AKRON, OHIO (AP) - Tiger Woods followed one of the best rounds of his life with a solid 2-under 68 on Saturday in the third round of the Bridgestone Invitational, giving him a seven-shot lead and setting him up for a remarkable eighth victory at Firestone Country Club.
Unlike in a second-round 61 that could easily have been a 59 or even lower, Woods didn’t recover from all of his errant shots. He bogeyed the ninth, 14th and 16th holes, failing to bounce back from mediocre shots.
Yet he still was good enough to put himself in position for yet another lopsided victory, one that will likely mark him as the player to beat next week in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill.
He had a 15-under 195 total
Henrik Stenson was second after a 67.
WOMEN’S BRITISH OPEN
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) _ Inbee Park wanted tough conditions at St. Andrews to try to make up an eight-shot deficit in her pursuit of a fourth straight major. It turned out to be too tough for anyone.
The third round of the Women’s British Open was suspended by gusts that topped 40 mph and kept golf balls from staying put on the greens. After waiting six hours for the wind to calm, players were told to return Sunday morning for a marathon finish.
Whether that becomes a break for the leaders _ Na Yeon Choi at 10-under 134 was an hour away from teeing off _ won’t be known until Sunday. Park, trying to become the first golfer, male or female, to win four straight pro majors in the same season, was 1 under for the round and 3 under overall after four holes.
RENO-TAHOE OPEN
RENO, Nev. (AP) _ Gary Woodland holed out from a greenside bunker for eagle and hit an approach shot from the fairway to 2 inches for one of his six birdies to take the third-round lead in the Reno-Tahoe Open with 37 points in the modified Stableford scoring system.
Brandon Steele vaulted into second place with 30 points. He played the last six holes in 7-under par under a traditional format, capping five consecutive birdies with a 33-foot chip-in for eagle on the 616-yard 18th.
The scoring system awards eight points for eagle, five for eagle, two for birdie, zero for par, minus-one for bogey and minus-three for double-bogey or worse.
David Mathis was third with 29, followed by second-round leader Andres Romero at 27.
3M CHAMPIONSHIP
BLAINE, Minn. (AP) _ Tom Pernice Jr. moved into position for his second Champions Tour title, shooting a 7-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead over Tom Kite in the 3M Championship.
Pernice had a 13-under 131 total at TPC Twin Cities after opening with a 66.
The 63-year-old Kite, trying to become the oldest winner in the history of the 50-and-over tour, also shot 65 _ his lowest score at the TPC Twin Cities in five years.
Jay Don Blake, Rod Spittle and Corey Pavin were three strokes back at 10 under. Blake and Rod Spittle shot 66, and Pavin had a 69.
WESTERN AMATEUR
ROLAND, Ark. (AP) _ U.S. Public Links champion Jordan Niebrugge won two matches Saturday to advance to the semifinals in the 111th Western Amateur.
Niebrugge, the Oklahoma State player from Mequon, Wis., beat college teammate Talor Gooch 4 and 3 in the morning, and topped Georgia Tech left-hander Seth Reeves 3 and 1 in the quarterfinals at The Alotian Club.
Niebrugge will face Arkansas’ Sebastian Cappelen in the semifinals. Cappelen beat Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz 4 and 3. In the other quarterfinals, recent North Florida graduate Sean Dale edged Texas A&M’s Tyler Dunlap 2 up, and Texas’ Kramer Hickok topped 15-year-old David Snyder of McAllen, Texas, also 2 up.
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