Kerr in her own little zone at Classic

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/06/2011 (5547 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Cristie Kerr was in the zone on the range before the second round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic and even a double bogey on the 12th hole didn’t cause her to lose focus.

“Yeah, I think it’s maturity,” the 33-year-old Kerr said Saturday after shooting a 6-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead over Catriona Matthew heading into the final round.

“But I recognize that you can make some birdies on the stretch coming in. It just didn’t feel like a bad double. It sounds odd, but just didn’t feel like I made double. So when you make a stupid mistake or something happens and you make double, you get more mad at yourself.”

Kerr didn’t get angry. She just made up for the mistake with three birdies on the final five holes to move within a good round of her first victory of the year and her 15th on the LPGA Tour.

The last birdie came from roughly eight feet the par-5 18th and gave Kerr an 8-under 134 score on the Bay Course at Seview, where the 20 mph wind of Friday’s opening round was replaced by a mild breeze.

The result was 54 sub-par rounds compared to 13 the day before. If the conditions don’t change, a low score will probably be needed Sunday to collect the top prize of US$225,000.

Brooks atop leaderboard

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Mark Brooks knows what it’s like to be in the hunt for a championship on the final day. It’s just been awhile since that’s happened.

Brooks has put himself atop the leaderboard heading into the final round of the Principal Charity Classic, shooting a 4-under 67 on Saturday for a one-stroke edge over Mark Calcavecchia.

“I think the hard part of not being right in the hunt is you’re not as familiar with your tendencies at the time,” Brooks said. “That’s what you get from playing all the time. You know, I need to fight off this hook or fight off that cut. You know that a lot better when you’re playing 30 tournaments a year.”

This is just the sixth Champions Tour event for Brooks, who turned 50 in March, and he’s within reach of his first victory since the 1996 PGA Championship. He survived a shaky finish, salvaging a bogey on 18 after twice hitting into bunkers, and finished 36 holes at 10-under 132.

Rodriguez leads in Victoria

VICTORIA — Jose de Jesus Rodriguez shot a third-round of 6-under 64 Saturday to take a one-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Canadian Tour’s Times Colonist Open.

Rodriguez posted seven birdies and a bogey to move one shot ahead of Dustin Ridson of Strathmore, Alta., at 9-under 201. He is looking for his second straight title on the Tour after taking last month’s Mexican PGA Championship in his home country.

Ridson shot a solid 66.

— from the news services