Golf:Some spectacular putting today swept Swede Fredrik Jacobson into a two-shot lead with a round to go at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai. The 37-year-old had a five-under-par 67 which included holing twice from 15 feet, twice from over 20 feet and — at the long 14th — from more than 30 feet.
Trying to become the 10th different winner in the last 10 world championships — and this after the last 13 majors had 13 different winners — Jacobson stands 16 under par.
South African Louis Oosthuizen (68) is second and Australian Adam Scott three back in third, while Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood kept their hopes alive with rounds of 65 and 67 respectively to be four behind in joint fourth spot.
Scott’s day looked set to be remembered more for what his caddie Steve Williams said about former boss Tiger Woods — he admitted his comments at an awards dinner in Shanghai last night “could be construed as racist” — until he produced a spectacular finish.
The 31-year-old’s chances of back-to-back world championship victories had nosedived when he took seven on the long eighth and then six at the 594-yard 14th. But he then followed birdies at the 16th and 17th with a pitch to the last that spun into the hole for an eagle three and a 69.
McIlroy walked away hand-in-hand with tennis star girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki after a seven-birdie, bogey-free display that means he might yet complete a two-week Chinese double worth over €2 million.
The 22-year-old US Open champion banked the sport’s biggest prize of €1.4 million when he beat American Anthony Kim in a play-off for the Shanghai Masters last Sunday and the winner at Sheshan receives €750,000.
McIlroy said of his 65: “It’s definitely what I needed to give myself some sort of chance. I was five behind going into the last day at the Dunhill (at St Andrews last month) and made a good charge and hopefully I can do the same again.
“I just didn’t make silly mistakes. I feel as if there’s a lot of good scores in me and I was able to produce one of those today.”
Westwood, twice a runner-up at the event, did not drop a stroke either and, with Ernie Els down in 53rd place in the 78-man field, could well take over as the greatest money-earner in European Tour history.
It is Jacobson he is trying to catch rather than Els, though, and the US Tour-based player was delighted with his day’s work. He had a hat-trick of birdies from the second and bounced straight back from a bogey at the difficult ninth with one of his 15-footers at the next.
A 25-foot putt followed three holes later and the one on the next was a real bonus after he had driven into the rough and been forced to lay up.
