Sadena Park wins the Symetra SEFCU Championship

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Sadena Parks (Getty Images)

ALBANY, N.Y. — Sadena Parks become the second black winner in Symetra Tour history Sunday, rallying to win the SEFCU Championship at Capital Hills.

Parks, the 24-year-old former University of Washington player from Tacoma, matched the course record with a bogey-free 9-under 62 for a one-stroke victory over Taiwan’s Min Lee. LaRee Sugg was the first black champion on the developmental tour, winning in 1998 in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.

Parks finished at 14-under 199 and earned $15,000 to jump from 14th to sixth on the money list with $36,213. The final top 10 will earn 2015 LPGA Tour cards.

Parks was second in the previous tour event, the Island Resort Championship on July 29.

Lee closed with a 70.

Brianna Do and South Korea’s Min Seo Kwak tied for third at 12 under. They each shot 66.

Quebec’s Maude-Aimee Leblanc claimed a top 10 finish at 7-under, while Sara-Maude Juneau finished right behind her with a 6-under 207 to claim 14th place.

PGA TOUR RBC Canadian Open

VIDEO: Canadian interviews Sunday at the 2014 RBC Canadian Open

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Tim Clark (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

LPGA Tour

Spain sweeps to victory in International Crown

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Asahara Munoz and Carlota Ciganda (Photos Getty)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Carlota Ciganda breezed to an early victory to set the tone and Spain won all four of its singles matches Sunday to capture the inaugural International Crown.

Sweden finished second in the tournament that began Thursday with 32 players from eight countries. The top-seeded United States was among three teams eliminated Saturday, leaving five countries and 20 players to compete for the trophy.

Fifth-seeded Spain began the final round tied for second behind Japan, but Ciganda immediately gave the Spaniards a boost by beating Na Yeon Choi of South Korea 8 and 6. Beatriz Recari followed with a 3-and-2 victory over Mikaela Parmlid of Sweden, and Belen Mozo clinched the tournament title with a 3-and-2 win over Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand.

That set off an impromptu celebration on the 16th hole that began with a jubilant Recari jumping into the arms of Ciganda.

Azahara Munoz completed the sweep by beating Ai Miyazato of Japan 2 and 1.

Points accumulated through Saturday were added to those amassed Sunday. Using the scoring system of two points for a win and one for a tie, the final order was: Spain (15 points), Sweden (11), South Korea (10), Japan (10), Thailand (9), United States (6), Taiwan (4) and Australia (3).

“Even though we were maybe the underdogs because of the seedings, I knew deep inside that what you need in a team championship is what we have,” Mozo said. “We have always played together, we have always won together. Coming in, we knew we had that advantage over the other teams.”

Japan entered the final round with a one-point lead but lost three of four matches, its lone win coming when Mika Miyazato beat Onnarin Sattayabanphot of Thailand 3 and 1.

Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg topped Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand 6 and 5, taking the lead for good at No. 1 and winning at 10, 11 and 12 to pull away. But the Swedes’ bid to win the tournament fizzled when Caroline Hedwall lost to South Korea’s Inbee Park, 4 and 2.

Although Sweden didn’t come home with the trophy, at least one team member left with a fond memory.

“I’ve gotten to show myself on the biggest stage that I’ve been on so far and it feels like I’ve really take advantage of that,” said Lindberg, 28, who was playing in her first match-play event. “It’s been so much fun, just over expectations for everyone.”

Park, meanwhile, rode the momentum generated by Saturday’s wild-card playoff win over the U.S. to breeze past Hedwall. That left South Korea with at least an outside shot of capturing the event.

“It was important to win the first match. It kind of gives everyone hope and some energy to play well,” Park said.

That’s how it worked for Spain. Alas, South Korea could not sustain the momentum.

Not long after Park won, Choi walked off the course after 12 holes in her mismatch against Ciganda, and South Korea’s chances grew even dimmer when I.K. Kim lost to Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand 1 up.

