The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Park In-bee takes lead in Mexico

By Korea Herald

Published : Nov. 11, 2012 - 19:07

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GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) ― Park In-bee moved into position for her third victory of the year, shooting a 6-under 66 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational.

The South Korean player had a 15-under 201 total at Guadalajara Country Club. She won the Evian Masters in France in July and the LPGA Malaysia last month and leads the LPGA Tour money list.

Park also is trying to catch Stacy Lewis in the player of the year points race, but has to win Sunday and next week in the season-ending Titleholders to have any chance to pass Lewis.

Cristie Kerr was second after a 67.

Ryu So-yeon was third at 12 under after a 67. Second-round leader Angela Stanford was another stroke back after a 72, and Karine Icher had a 69 to reach 9 under.
Korea’s Park In-bee tees off on the first hole on Saturday. (AP-Yonhap News) Korea’s Park In-bee tees off on the first hole on Saturday. (AP-Yonhap News)


The second-ranked Lewis, coming off her tour-leading fourth victory of the year last week in Japan, was tied for sixth at 8 under with Michelle Wie, Candie Kung and Seo Hee-kyung. Trying to become the first U.S. player of the year since Beth Daniel in 1994, Lewis shot a 71. Wie followed her second-round 75 with a 67, Kung had a 71, and Seo shot 69.

Suzann Pettersen, coming off consecutive victories in South Korea and Taiwan, was 4 under after a 68.

Ochoa was 3 under after a 70. The Mexican star won 27 LPGA Tour titles before retiring at age 28 in 2010. She missed the event last year before the birth of son Pedro in December.

Top-ranked Yani Tseng was 1 over after a 76.

Children’s Miracle Network

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida (AP) ― Charlie Beljan was in a hospital bed in the middle of the night, still wearing his golf shoes, thinking his season was over.

He was about six hours from his tee time Saturday at Disney. Just 12 hours earlier, he was having a panic attack on the golf course so severe that he could barely breathe, his blood pressure spiked and his arms felt numb. After signing his card, he was strapped into a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital.

“I thought I literally had a chance to die,” Beljan said.

In a turnaround that even by Disney’s standards seems like a fairy tale, the 28-year-old rookie now has a chance to win his first PGA Tour title.

Beljan was released from the hospital, overcame two early bogeys and was solid over the final hour in the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic for a 1-under 71 that gave him a two-shot lead going into the final round.

“I honestly didn’t know if I was going to play one hole, any holes or was I going to get through the day,” Beljan said. “I felt good, better as the day went on, and I just hung tough, hung in there. I knew what the rewards were at the end of the week if I could pull something off, and that’s kind of what kept me going.”

Singapore Open

SINGAPORE (AP) ― Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn had to wait more than 36 hours to tee off in the second round of the rain-soaked Singapore Open. The delay may have done him good.

Bjorn shot a 67 Saturday to move into the lead and held on to a one-stroke advantage over England’s Chris Wood in the third round before play was halted due to darkness.

Tropical downpours caused havoc with the schedule this week, forcing golfers to finish the second round early Saturday and then hurriedly start the third round hours later. Officials are still planning to play 72 holes unless storms cause more delays on Sunday.

Bjorn was at 9 under after completing three holes in the third round. South Africa’s George Coetzee was in third place at 7 under, one stroke ahead of Italy’s Francesco Molinari and Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat.

Rory McIlroy was at 4 under overall, five strokes behind the leader.