Johnson leads at International
Zach Johnson kept his head up and waited for things to get better, as he knew they would.
Even though he missed four birdie putts and bogeyed one of the five holes he had to play at dawn Saturday to complete his rain-delayed second round, Johnson had an inkling this was going to be his day at the International in Castle Rock, Colo.
Sure enough, he birdied five holes and eagled another for a 15-point third round and the 54-hole lead at golf’s most novel event, one which features two cuts and uses the modified Stableford scoring system.
“I had a birdie putt on 5, 6, 7 and 8 and then I actually made a good bogey on 9,” Johnson said.
“It was unfortunate, I hit one in the water on 9, but at the same time, I made a pretty good save.”
The optimistic 30-year-old player went to the clubhouse at Castle Pines feeling good about his game instead of lamenting his lost opportunities.
That positive attitude paid off for Johnson, whose 27 points heading into today are one more than Steve Flesch and two more than Stewart Cink and Ian Leggatt. Tom Lehman is three points behind in fifth place.
But this isn’t like stroke play. Big changes are the norm at the International, the only stop on the PGA Tour that uses the special scoring system that awards five points for eagles, two for birdies, nothing for pars and deducts one for bogeys and three for double-bogeys or worse.
Kirk Triplett, formerly of Pullman, failed to make the cut after shooting a 4 and minus-5 in the first two rounds.
LPGA Tour
Angela Stanford moved a step closer to an elusive second LPGA Tour victory, shooting a 3-under-par 69 to take a four-stroke lead after the third round of the Canadian Women’s Open in London, Ontario.
Stanford, the 28-year-old Texan who followed her 2003 Shoprite Classic victory with a playoff loss to Hilary Lunke in the U.S. Women’s Open, had a 13-under 203 total on the London Hunt and Country Club course. She matched the tournament record Thursday with a 64 and maintained a three-stroke lead Friday with a 70.
Defending champion Meena Lee was second after a 66, the best round of the day in warm, calm conditions on the tree-lined course. Jee Young Lee (71) was another stroke back at 8 under.
Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., and Tracy Hanson from Rathdrum, Idaho, are tied for 22nd at 2 over for the tournament.
Scandinavian TPC
Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa shot 4-under 69s to share the third-round lead at the Scandinavian TPC in Stockholm, Sweden.
They were at 13-under 206 heading into the final round at the Bro-Balsta course, where Sorenstam began playing golf at age 12. Sorenstam eagled the first hole, a long par-5, and led for most of the day. She had five birdies and three bogeys.
“My round was a little bit up and down,” said Sorenstam, the official tournament host. “So I have to work on getting rid of the bad parts of my game – that will be the key.”
Ochoa, who is ranked second in the world behind Sorenstam, had four birdies in her bogey-free round.