So Yeon Ryu’s 1-up win over Sakura Yokomine of Japan left South Korea at 2-2 for the afternoon.

PGA TOUR RBC Canadian Open

Tim Clark rallies to win RBC Canadian Open

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Tim Clark (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

MONTREAL – When Jim Furyk’s charge to a third RBC Canadian Open title stalled in the final round, Tim Clark decided to go for it.

The 38-year-old South African, whose wife Candice is Canadian, fired five birdies on the back nine to overtake Furyk on the 15th hole and hold on to win the US$5.7 million tournament at Royal Montreal on Sunday.

Recovering from a first-hole bogey that put him four shots off the lead, Clark shot a five-under-par 65 to finish at 17-under-par 263 and claim his second career PGA Tour victory and the $1,026-million winner’s prize.

“It looked like Jim wasn’t going to make any mistakes,” said Clark, who had moved into contention with a 64 on Saturday. “He was pretty solid, so I knew I had to make birdies.

“At that point, there was nothing to lose. Suddenly I got hot and I went with it.”

It was another frustrating defeat for Furyk, who has now lost seven tournaments in a row in which he led after 54 holes. He went into the final round with a three-stroke cushion but never found traction. He shot 69 to come second at 16-under 264.

“I kind of controlled my own destiny,” said Furyk. “I’ve got to shoot three or four (under par) and it would have been impossible to catch me, or darn near it.

“I left the door open with even par on the front nine and Tim took advantage and shot 30 on the back.”

Furyk has not won since a victory at the 2010 Players Championship that gave him the FedEx Cup title and PGA player of the year honours. He fell short in a bid to join elite company in Tommy Armour, Sam Snead and Lee Trevino by becoming the fourth player to win the Canadian Open three times after his victories in 2006 and 2007.

Instead, it went to the stocky Clark, the long putter user who needed a win after battling elbow trouble in recent years.

The win moved him from 85th to 27th in FedEX Cup standings and gave him entry into next week’s World Golf Championship event in Akron, Ohio and into the PGA championship. He also gets fully exempt status on the PGA Tour through the 2015-16 season.

While Graham DeLaet’s bid to became the first Canadian to win his national open in 60 years fell short, the trophy went to a player with connections, and a history, in Canada.

Clark’s wife Candice is from Toronto and has family in Montreal. He won his first professional tournament at the New Brunswick Open on the Canadian Tour in 1998 and followed a week later with a win at the CPGA Championship.

“The irony of it is Canada could be the location of my first win and my last one,” he said. “To come back here, it’s full circle.

“That was 16 years ago when I was just cutting my teeth as a professional golfer and I was fortunate enough to be given some starts up here, so I have fond memories.

“It’s certainly one I’ve wanted to win for a long time. Any national championship to me is special. particularly to the people from that country. It’s an honour for me to be the open champion.”

DeLaet was in contention after he and Furyk tied the course record with 63s in the second round on Friday, but he went 70-68 in the last two rounds to finished at 10-under 270. He took the low Canadian honour by one stroke over Brad Fritsch of Ottawa, who closed with a 64 to end up at 9-under, tied for ninth with Kevin Kisner and Graeme McDowell.

“I fell a little short, but it was fun,” said DeLaet, Canada’s top-ranked player. “So many people were cheering for me.

“Now I know how Tiger and Phil and those guys feel all the time because it was pretty neat. Coming down 18 was a special moment.

Justin Hicks shot 64 to leap into third place alone at 13-under 267 in his best performance of the season.

Matt Kuchar (65), Michael Putnam (66) and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (66) finished tied for fourth at 11-under 269.

Golf Canada and the PGA Tour moved up the starting times by two hours and had the players go out in threesomes from both the first and 10th tees to try to fit in the final round between forecast rainstorms.

It almost worked to perfection. Most of the field had finished their rounds when a cloudburst halted play for 26 minutes with the final group – including Furyk, Clark and Kyle Stanley – had only four holes left to play.

Clark and Furyk were tied at 15-under when the rain came. When play resumed, Clark birdied to take the lead. Both players birdied the 17th to set up a dramatic final hole.

