final round of the 90-hole Las Vegas Invitational. They have four-day totals of 264.

Mayfair birdied the last three holes on the docile TPC Summerlin course for a 66 that put him in a tie for the lead. Former Pullman resident Kirk Triplett shot a 68 for 270 which ties him with nine other golfers.

Lee Trevino, Chi Chi Rodriguez and Don Bies forged a three-way tie to take the second-round lead in the $700,000 Raley’s Senior Gold Rush golf tournament at Rancho Murieta, Calif.

Trevino, Rodriguez and Bies have 7-under-par 137s.

Laura Davies opened a three-stroke lead in the World Championship of Women’s Golf by shooting a 1-under-par 71 in the third round at Cheju Island, South Korea.

The 32-year-old Briton missed the green only twice as she broke out of a three-way tie for the lead and completed the 54 holes with a 7-under-par 209.