Kim, Woods in front at Congressional
Tournament host Tiger Woods and defending champion Anthony Kim set the stage Saturday for a showdown everyone wanted at the AT&T National, with some expected company on a suddenly crowded leaderboard at Congressional in Bethesda, Md.
Woods salvaged an even-par 70 from a roller-coaster round, losing a three-shot lead in two holes and having to scramble down the stretch to regain a share of the lead.
Kim turned birdie into bogey with an ugly three-putt on No. 9, but kept his cool in warm, blustery conditions for a 2-under 68.
Woods has a 44-3 record on the PGA Tour when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead, although it took work to get there. He started with a one-shot lead over Rod Pampling, an advantage that was gone after one hole when Woods drove into the gallery and couldn’t reach the green out of the thick rough.
He recovered with a 25-foot eagle on the par-5 ninth for a three-shot lead, but going from bunker-to-bunker near the green and missing a 7-foot putt gave him a double bogey at No. 11 – Woods has played that hole in 4 over this week – and a tie for the lead.
Woods had to get up-and-down for birdie on the 16th for a share of the lead, and he made routine pars for his 70.
They were at 10-under 200, but this was far from a two-man race.
Michael Allen, who is 0 for 336 in his PGA Tour career but undefeated on the Champions Tour when he won the Senior PGA Championship earlier this year, made seven birdies in a round of 65, the best score Saturday.
Allen turned 50 in January and ventured out to play against men his own age only once, winning at Canterbury at a senior major.
He was at 9-under 201 with Cameron Beckman, who chipped in for eagle on the par-5 16th for a 66.
A dozen players were separated by four shots going into the final round, including Jim Furyk (69) and Pampling (71) at 8-under 202.
•Yi leads pack in Ohio: Eunjung Yi had eight birdies and an eagle at Highland Meadows for a 10-under 61 and a four-shot lead through the third round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic in Sylvania, Ohio.
The 21-year-old Yi is at 18-under 195 after putting up the lowest third-round score in the tournament’s 25 years.
Song-Hee Kim shot a 64 and is at 199 along with Morgan Pressel, who had a 67. Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., shot a 4-under 67 and is tied for 13th.
Gonzaga recruits fare well at FIBA games
Miscellany: Gonzaga-bound Mangisto Arop (Edmonton, Alberta) led Team Canada with 17 points and six rebounds in an 82-75 loss to Spain at the FIBA World Basketball Championships in Auckland, New Zealand.
Kelly Olyniyk (Kamloops, B.C.), also headed to the Bulldogs this fall, collected a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
•Moreno retains title: Anselmo Moreno of Panama has retained his WBA bantamweight title with a split decision over Mahyar Monshipour of France in Poitiers, France.
Two of the judges scored the bout 116-113 and 116-112 in favor of Moreno, while the third gave the fight to Monshipour 115-113.
•Kenyans win Peachtree race: Sammy Kitwara of Kenya won the 40th Peachtree Road Race with a time of 27 minutes, 21 seconds in his debut in the annual 6.2-mile event through the streets of Atlanta.
The top seed in the women’s field, Lineth Chepkurui of Kenya, won her first Peachtree race.
•Dry Martini wins: Dry Martini rallied from last, beating Asiatic Boy by two lengths in horse racing’s $400,000 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park in New York.
The Suburban topped a trio of stakes on the Independence Day card. Cat Moves won the $300,000 Prioress while Kensei captured the $200,000 Dwyer.
•World Series of Poker to increase chip count: The main event of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, will likely last a few hours longer this year as players start the tournament with more chips.
Tournament director Jack Effel said that the series added chips to players’ starting stacks this year to give them more time to size up the tables and maneuver during the tournament.
•Swiss unveil giant catamaran: The worst-kept secret in the America’s Cup is official: Alinghi of Switzerland will sail a giant catamaran when it defends the oldest trophy in international sports early next year against bitter U.S. rival BMW Oracle Racing.