Clark left a 44-foot putt about six feet short, but Furyk missed left on a 12-footer and Clark sealed the win by holing a six-foot putt.

“Once he missed his putt, I didn’t want to have to go into a playoff, knowing he can take it over the water (off the 18th tee) and I have to play over to the right,’ said Clark. ”So it was huge for me to get it finished right there.

“I got hot with the putter on the back nine. To stand over that putt and still feel confident was really nice.”

DeLaet, from Weyburn, Sask., tied for seventh with Dicky Pride, who matched the course record with a bogey-free 63. He won the Rivermead Cup as low Canadian.

Pride had the course record at 64 the last time the event was held at Royal Montreal in 2001 only to see Scott Verplank and David Morland go one shot better the next day.

“I had to get my course record back,” said Pride, who birdied the 17th and 18th for the record. “So to tie them and go back and get it, I’m pretty happy about that.

“And I was thinking about it on 18 too, which is an idiotic thing to do, but I made the putt anyway.”

Fritsch had a 10-foot putt on the 18th in a bid for a share of the record, but missed by perhaps a centimetre.

But the 36-year-old in the Ottawa Senators golf shirt used his 64 to finish the event at 9-under. His bogey free round included three birdies and an eagle on the back nine. Fritsch just made the cut on Friday with a birdie on the 18th.

“We made the most of the weekend,” said Fritsch. “We felt like we were playing with house money this weekend just because we felt lucky to even be playing.”

“I played great today. On the back nine, I made a bunch of putts and made some good shots coming down the stretch.

Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., capped a strong first Canadian Open experience with a 69 to finish as the low amateur at 3-under.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. both shot 71s and finished at 2-under. Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont. had 71 to finish at 2-over par.

Clark tied the tournament low total score of 263 with Johnny Palmer (1952) and Scott Piercy (2012).

LPGA Tour

South Korea eliminates US in International Crown

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Asahara Munoz and Carlota Ciganda (Photos Getty)

  — Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu both birdied the first playoff hole Saturday as South Korea eliminated the top-seeded United States and earned a wild-card berth in the final round of the International Crown.

The Koreans will join Spain, Thailand, Japan and Sweden on Sunday in a duel for title.

After the American team of Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson beat sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn 3 and 2, Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum and Onnarin Sattayabanphot edged the team of Paula Creamer and Stacy Lewis 1-up to leave the U.S. in third place in Pool A.

South Korea, the third-place finisher in Pool B, called upon Park and Ryu to face Kerr and Thompson in a wild-card playoff on the par-5 16th hole.

Thompson’s second shot hit the fringe of the green, sat for an instant and then rolled back down a hill. She attempted an uphill putt, which barely made it to the top of the hill.

Thompson subsequently missed her 10-foot putt, and the other three players made birdies. According to the unique wild-card format, that eliminated the U.S.

Spain won Pool A with seven points, earning the tiebreaker over Thailand, which also had seven points. The U.S. had six points and Taiwan finished with four.

Japan split with South Korea on Saturday to emerge atop Pool B with eight points, and Sweden swept Australia to finish with seven points. South Korea had six points and the Aussies had three.

Points accumulated over the first three days carry over to Sunday’s final round, when each country plays one singles match against every other country. The team with the most points wins the inaugural International Crown.

Spain eliminated Taiwan with a pair of contrasting victories. Carlota Ciganda sank a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 13 to seal a 6-and-5 win with teammate Azahara Munoz. The duo beat Yani Tseng and Phoebe Yao, who lost five of the first six holes and could not recover.

In the other match, Spain’s Belen Mozo and Beatriz Recari lost the first two holes and were 2 down after 11 holes before rallying for a 1-up win over Candie Kung and Teresa Lu.

It was a feel-good afternoon for the Spaniards, who lost twice Friday to the U.S. team.

“We learned from it,” Munoz said. “We talked about it this morning and we said that from the beginning, no matter what, we’re going to keep our heads up and just give it our best.”

