THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF. (AP) - Zach Johnson birdied four of the par 5s and shot a 5-under 67 to take a one-shot lead Thursday over Matt Kuchar in the World Challenge.
Only five players in the elite 18-man field managed to break par at Sherwood Country Club. One of them was tournament host Tiger Woods, who had a new driver in the bag and missed only two fairways. The problem was his putter, including a short birdie attempt that missed on the last hole. He had a 71.
Kuchar hit his approach to 2 feet on the final hole for a 68.
Hunter Mahan and Bubba Watson were at 70. They are among seven players who have yet to win a tournament this year, even though everyone at Sherwood is among the top 30 in the world.
NEDBANK GOLF CHALLENGE
SUN CITY, South Africa (AP) _ England’s Luke Donald topped the Nedbank Golf Challenge leaderboard at 5 under when first-round play was suspended for the day because of lightning.
Donald completed 11 holes at Gary Player Country Club.
Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn and Wales’ Jamie Donaldson were 3 under. Bjorn played six holes, and Donaldson completed 12. Defending champion Martin Kaymer of Germany was 2 under after six holes.
Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, playing for the first time since ending last season with the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup and European Tour’s Race to Dubai titles, was 1 under after seven holes.
The European Tour is sanctioning the event for the first time.
HONG KONG OPEN
HONG KONG (AP) _ Ireland’s David Higgins shot a 6-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead in the Hong Kong Open.
Italy’s Andrea Pavan was second in the event sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.
Defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain opened with a 70. Last year, Jimenez became the oldest champion in European Tour history, winning at 48 years, 318 days. He also won the event in 2005 and 2008.
John Daly had a 78. Daly is making his third start since having surgery on his right elbow in July. He tied for 48th last month in China in the BMW Masters and missed the cut last week in the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa.
DUBAI LADIES MASTERS
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) _ Stacy Lewis shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead during the suspended second round of the Dubai Ladies Masters.
The third-ranked Lewis, a three-time winner this year on the LPGA Tour, had a 9-under 135 total at Emirates Golf Course in the Ladies European Tour’s season-ending tournament.
Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg was second after a 69. Spain’s Carlota Ciganda was 7 under after a 70, and Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum was another stroke back after a 70.
Six players were unable to complete the round because of darkness.
LPGA TOUR QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) _ Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tour’s qualifying tournament.
The 19-year-old Green, from Boca Raton, had a 14-under 130 total at LPGA International. She played the Hills Course on Thursday after shooting a course-record 62 on Wednesday on the Jones Course.
The top 20 players after the final round Sunday will earn Category 12 status, Nos. 21-45 and ties will receive membership in Category 17, and the other players who make the 72-hole cut will get Symetra Tour status.
Former Vanderbilt player Megan Grehan was second after a 68 on the Jones Course.
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