MIAMI (AFP) - Canadian Taylor Pendrith reeled off four consecutive birdies on his way to a six-under par 65, seizing a three-stroke lead after Saturday's (Oct 30) third round of the US PGA Bermuda Championship. The 30-year-old newlywed from suburban Toronto, who barely practiced before the event began, stood on 17-under par 196 after 54 holes at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton. New Zealand's Danny Lee was second on 199 after a 65 and Australian Lucas Herbert matched his career-low PGA round from Friday with a 65 to stand third on 200. Pendrith, coming off a career-low 61 on Friday that gave him a one-shot lead, stumbled early with a bogey at the fifth hole but responded with four birdies in a row starting at the par-5 seventh. He added birdies at the par-3 13th and 16th holes, sinking a 40-footer at the latter for only the fourth birdie of the day at 16, and tapped in for birdie at the par-5 17th. "It's definitely nice to get a couple late in the round," Pendrith said. "To see that 40-plus footer go in was a nice bonus." Pendrith, ranked 239th in the world, is chasing his first PGA title. He managed his best PGA finish of 11th in July at the Barbasol Championship. He expects a challenge not only from rivals but from predicted windy and rainy conditions for Sunday's final round, which was moved earlier to try and finish before the worst storms. "It's going to be tough. Anything can happen. It's going to be probably a crazy day," Pendrith said. "It's nice to be a couple ahead. I'm just going to try and grind it out and make a few pars and see what happens. I'll try and stick to what I know. It's going to be a hard day out there." Aussie, Kiwi in hunt Lee birdied the par-5 second and ran off three consecutive birdies starting at the fifth. He began the back nine with back-to-back birdies but stumbled with back-to-back bogeys at 13 and 14 before righting the ship with birdies at 15 and 17. "I haven't had this kind of week in a while," Lee said. "It's good to be back in contention. I played very well overall." South Korean-born Lee, a 31-year-old who became a New Zealand citizen in 2008, won his only PGA title at the 2015 Greenbrier Classic. Herbert, who broke the head of his driver on the range just 12 minutes before teeing off, birdied the fifth and seventh holes before taking a bogey at eight, which he followed with three birdies in a row starting at the ninth as well as birdies at 14 and 17. The 25-year-old is a two-time European Tour winner, having taken last year's Dubai Desert Classic and the Irish Open this past July. "It's definitely a big thing to have won before and know what it takes to win. I've got some experience there," Herbert said. "But Taylor is a great player. There are some good names right there. Experience is good but I'm going to have to play well to beat them." His best US PGA finish was a share of 18th at this year's Memorial tournament. More on this topic Related Story Golf: Canada's Pendrith grabs Bermuda lead after sizzling 61 Related Story Golf: Expect big stars to come and compete on Asian Tour, says chief executive
MIAMI (AFP) - Fifth-ranked Danielle Kang fired a bogey-free seven-under-par 64 to seize a one-stroke lead after Thursday's (Jan 21) first round of the season-opening LPGA Tournament of Champions. The 28-year-old American, seeking her sixth career LPGA title, made three sets of back-to-back birdies at Four Season Golf & Sports Club in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Defending champion Gaby Lopez of Mexico and US sisters Nelly and Jessica Korda shared second on 65 with Americans Stacy Lewis and Brittany Lincicome another shot back. The opener of the 71st LPGA campaign featured event winners from the past three seasons, those in 2018 added in a one-off because of the depleted number of tournaments played in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A celebrity event is played alongside the LPGA competition, with only a handful of player and sponsor invitees allowed as spectators due to virus health and safety rules. Kang birdied the second and par-3 third, added another set of back-to-back birdies at the par-3 ninth and par-5 10th and then made a late run of three birdies in four holes. After a birdie at the par-5 13th, Kang rolled in a 20-footer for birdie at the par-3 14th, then pitched to two feet and tapped in for birdie at the par-4 16th to grab the lead alone. The Kordas are daughters of 1998 Australian Open tennis champion Petr Korda and their 20-year-old brother Sebastian reached his first ATP final last week at Delray Beach. Jessica Korda started off the 10th tee with three birdies and an eagle at the par-5 13th, then added back-to-back birdies at the par-5 17th and par-3 18th. She took bogeys at the second and par-5 seventh but closed with a 10-foot birdie putt at the ninth to share the lead with her sister at 6-under. World number four Nelly Korda, five years younger than her sister at 22, closed with three birdies and an eagle in her last seven holes. After opening with a bogey, she birdied the par-3 third and par-4 fourth, then followed a bogey at the sixth with birdies at seven and eight. The younger Korda made another bogey at 10, but answered with birdies at 12, the par-3 14th and 16 before making eagle at 17. Canada's Brooke Henderson and Americans Angela Stanford and Lexi Thompson shared seventh on 67 with Germany's Sophia Popov and South Korean Chun In-gee another stroke adrift.

