22-year-old Kim takes a 4-shot lead in Tiger-less Wachovia

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), May 4, 2008 | by Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Quail Hollow Club's tree-lined, old-style setup has produced an impressive list of winners, ranging from Vijay Singh to Jim Furyk to last year's champion, Tiger Woods.

With Woods unable to defend his Wachovia Championship title following knee surgery, Anthony Kim moved a step away from joining that elite group -- a month shy of his 23rd birthday.

The steady, focused and less flamboyant Kim shot a 6-under 66 on Saturday to take a four-shot lead over Jason Bohn and Heath Slocum after the third round.

While Kim still sports the signature shiny belt buckle with his initials, the big hitter's recent focus on his game left him at 13- under and as close as ever to his first PGA Tour win.

But the best way to describe how Kim has changed was not the long drives and six birdies Saturday. It was a short punch out on the third hole, when he decided not to try a low-percentage shot to reach the green.

"Six months ago I would've tried to go for it, and there was double- or triple-bogey written all over that," Kim said. "I chipped out, saved par and that kept my round going. Little things like that have added to some good play."

Kim's three-day total of 203 left him four shots ahead of Bohn, who recovered from a poor day of putting with a chip-in for par on the 18th for a 72 and a second-place tie with Slocum (68).

Stewart Cink (65) and Dudley Hart (70) were tied at 8- under, and Geoff Ogilvy (69) and Jim Furyk (71) followed at 7- under.

SEMGROUP CHAMPIONSHIP: At Broken Arrow, Okla., Paula Creamer made two long birdie putts to pull away from the field Saturday in the SemGroup Championship, only to drop two shots on the closing holes for the third straight day to give her challengers a chance.

But that small group chasing her doesn't include the player everyone expected to see. Lorena Ochoa, going for her record-tying fifth straight LPGA Tour victory, lost momentum with back-to-back bogeys and wound up eight shots behind, needing the best comeback of her career.

It doesn't look likely, even with Creamer still trying to figure out how to stop making bogeys with the finish line in sights. A three-putt on the 16th and a bogey from the bunker on the 18th gave her a 2-under 69 and a two-shot lead over Juli Inkster.

Inkster, a 47-year-old with two daughters and seven majors, turned in a tournament-best 67 in more blustery conditions, ending her solid round with a 20-foot par putt on the 18th hole after trouble in the trees.

Creamer was at 3-under 210 and will play in the final pairing today with Inkster, at 212 and the only other player under par.

Brittany Lang, who tied for second at the 2005 U.S. Women's Open while still an amateur, had a 71 to finish at 1-over 214, with Angela Stanford (71) and Leta Lindley (72) another shot behind.

Ochoa closed with six pars for an even-par 71 and was at 5-over 218, putting her in unfamiliar territory. She has won five of her six tournaments this year by a combined 37 shots.

FEDEX KINKO'S CLASSIC: At Lakeway, Texas, Nick Price moved a step closer to his first Champions Tour victory, shooting a 5-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the FedEx Kinko's Classic.

Price had a tournament-record 12-under 132 total on The Hills Country Club course.

Scott Simpson and Loren Roberts, who teamed together last week in the Legends of Golf tournament, were tied for second after matching 66s.

Tim Simpson (69) and Denis Watson (70) were five strokes back at 7-under.

SPANISH OPEN: At Seville, Spain, Spain's Ignacio Garrido shot an even-par 72 to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Spanish Open.

Garrido, whose father, Antonio, won the Spanish Open in 1972, had a 15-under 201 total. Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez (67) was second. England's Mark Foster (68), Denmark's Soren Hansen (67) and Paraguay's Marco Ruiz (69) were four strokes back.