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Yang Keeps Lead At Honda Classic

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The Associated Press

Published: March 8, 2009

PALM BEACH GARDENS - Mark Calcavecchia finished a round of 65 and left PGA National in a hurry, because his son was waiting at an airport an hour away.

If he'd stayed, he would have seen his name move up the leaderboard.

And so it went on a topsy-turvy day at the Honda Classic - where the guy who started the third round in front found a way to finish there, too.

Y.E. Yang shot even-par 70 on Saturday, good enough to give him a one-shot lead over Jeff Klauk (67) and Jeff Overton (70, with a triple bogey on No. 11, going twice in the water, followed by two birdies in his last three holes) entering the Honda's final round.

"I kept fighting," Overton said. "And now I've got a chance to win."

Yang bogeyed the third hole, birdied the 15th and made nothing but pars the rest of the way, a slow-and-steady approach that worked. He's in position to win $1,008,000 today, or 1.567 billion South Korean won - not to mention a two-year PGA Tour exemption.

"Both would be good," Yang said.
Ben Crane got into the lead with an ace on the 162-yard fifth hole, then chipped in on the next hole for another birdie to get to 7 under. He then made two double bogeys in the next five holes, finishing three shots back.
Charlie Wi (65), Brett Quigley (67) and John Rollins (68) all finished two shots off the pace, at 5 under.

"If you would have said, take 65 on the first tee, I would have said, 'See ya later,'" Wi said. "So, you know, I gave myself a chance."

So did Calcavecchia, who will start today tied for seventh and in position to pull off something statistically bizarre.

He won the Honda in 1987, prevailed again 11 years later - and now, 11 years after that, is in contention again, at 4 under for the week.

"It is nice to know that I can still compete out here with these young guys. It is," said Calcavecchia, who moved three spots up the leaderboard after leaving the course. "I'm still confident in my abilities and if I play a great round today I can win the tournament. And that would be a huge thrill for me."

LPGA: Australia's Katherine Hull had seven birdies en route to a 6-under 66 to take a two-stroke lead over Angela Stanford after the third round of the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore.

Hull, who won the Australian Ladies Masters last month, had an 11-under 205 total on the Tanah Merah Country Club, where play was suspended for 2 hours, 19 minutes because of lighting and heavy rain.

Sun Young Yoo (68) was a stroke back of Stanford and a shot ahead of Korean compatriot Mi Hyun Kim (70), with second round co-leader American Paula Creamer (72) five strokes off the lead.

CHAMPIONS: Mark O'Meara shot a 5-under 66 to grab a share of the lead with Bernhard Langer at the Toshiba Classic in Newport Beach, Calif.

Langer finished with a 68.

Eduardo Romero (68) is one stroke behind at 8-under 134 and Denis Watson (68) is at 7 under.

O'Meara, who won 16 PGA Tour events - including two majors - is winless on the Champions Tour in 33 starts.

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