HONG KONG — England’s Justin Rose and Dane Lucas Bjerregaard matched each other shot-for-shot during the third round at the Hong Kong Open Saturday as the duo surged four strokes clear of the chasing pack heading into the final round.
World No. 7 Rose, who led Bjerregaard by a stroke at the halfway stage, holed two eagles and two birdies in a blemish-free round of six-under-par 64 to move to 15-under.
Bjerregaard, who has three top-10 finishes in the last month, improved his chances of a first European Tour title by carding a 63 with a bogey on the last putting him on level with 2013 US Open champion Rose.
India’s Anirban Lahiri (65), the leader on Asian Tour’s order of merit, made the turn at even-par but gained five shots on the back nine to sit in third spot on 11-under.
His compatriot Jeev Milkha Singh and British Masters winner Matthew Fitzpatrick were tied for fourth spot, a further shot adrift.
Ko leads by four
Lydia Ko took a four-stroke lead Saturday in the LPGA Taiwan Championship, putting the 18-year-old New Zealander in position to regain the top spot in the world ranking.
Ko had four birdies in a five-hole stretch and closed with another birdie for a 5-under 67 in windy conditions at rain-soaked Miramar.
Top-ranked Park In-bee was tied for fourth Saturday in the South Korean event.
Ko had a 13-under 203 total. South Korea’s Ji Eun-hee, a stroke ahead after each of the first two rounds, was second after a 72. England’s Charley Hull was another shot back after a 71.
South Korea’s Ryu So-yeon was fourth at 7-under after a 70. Scotland’s Catriona Matthew (68) was 6-under, and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen (71), Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist (71) and China’s Xi Yu Lin (74) were 5-under.
Pettersen won the tournament in 2012 and 2013 at Sunrise. Taiwanese star Yani Tseng was tied for 49th at 5 over after a 76. She won the inaugural event in 2011 at Sunrise.
Stegmaeir leads in Las Vegas
PGA Tour rookie Brett Stegmaier vaulted into the lead when play was suspended in fading light late in the second round at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas Friday.
On a day when Tony Finau made an albatross, Stegmaier upstaged his better-known rivals to pick up six shots in 15 holes at TPC Summerlin in the Nevada desert.
The 32-year-old from Connecticut was among 14 players unable to finish before darkness. Stegmaeir, on 11-under, heads fellow Americans Chad Campbell (67), Morgan Hoffman (66) and Tyler Aldridge (68) by one stroke.
Aldridge, a journeyman who has played most of his competitive golf on satellite tours in the United States and Canada, nearly holed out with his second shot at the par-four 18th, tapping in from six inches for his third birdie in the final four holes.
American world No. 5 Rickie Fowler, the highest-ranked player in the field, opened with a one-over 72 on Thursday, but bounced back with a 65 that featured an 80-foot putt for eagle at the 13th to move within six shots of the lead. — Agencies
