Singh, Coles lead Houston
By wire services
Published April 24, 2005
HUMBLE, Texas - Vijay Singh is No. 2 in the world golf ranking. Australian Gavin Coles is No. 388.
Going into today's final round of the Houston Open, they were dead even.
Singh, the defending champion, fought off windy conditions and a slow start Saturday, shooting 2-under 70 to tie Coles (71) for the lead at 11-under 205.
Singh, a nine-time winner last year who was recently elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, is seeking his third victory in four years in the event.
"I think he'll be more concerned with me than me with him," Singh said. "I think he's a very experienced player himself. I mean, he's not experienced on this tour much, but he's been playing around the world for a while, so I think he'll do okay."
Okay was good enough Saturday as wind gusting more than 20 mph at the Redstone Golf Club's Jacobsen/Hardy Course kept scores high.
Singh had three birdies on the back nine to match Coles, who started the day tied for the lead with Brett Quigley at 10 under.
Englishman Greg Owen faltered with bogeys on his last two holes to finish with 70, leaving him a stroke back at 10 under. Quigley (73) and Jose Maria Olazabal (70) were 9 under, and John Daly (73) topped a three-man group at 8 under.
Singh started the day one shot off the pace and fell as much as five behind with bogeys at Nos. 4 and 6, both par-4 holes, then bounced back with birdies at 8 and 10. A birdie at the par-5 12th hole, where his approach landed 3 feet from the pin, pulled him within one.
Then at the par-5 15th, the 42-year-old Fijian made a 6-foot birdie putt to pull even with Coles and Owen at 11 under. Singh finished with three pars.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Wayne Levi shot 4-under 68 in strong wind to take a one-stroke lead over Tom Purtzer in the Liberty Mutual Legends at Savannah, Ga. Levi totaled 9-under 135. Purtzer, who led by a stroke after the first round, shot 71. Tom Watson and Andy North won the Raphael Division title by four strokes over Bruce Lietzke and Bill Rogers. Watson-North had 16-under 128 in the two-day, better-ball event.
EUROPEAN/ASIAN PGA TOUR: Australia's Adam Scott took a six-stroke lead in the Johnnie Walker Classic in Beijing, finishing a second-round 6-under 66 and making five birdies in 11 holes in the suspended third round. Scott, who broke the Pine Valley course record in the first round with 63, was 19 under. American Gary Rusnak and Sweden's Henrik Stenson were tied for the second at 13 under. Rusnak completed 11 holes in the third round, and Stenson played 12.
LPGA: Wendy Ward moved into contention for her second straight tour victory, shooting 4-under 68 for a share of the third-round lead with Sweden's Carin Koch in the Corona Morelia Championshi at Morelia, Mexico. Ward, a 31-year-old Texan who won the Takefuji Classic last weekend in Las Vegas for her first victory in nearly four years, lost the outright lead with bogey on par-5 18th. Koch, up by three Friday, shot 71 to match Ward at 8 under.
FUTURES: Virada Nirapathpongporn of Bangkok, Thailand, shot 66-70 to lead Nicole Castrale of Palm Desert, Calif., by two after the second round of the $70,000 Jalapeno Classic in McAllen, Texas. Castrale, the first-round leader by one after 65 Friday, shot 73. Jenny Gleason of Clearwater had 75-70-145 and Kelly Lagedrost of Brooksville shot 75-75-150. Jennifer Carter of Tampa missed the cut after 84-82-166.