Kim in Match Play semis
CASARES, Spain – Anthony Kim advanced to the semifinals of the World Match Play Championship to play Robert Allenby, despite losing to Scott Strange by three holes Friday.
Strange needed to beat Kim by at least four holes to advance and was 4 up going into the 568-yard par-5 18th, where the American player responded by hitting his second shot to within 4 feet. Strange, who had laid up, put his approach into the bunker before conceding the hole.
Kim finished with an aggregate of plus-4 holes to Strange’s plus-3 after three Group A matches.
“I’m glad that this point system was set up, today,” said Kim, who struck his 3-wood 274 yards at the last. “When Scott laid up, I knew that I had to step up and go for it and it was the perfect number. I hit it hard as I could and it was [within] 4 feet.”
Allenby beat Oliver Wilson of England by three holes to set up a Presidents Cup rematch, where Kim won easily. Kim made bigger headlines then after being called a loose cannon by Allenby for reportedly being spotted drunk hours before teeing off.
“I’m going to be in bed by 9:30,” Kim said Friday.
Former Masters champion Angel Cabrera also reached the semifinals after beating Simon Dyson of England by seven holes.
Cabrera, who lost to Ernie Els in last year’s final, will play Ross Fisher in today’s other 36-hole matchup after the Englishman beat Jeev Milkha Singh by one hole.
Viking Classic: In Madison, Miss., PGA Tour officials postponed the tournament until at least Sunday and will evaluate the course today before making a decision on when or if the Fall Series tournament will be held.
Heavy rain this week has left standing water and tracts of mud all over the course.
Officials said in a late afternoon news conference that they didn’t want to speculate on what could be done with the tournament. Earlier in the day, though, they said possibilities included postponing the full event until next week or weekend, shortening it to 36 holes and starting it midweek, or outright cancellation.
Charles Schwab Cup Championship: At Sonoma, Calif., John Cook shot a tournament-record 10-under-par 62 to take a three-stroke lead over Tom Watson and Phil Blackmar after the second round of the Champions Tour’s season-ending tournament.
Cook, the Administaff Small Business Classic winner two weeks ago in Texas, had 10 birdies and needed just 23 putts to match his career-best round and reach 14 under.
Watson, the surprising runner-up at the British Open, hit every green in regulation and shot a 64. Blackmar, whoshared the first-round lead with Jeff Sluman, had five birdies on the back nine for a 67. Blackmar won the AT&T Championship in San Antonio last week for his first senior title.
Singapore Open
SINGAPORE (AP) — Sweden’s Daniel Chopra shot a 6-under 65 for a share of the lead with England’s Ian Poulter and Taiwan’s Chan Yih-shin in the rainy Singapore Open.
Poulter had 15 holes left, and Chan 11 to go when play was suspended because of darkness. Phil Mickelson was 1 under after four holes in the second round.
Padraig Harrington (69) was 1 over and Geoff Ogilvy (74) 2 over.
Hana Bank KOLON Championship
INCHEON, South Korea (AP) — Anna Grzebien and Meaghan Francella shot 6-under 66s in wet conditions to share the lead in the LPGA Tour’s Hana Bank KOLON Championship.
South Korean star Jiyai Shin was a stroke back along with Bo-Kyung Kim, Jimin Kang, Vicky Hurst, Catriona Matthew and Pat Hurst, who aced the par-3 12th for her first hole-in-one on tour. Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa opened with a 72.
