Golf : Singh leads Canadian Open

Vijay Singh dropped his driver in disgust at the top of his backswing, thinking he’d hit into the lake down the left side of the 11th fairway.

But instead of dropping in the water, the ball skipped safely along the bank and he walked off the par-5 hole with an easy two-putt birdie.

The big Fijian wasn’t as fortunate with some errant shots to the right, making two late bogeys en route to a 3-under-par 68 and a one-stroke lead Saturday in the Canadian Open. He had a 12-under 201 total on Angus Glen’s North Course.

“I’m kind of disappointed with the way I finished,” Singh said. “I thought I played better than a 68. I made a lot of mistakes that I normally wouldn’t, but that’s the way golf is. You get good breaks out there as well. I got up and down a few times and got away with a bad tee shot on 11.”

Steve Allan and John Mallinger, the second-round leaders at 10 under, were second after a pair of 70s.

First-round leader Hunter Mahan (67) was 10 under, and Jim Furyk, the winner last year in Hamilton, had a 69 to join Pat Perez (66) at 9 under.

Senior British Open

Tom Watson showed flashes of his vintage links mastery with a 1-under 70 at Muirfield to put himself within one shot of leader Stewart Ginn after three rounds of the Senior British Open at Gullane, Scotland.

Watson is a contender to win the title for the third time. He also won in 2003 and ‘05.

Ginn shot a 69 and stands at 3-under 210. Ginn, an Australian, bogeyed the first two holes but then didn’t drop a shot in tricky wind. Former British Open champion Mark O’Meara is three strokes off the lead after a 70.

LPGA

Juli Inkster had a 3-under 69 for a two-shot lead and Michelle Wie ballooned to an 84 after the third round of the Evian Masters at Evian-Les-Bains, France.

The 47-year-old Inkster is vying to become the oldest player to win an LPGA Tour event. She finished at 6-under 210 on a tough day for scoring because of swirling winds, tricky flag positions and difficult greens. Only seven players broke par.

Jang Jeong of South Korea is second after a 72, followed by Sophie Gustafson of Sweden (72).

Boys Junior Amateur

Cory Whitsett overcame an early two-hole deficit by winning five consecutive holes in an 8-and-7 victory over Anthony Paolucci to win the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Boone Valley Golf Club in Augusta, Mo.

Whitsett finished with five birdies and two bogeys in becoming only the second lefty to win the championship in its 60-year history.

Junior Girls Amateur

Kristen Park, 14, beat Ayaka Kaneko 4 and 3 to become the fourth-youngest winner in the history of the U.S. Junior Girls Amateur Championship.

The score was tied after the first 18 holes on the 6,391-yard Tacoma Country & Golf Club course in Lakewood, Wash., but the 17-year-old Kaneko missed a number of putts and hit her ball under a tree on two occasions.

After the 19th hole, Park went in front for good.