Taiwan lost its final four matches after opening the tournament with a sweep of the Americans.

The Japanese team of Ai Miyazato and Sakura Yokomine beat Na Yeon Choi 3 and 2, and Park and Ryu bested Mamiko Higa and Mika Miyazato 4 and 3.

Yokomine made two eagles on the back nine to provide Japan with the win.

Sweden sent Australia packing with a lopsided sweep. Caroline Hedwall and Anna Nordqvist cruised past Minjee Lee and Karrie Webb 4 and 3, and Pernilla Lindberg and Makaela Parmlid beat Katherine Kirk and Lindsey Wright 7 and 5.

Parmlid, who is pregnant, came out of retirement to play in this event.

“Last year, I was one spot out of the Solheim Cup and I always wanted to play these team events,” she said. “Then they came up with this tournament, and I was one spot in.”

Australia won only one match over three days, fewest of any country.

Champions Tour

Langer wins British Senior Open by record 13 shots

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Bernhard Langer (Photo Getty)

BRIDGEND, Wales  — Bernhard Langer won his second Senior British Open championship on Sunday, finishing a record 13 strokes clear of Colin Montgomerie of Scotland.

The German added a closing 4-under 67 Sunday at sunny Royal Porthcawl to his earlier rounds of 65-66-68 for an 18-under 266.

Langer’s 13-stroke win is the largest margin of victory in a senior major, beating Hale Irwin’s 12-stroke win in the Senior PGA Championship in 1997, while he almost doubled Bob Charles’ record of seven strokes in the British event, set at Turnberry back in 1989.

Montgomerie shot 2-under 69 to finish at 5-under 279 after starting with a share of seventh place.

Tom Pernice Jr. of the United States, Barry Lane of England and Rick Gibson of Canada were three further shots back, tied for third on 2-under 282.

“The golf course is unbelievably tough,” Langer said. “To have this weather for four days is unreal, it’s like playing in Florida with a bit of wind.

“The secret was I didn’t make too many mistakes and my driver was very good and my long putting was excellent, although not quite today as I was lacking a little. Perhaps my lead was too big.”

While the stiff breeze sent many scores soaring, Langer displayed the same immaculate control that saw him lead throughout, going into the final day eight strokes ahead of Gibson.

At the turn Langer had stretched his lead to 13, going out in 3-under 32 to Gibson’s 2-over 37.

Langer birdied both the second, when he holed from eight feet, and the third from five feet. He dropped a shot at the fourth when his approach only reached the front edge and he putted up to three feet and missed.

He left his eagle putt at the long sixth on the lip, then bagged his fourth birdie at the seventh. He moved 14 clear when Gibson had a bogey at the 10th, but then Langer missed his par putt at 11, in what was only his fifth bogey of the week.

Langer claimed his fifth birdie of the day at the short No. 12, then posted five straight pars before finding the final green in two and two-putting for a closing birdie, his 23rd of the tournament.

Montgomerie’s closing 69 saw him win what he called “the other competition.” He dropped two strokes early on but then birdied the sixth and eighth to be level at the turn. He parred seven holes on the run from Nos. 9 through 16 before birdies at the last two to move clear of the rest of the chasers.

Gibson, second overnight, struggled on the final day, closing with a 4-over 75 while Pernice and Lane shot 70 and 72 respectively.

Americans Bob Tway (76) and Scott Dunlap (75) shared sixth place on level par 284, one ahead of Argentina’s Miguel Angel Jimenez (68) and Kirk Triplett (70) of the United States.

Tom Watson and Fred Couples struggled on the final day. Watson posted a 6-over 77 with fellow American Couples one worse, to finish on 286 and 288 respectively.

Watson finished in a share of 10th alongside countryman Russ Cochran. Couples was tied for 13th.

Also representing Canada on the field was Rod Spittle who claimed a 21st place finish carding 70 in the final round, and 291 for the tournament.

