Golf: Leader beats broken driver

Paul Azinger overcame the loss of his driver and a surge by Tiger Woods to hold a two-shot lead yesterday in the third round of the weather-plagued Memorial tournament at Dublin, Ohio.

Azinger, the 1993 Memorial champion, accidentally snapped the shaft of his driver on the sixth hole after hitting his second bad drive in succession at the Muirfield Village Golf Club.

But he used his three-wood effectively off the tee and was two-under through 14 holes and 11-under for the tournament when play was halted by darkness.

"I really wasn't that irritated," said Azinger, who stabbed the butt end of the club into the soggy turf and broke the shaft in two.

"It caught me by surprise."

Azinger had been using a back-up driver after he cracked the face of his regular one 15 minutes before the round.

Woods, who had jumped into the lead early in the round, was tied for second place at nine-under (through 14 holes played) along with Spain's Sergio Garcia (14) and Australian Stuart Appleby (15).

Azinger, Woods, Garcia and Appleby were among 25 players who were stranded on the course after another day of poor weather delayed the start of the third round.

New Zealand's Grant Waite was five-under through 15, while Frank Nobilo was four-over through 17.

Stewart Cink was the leader in the clubhouse by shooting a five-under 67 for a 208 total.

* Robert Karlsson's last-hole bogey in the British Masters handed arch-rival David Howell a one-stroke lead to take into the final round at Woburn, Milton Keynes, after the pair, joint leaders overnight, had fought a running battle.

Briton Howell's four-under 68, to take him to 15-under 201, edged him one ahead of his Swedish challenger, whose final-hole blemish cost him a 69.

Frenchman Thomas Levet carded a 67 to pull within four strokes of the lead, and Europe's top man last year, Briton Lee Westwood, lurks five off the pace after a 67.

New Zealand's Michael Campbell shot a three-under 69 to sit on 213.

* New Zealander Simon Owen yesterday slipped from a share of the lead of the De Vere PGA Seniors Championship at Carden Park in Cheshire, England.

Owen, who had shared the two-round lead with Australian Ian Stanley at seven-under, had a par round of 72 to drop to third. He had three birdies and three bogeys.

Stanley stretched out to a three-stroke lead with a 68, topping the leaderboard with an 11-under 205.

Englishman Maurice Bembridge finished with three birdies in four holes for a 68 that saw him overhaul Owen's 209 by one stroke.

New Zealander Barry Vivian carded a three-under 69, elevating him to a tie for fourth.

* Annika Sorenstam was not quite ready to concede defeat after falling 11 strokes behind third-round leader Karrie Webb on a marathon day at the US Women's Open yesterday, but she came close.

The Swede, winner of five LPGA events this year, admitted she needed a miracle final round today after shooting a three-over 73 at Pine Needles, North Carolina.

Defending champion Webb of Australia finished the third round at six-under 204, five shots ahead of South Korean Pak Se-ri and six better than Briton Catriona Matthew.

Sorenstam came into the open as the favourite, but she has not been at the peak of her game.

She was not helped by having to rise at 4 am yesterday to return for the completion of the weather-delayed second round.

New Zealand's Lynette Brooky had a poor third-round seven-over 77 and is at 233.

Compatriot Marnie McGuire failed to make the cut.

- AGENCIES