Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 sports
Friday 2 March 2018
Oosthuizen leads in Mexico as pair of newcomers shine

By DOUG FERGUSON at least one day. The top six
AP Golf Writer on the leaderboard came
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Two of from South Africa, Eng-
the European Tour’s hottest land, India, Spain and Thai-
players brought their best land. The lone American,
golf to their first World Golf Schauffele, has a German
Championship. father with French heritage
Louis Oosthuizen, a world- and a mother who was
class player for the better born in Taiwan and raised
part of a decade, drilled a in Japan.
long iron into 4 feet for ea- Defending champion
gle on the par-5 15th and Dustin Johnson opened
had birdies on two of the with a 69, the kind of round
short par 4s at Chapulte- that showed that a slightly
pec Golf Club for a 7-under softer Chapultepec al-
64 in the Mexico Champi- lowed for low scoring, but
onship on Thursday. there were big mistakes
Right behind were two equally available. Johnson
players unfamiliar to the found that out on No. 14,
world stage, though they his fifth hole of the round.
sure didn’t play like it. From a cluster of trees,
Shubhankar Sharma, the Johnson hit one of them
21-year-old from India and and knew he was in trou-
the only two-time winner ble when he could hear
on the European Tour this Louis Oosthuizen, of South Africa, tees off of the fifth hole during the final round of the Honda the ball go through bushes
season, holed an eagle Classic golf tournament, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. on the other side of the
chip after making the turn Associated Press boundary fence.
and finished with a wedge til he came up short of the Sharma won his first Euro- to get out of the way,” Johnson had another shot
into 2 feet for birdie and a 16th and made his lone bo- pean Tour event late last Sharma said. “You’re al- disappear under a tower.
65. gey in a round of 65. year at the Joburg Open, ways very happy when you He made six birdies for the
“I was very nervous in the “After the win in SA, I didn’t also played at altitude, start with such a low round, round.
morning, but very happy want to just be happy with and then last month he especially for me. This is “I had some really good
with the way I put it all to- winning. I wanted to kind of closed with a 62 to win the such a big event. I would holes, I had some really
gether,” Sharma said. press on and that’s what I Malaysian Open. He was in say this is taking some pres- bad holes,” Johnson said. “I
Chris Paisley of England, did,” Paisley said. “I’m tak- Oman and Qatar before sure off me, playing well on felt like I was just struggling
who followed his victory ing that attitude into the coming over to Mexico, this course.” all day. But I did putt pretty
in the South African Open rounds, as well. If you get and fatigue was hardly an Xander Schauffele also was well. When I did have good
with a pair of top 5s against defensive or you back off issue, even walking the hilly at 65, while Rafael Cabrera looks, I made them, which
strong fields in the Middle at all against players like course at nearly 7,800 feet Bello and Kiradech Aphi- definitely kept my score at
East, had his name atop you’ve got this week, then above sea level. barnrat were at 66. least respectable. The way
the leaderboard for most you’ve got no chance of “I’m actually relaxed now. This World Golf Champion- I hit it, I probably should not
of the warm afternoon un- winning.” I just wanted the first round ship lived up to its name for have shot 2 under.” q

Song leads Women’s World Championship by 2 shots

SINGAPORE (AP) — Jenni- captured her first major it actually is.”
fer Song shot an opening at the 2014 Women’s U.S. Ji also bogeyed her last
7-under 65 to take a two- Open. She led in Singapore hole but managed to stay
stroke lead at the Women’s last year after the first and clear of a chasing pack
World Championship on third rounds. of nine players at 68 —
Thursday. The 28-year-old “I made a lot of birdies from Brooke Henderson, Ariya
American reeled off seven the trees today, so that’s a Jutanugarn, Danielle Kang,
birdies at the Sentosa Golf plus,” Wie said. Chun In Gee, Jessica Kor-
Club in a round that was in- Wie looked to be in dis- da, Madelene Sagstrom,
terrupted for two hours by comfort in her final few Chella Choi, Su Oh and
lightning. Michelle Wie and holes, shaking her left wrist, Park Sung Hyun.
Ji Eun-Hee (both 67) were which was already heavily Korda, who won in Thailand
tied for second while an- bandaged, but said it was last week, spoiled her round
other nine players finished nothing unusual for her. with a double-bogey 5 on
a further stroke back at 4 - In this Aug. 18, 2017 file photo, Danielle Kang of the United “It looks a lot worse than the seventh while Kang
under. Top-ranked Shan- States, walks to the practice green before her foursome match it actually is. It’s really not managed to post a bogey-
shan Feng (70) bogeyed in the Solheim Cup golf tournament, in West Des Moines, Iowa. that bad,” she said. “My free round despite a freak
the last hole, while No. 2 Associated Press wrist, I just have arthritis and accident that broke her
Lexi Thompson (75) strug- eight-hole stretch. lieving that someday it will I just try to work through tooth before she teed off.
gled in making five bogeys. “At times it has been a happen. I think that’s the that. You know, it’s been “I was stretching out on the
Still chasing her first LPGA great struggle because I reason why myself and oth- a little bit of a struggle but floor and next thing I know,
win eight years after turn- know I can win out here, er golfers are still grinding I’ve got a good game plan I slept 30 minutes,” Kang
ing professional, Song took but I just never have been because we believe that going, more preventative said. “I broke a tooth. Call
the outright lead when given that chance yet,” we can win out here.” more than anything. But it the dentist on range. It’s all
she made five birdies in an Song said. “But I kept be- Wie has not won since she just looked a lot worse than good.”q