DP World Tour

Horsey wins Russian Open in playoff

MOSCOW – David Horsey of England defeated Ireland’s Damien McGrane in a playoff on Sunday to win the Russian Open, his first European Tour title in three years.

Horsey rallied after making double-bogey on the 12th hole with an eagle on the 17th and then par on the final hole to finish level with McGrane at 13-under 275 at the end of regulation.

The Englishman then two-putted for par on the 18th hole in the playoff, while McGrane found a greenside bunker and took a bogey.

McGrane made seven birdies in the final round, but failed to close out his first victory in six years in his round of 66.

It was the second time in Horsey’s career that he has been in a playoff and the second time he’s come out in front after winning the 2011 Hassan 11 Trophy at Agadir, Morocco, in similar fashion.

“It’s a big relief to win and very much like my last win in Morocco when I also made a mess of a couple of holes on the back nine,” said Horsey. “But standing on 17 I really didn’t know where I was in the tournament so after hitting my ball through to the back of the green I realised I was three behind and needed to do something drastic and quite quickly.

“So chipping-in for eagle was a great help and then thought I needed to make birdie at the last but not realising Damien (McGrane) had dropped one there at the last.”

Horsey led after the opening two rounds and went into the final round tied for the lead.

“To win is very special as it’s been a while since I won in Morocco, and also it’s been bumpy road along the way since then,” he said.

Scotland’s Scott Jamieson shot a 69 to finish third at 12-under 276 with Sam Hutsby (68) of England another shot back in fourth. Peter Whiteford (75) of Scotland rounded out the top five with a 278.

 

PGA TOUR RBC Canadian Open

Video: Canadian interviews Saturday at the RBC Canadian Open

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Tim Clark (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

PGA TOUR RBC Canadian Open

Two time champion Furyk builds lead at RBC Canadian Open

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Tim Clark (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

MONTREAL – There doesn’t appear to be any stopping Jim Furyk from claiming a third RBC Canadian Open title.

The 44-year-old Furyk steamrolled his way to a bogey-free 65 in the third round at Royal Montreal on Saturday to go to 15-under-par 195 and take a three-shot lead over South African Tim Clark, while crowd favourite Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., saw his hopes sag with a three-putt on the 18th to fall seven strokes off the lead.

A forecast of thunderstorms may complicate the final round on Sunday, but Furyk is in solid position for his first PGA Tour win since the Tour Championship in 2010.

He said a key to closing out the US$5.7 million tournament will be “not really worrying about what position I’m in. Not looking at the leaderboard too much. Going out there and trying to attack the golf course the same way I have the first three days.

“I noticed there aren’t many leaderboards on the course, that might be a good thing.”

He will play the final round in a threesome with Clark, whose only Tour win was the 2010 Players Championship, and Kyle Stanley, whose lone win was at the 2012 Phoenix Open.

Clark had the low round of the day at 64 to move to 12-under. Stanley has been near the lead all week and shot 68 to take third place at 10-under par.

Furyk is a 16-time winner on Tour and will have the edge in experience. But he cautioned that the soft greens and fairways at Royal Montreal have made for low scoring and that anyone close is a threat.

“The guys that are out there who have played well for three days are all capable,” said Furyk. “Timmy Clark’s got a lot of experience. Kyle’s won before.

“The guys out there have all played well. They’ve played good rounds. You saw Graham and I shoot 7-under (on Saturday). There is a good round out there, so guys can go out there and shoot a low one and definitely put heat on the last group.”

Jamie Lovemark, whose best finish so far this season was a tie for 28th in January, shot 67 to take fourth place at 9-under.

But the galleries were watching DeLaet, Canada’s top player who is trying to become the first Canadian to win his national open since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

But after raising hopes as he and Furyk tied the course record playing together with Matt Kuchar in the second round, he managed only an even-par 70 to stay at 8 under in a tie with Joe Durant (67), Scott Brown (69) and Tim Petrovic (72).

