Crane still leads in suspended 3rd round
Ben Crane has waited so long to contend for another PGA Tour title that being patient through weather delays is no problem at all.
Staying atop the leaderboard into the third round helps.
Crane went more than 28 hours between competitive shots because of weather delays, and he was at 13 under with a four-stroke lead through six holes Saturday when another storm stopped play again at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis.
“What an opportunity I have,” Crane said. “Certainly, at the beginning of the week, I never thought I would have been here, so I’ll just try to go home relax, get some food in me and sleep as fast as I can because we got to come back out at 7 a.m. and restart.”
Troy Merritt, a group ahead of Crane, was at 9 under, with playing partner Peter Malnati at 8 under. Billy Horschel, Retief Goosen and Camilo Villegas were 7 under on their front nines.
Phil Mickelson, who hasn’t won in 19 straight events dating to the British Open, had pars on each of his first nine holes and was at 5 under. He’s one of many players using the event to tune up for the U.S. Open next week at Pinehurst.
Play stopped at 6:49 p.m. with officials hoping to have the leaders tee off for the final round by 9:10 a.m., if they can avoid a fog delay like the one that delayed the start of play for an hour Saturday morning.
A storm Thursday forced 60 players to wrap up the first round Friday, and only 32 finished the second before two delays, the second for a thunderstorm that left water standing in fairways, bunkers and cart paths.
The third round finally started at 3 p.m. with threesomes going off both tees. At least fans got to stick around all of Saturday afternoon after being sent home early the past two days.
Crane didn’t tee off until 4:50 p.m. Saturday after finishing up his second round at 12:18 p.m. Friday.
But this is Crane’s 300th career PGA Tour start, even though his last win was in 2011 at the McGladrey Classic. Crane said he can’t remember playing with a lead this late in a tournament it’s been so long.
He is putting well here this week, and he birdied his first hole to go to 13 under for the tournament as he rolled in a nearly 19-footer on the par-4 first. After hitting his approach into the rough behind the green on No. 2, Crane made a 12-footer to save par.
“Those are kind of critical putts right now, kind of keep the momentum going,” Crane said.
Merritt, who did not make a start on tour in 2012 or 2013 and missed his first six cuts this year, is the closest to Crane.
“Anything can happen on the final day when we’ve seen six-shot leads falter on the last day,” Merritt said. “If you can stay within a couple shots, that would be great. Anything can happen on Sunday on the PGA Tour.”
Feng charges to top in LPGA event: Shanshan Feng took a two-stroke lead Saturday in the LPGA Tour’s Manulife Financial Classic, shooting a 4-under 67 in calm conditions at Grey Silo in Waterloo, Ontario.
The 24-year-old Chinese player had a 15-under 198 total. She made a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 fifth, had two birdies and dropped her first stroke of the week with a bogey on the par-4 16th.
Feng won twice late last year after taking the 2012 LPGA Championship to become the first Chinese winner in LPGA Tour history.
“I think (today) I have no pressure,” Feng said.
Michelle Wie and second-ranked Inbee Park were tied for second. Wie had a 65, and Park shot a bogey-free 65.
Wie, the winner in Hawaii in April, is seeking her second victory in Canada after winning the 2010 Canadian Women’s Open in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She rebounded from bogeys on No. 2 and 3 with birdies on Nos. 4 and 6.
Haas, Jacobsen share Legends lead: Jay Haas and Peter Jacobsen took the second-round lead in the Champions Tour’s Legends of Golf, teaming for a 6-under 48 on the par-3 Top of the Rock course in Ridgedale, Mo.
Haas and Jacobsen played nine holes of alternate shot and nine of better ball at Top of the Rock, the first par-3 course used in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event, after opening with a better-ball 62 on Friday on the regulation Buffalo Ridge layout. They had a 15-under 110 total.
Jeff Sluman and Fred Funk were second after a 50 on the par-3 course, the site of the final round today.