Vijay Singh dropped his driver in disgust at the top of his backswing, thinking he’d hit into the lake down the left side of the 11th fairway.
But instead of landing in the water, the ball skipped safely along the bank, and he walked off the par-5 with an easy two-putt birdie.
Singh wasn’t as fortunate with some other errant shots, making two late bogeys. Still, he shot a 3-under-par 68 to take a one-stroke lead Saturday at the Canadian Open in Markham, Ontario. He had a 12-under 201 total.
“I’m kind of disappointed with the way I finished,” Singh said. “I thought I played better than a 68. I made a lot of mistakes that I normally wouldn’t, but that’s the way golf is. You know, you get good breaks out there as well.”
Singh, the 2004 winner in a playoff with Canadian Mike Weir, won the Mercedes-Benz Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational early this year to push his PGA Tour victory total to 31. The three-time major champion has a tour- record 19 wins since turning 40 in February 2003.
“I’ve got to go out there tomorrow and play my game and make a lot of birdies and not make too many mistakes,” Singh said. “I can’t play conservative golf. There’s so many birdie opportunities out there that I’ve got to attack the course, but smartly.”
Steve Allan and John Mallinger, the second-round leaders at 10-under, were second after a pair of 70s in windy and hot conditions.
Champions Tour: Tom Watson showed flashes of his vintage links mastery with a 1-under 70 at Muirfield to put himself within one shot of leader Stewart Ginn after three rounds of the Senior British Open in Gullane, Scotland.
A five-time British Open winner at Carnoustie, Turnberry, Royal Troon, Royal Birkdale and the famous Muirfield links, Watson is a contender to win the title for the third time. He also won in 2003 and 2005.
Ginn shot a 69 and stands at 3-under 210. The Aussie bogeyed the first two holes but then didn’t drop a shot in tricky wind. Former British Open champion Mark O’Meara (70) is three shots off the lead.
LPGA Tour: Juli Inkster had a 3-under 69 to take a two-shot lead and Michelle Wie ballooned to an 84 after the third round of the Evian Masters in Evian-les-bains, France.
The 47-year-old Inkster is vying to become the oldest player to win a tour event. She finished at 6-under 210 on a tough day for scoring because of swirling winds, tricky flag positions and difficult greens. Only seven players broke par.
European Tour: Andres Romero shot a 9-under 63 to take the third-round lead at the Deutsche Bank Players’ Championship in Alveslohe, Germany, a week after his surprise third-place finish in the British Open at Carnoustie.
The 26-year-old Argentine is at 17-under 199, two shots ahead of England’s Zane Scotland (66).
