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Three late birdies help in Shanghai
Published on Sunday, Nov 08, 2009
From Beacon Journal wire services
Tiger Woods stalled with pars. Phil Mickelson poured it on with birdies.
The back nine Saturday at the HSBC Champions changed names atop the leaderboard, as Mickelson made three birdies over the last five holes for a 5-under-par 67 that took him from a 2-shot deficit to a 2-shot lead over Woods and Nick Watney in the final World Golf Championship of the year in Shanghai.
What didn't change was the excitement level at Sheshan International, especially with what awaits today.
Mickelson and Woods will be in the final group of a World Golf Championship for the first time since 2005, that famous ''Duel at Doral,'' when Woods rallied from a 2-shot deficit in the final round to win.
Mickelson, who was at 14-under 202, was the only player among the top 18 on the leaderboard Saturday to break 70. He made three birdies in his opening five holes and three birdies over his last five holes, his lone bogey coming at No. 9 that provided what he hopes is a good sign. Trapped in the bushes, Lefty inverted a wedge and blasted out right-handed to the fairway.
He hit a similar shot at Doral this year when he went on to win his first World Golf Championship.
''I thought that might have been a good omen, even though it led to a bogey,'' Mickelson said.
Woods appeared to be in control with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 10th to build a 2-shot lead. That was his last birdie of the round, however, as he twice missed good birdie chances in the final hour and closed out a frustrating round by hitting into the rough and the bunker on the par-5 18th and having to save par. He wound up with a 2-under 70.
''I didn't take advantage of the par 5s and 16, I hit it in there stiff and missed that one,'' Woods said. ''Consequently, I was 3 shots worse. That's about right.''
Woods and Mickelson also were paired in the final round at the Masters Tournament this year, when both lit up Augusta National with birdies until they ran out of holes. They also played together in the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2007, which Mickelson won by 4 shots, although they weren't in the final group.
The best round of the day belonged to Lee Westwood, who leads the Race to Dubai on the European Tour and did himself a huge favor by running off eight birdies in his 65. Westwood was at 10-under 206, and now can consider winning his first WGC event.
Tennis: Suspension unlikely for Serena
• Top-ranked Serena Williams will most likely receive a ''significant'' fine but no suspension for her U.S. Open tirade, the president of the International Tennis Federation said. Grand Slam administrator Bill Babcock is expected to give his recommendation to the Grand Slam committee, which probably will announce the sanction Monday or Tuesday. Williams was fined $10,000 after her profanity-laced outburst at a lineswoman during her semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters in September. A fine from the ITF could be much greater.
• Roger Federer will play Novak Djokovic in the Swiss Indoors final in a bid for a fourth consecutive title in his hometown tournament in Basel, Switzerland. Federer defeated childhood friend Marco Chiudinelli 7-6 (7), 6-3 in one semifinal. Earlier, Djokovic saved three match points in rallying to beat Radek Stepanek 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-2.
• Top-seeded Andy Murray held off fourth-seeded Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 to reach the Valencia Open final against Mikhail Youzhny in Valencia, Spain. Unseeded Youzhny defeated second-seeded Nikolay Davydenko 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in an all-Russian semifinal.
• Alexa Glatch and Melanie Oudin lost in straight sets to give Italy a 2-0 lead over the United States in the Fed Cup final in Reggio Calabria, Italy. Glatch lost to Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-1, and Francesca Schiavone rallied after a two-hour rain delay to defeat Oudin 7-6 (2), 6-2 on the outdoor red clay court at the Rocco Polimeni club. Reverse singles and doubles were scheduled for today in the best-of-five series.
Other: Twins pick up Cuddyer's option
• The Minnesota Twins picked up outfielder Michael Cuddyer's $10.5 million option for 2011. Cuddyer hit a career-high 32 home runs to lead the team. He also had 94 RBI and was sixth in the American League with 73 extra-base hits.
• Anyone hoping to grab some of the last remaining tickets for the 2010 Winter Games will have to wait until next Saturday. Technical problems hit the ticket Web site and prevented the sale of any of the 100,000 tickets that were to be available at 1 p.m. Saturday.
• Brian Joubert of France won the NHK Trophy, earning his first Grand Prix title of the season with a strong performance in the free skate in Nagano, Japan. Joubert landed a quadruple toe loop at the start of his routine to strengthen his lead and finished with 232.70 points for a 15-point margin over Johnny Weir of the United States. Michal Brezina of the Czech Republic was third with 217.48 points. Japan's Miki Ando won the women's event, overtaking American Ashley Wagner in the free skate to win her second Grand Prix of the season. Ando finished with 162.55 points. Russia's Alena Leonova was second with 160.85, while Wagner was third with 155.99.
From Beacon Journal wire services
Get the full article here.
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