Golf roundup
CARROLLTON, Texas (AP) — Danny Lee took control of a back-and-forth match against U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau by holing a hard-breaking birdie putt on the 16th hole to lead his Iron Heads past DeChambeau's defending champion Crushers in the LIV Golf Team Championship on Saturday.
Iron Heads joined Legion XIII, Ripper and 4Aces in Sunday's stroke-play finals.
"Like I've said all week, in match play anything can happen," said Iron Heads captain Kevin Na, who teamed with Jinichiro Kozuma in alternate shot to beat Anirban Lahiri and Charles Howell III, 3 and 1.
Lee closed out his 2-up win over DeChambeau with an eagle on the par-5 18th at Maridoe Golf Club.
Thitikul leads by two
MAINEVILLE, Ohio — Jeeno Thitikul had a rocky closing stretch but did enough to expand her lead over Hall of Famer Lydia Ko, finishing with a birdie for a 4-under 68 on Saturday and a two-shot advantage in the Kroger Queen City Championship.
Thitikul holed a 20-footer from the fringe for birdie on the par-4 15th hole to reach 5 under for the day and 17 under for the tournament, four shots ahead of Ko, before dropping shots on the next two holes. She closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th at TPC River's Bend for a 54-hole total of 16-under 200 in hot, dry conditions that caused the golf course to get firmer.
"I have an 8-iron for the second shot into the par 5. I'm just like, 'How can I have 8-iron on a par 5 and how can I drive like that?'" Thitikul said. "It's definitely not my length. Just like bouncing or maybe just kick off really well."
Manassero regains form
VIRGINIA WATER, England — Eleven years after winning the title as a 20-year-old prodigy, Matteo Manassero moved into position to capture the prestigious BMW PGA Championship again on Saturday.
Manassero shot 9-under 63 to take a three-stroke lead after the third round.
Victory would cap a career revival for Manassero, who as a teenager was widely expected to become a golfing superstar. His game went into freefall, dropping the Italian onto the third-tier Alps Tour and to a world ranking of 1,705.
Back on the European tour this year, he won in South Africa in March and is in sight of a victory over a stacked field — containing Rory McIlroy — at the tour's flagship event.
"Thinking of the difficult years, to be standing here right now in the lead — it feels amazing," Manassero said. "My perspective has changed. I'm going to go out and enjoy tomorrow."