The 32-year-old DeLaet missed a par putt on the second, but kept himself afloat until he sank a long putt for eagle on the par-5 12th. He followed with a birdie on the 14th to get to 10 under, but then put his tee shot on the 15th into a hazard for bogey.

The crowd gave him a rousing ovation as the bearded DeLaet walked up the 18th fairway, but he got too aggressive on a 9-foot birdie putt and then missed a short one for par.

“I kept plugging away,” said DeLaet. “I knew I wasn’t that far off and if I could just finish a couple under par maybe I’d have a shot (on Sunday.)

“Disappointing to three-putt the last. I really wanted to make that birdie and got over-aggressive. But it was a fun day. The crowds were amazing out there. Hopefully, I can do something special.”

If DeLaet was dejected or angry at himself, it didn’t show when he met the media off the 18th green. And he wasn’t about to concede defeat despite the gap with the leaders.

“Jim is obviously in control of his game right now, but if someone posts something you never know what could happen,” he said. “I’m just going to give it my best. I’ve got 35 million people pulling for me, so that’s pretty cool.”

Furyk won the world’s third-oldest national championship in 2006 at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club and followed with a win in 2007 at Angus Glen in Markham, Ont.

A third win would put him in a tie for second all-time with Tommy Armour (1927, 1930 and 1934), San Snead (1938, 1940 and 1941) and Lee Trevino (1971, 1977 and 1979). Leo Diegel won four titles in the 1920s.

Coming off a final round 65 to finish fourth at the British Open last Sunday, Furyk has had only one bogey, on the fourth hole of the first round, at Royal Montreal.

The third round was more complicated, but he cited up-and-down saves for par on the first, sixth, 11th and 16th for keeping his hot play alive.

“The first couple of days I struck the ball really well and never had myself in too much trouble,” he said. “Today I found a way to score and get the ball in the hole.”

In his career, Furyk has won 10 of 25 times when leading after three rounds.

Clark got off to a phenomenal start, with a birdie on the first and an eagle on the second, and then ran off three birdies on the final six holes. The 38-year-old’s experience likely makes him the most dangerous challenger.

“It’s always great to get off to a good start,” said Clark. “Saturdays are normally the toughest day to score on, so you dream of a start like that.”

Clark is coming off a strong showing at the John Deere Classic, where he tied for fifth, helping to turn around a middling season that included a problem with his left elbow that needed a cortisone injection.

“Right now I feel good and I am able to swing how I want to,” he said. “Three months ago I started to hit the good again, but I just wasn’t scoring. Finally, the last few tournaments, I’ve started to score.”

With thunderstorms in the forecast, start times were moved up two hours to 8 a.m. ET, with the players in threesomes rather than the usual pairs for the final round. The third round was played in breezy, overcast weather, with only a brief, light rain in the afternoon.

Amateur Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., rebounded from a 75 on Friday with a 68 to go to 2 under. He was 4 under through 17 holes, but the big hitter put his tee shot in a hazard and hit a weak chip shot for double bogey on the 18th.

He was happy with his week so far however, which included an opening-round 65.

“Just getting out here and experiencing what the PGA guys experience every week is pretty awesome,” the 23-year-old said. “My goal for the week was just to come out here and have some good rounds.

“Just like any other tournament, if I play good I’ll make the cut. I had a good day and a bad day, but I made the cut, which was awesome. It’s great to play two more rounds on the weekend.”

Brad Fritsch of Ottawa shot a bogey-free 67 to move to 3 under for the tournament, while Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., was at 3 under after a 68. David Hearn of Brampton, Ont., was also at 3 under after a 70.

Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., was 1 over on the day and for the tournament.

“No bogeys out here with the wind blowing a bit – I played nicely,” said Fritsch, whose sand shot on the 18th helped save par. “Burned the edge a lot today, but I also had some good up and downs.

“It was nice to get up and down on the last, just to make sure it was bogey-free.”

Champions Tour

Bernhard Langer takes 8-shot lead in Senior British Open

BRIDGEND, Wales – Bernhard Langer moved closer to his second Senior British Open title on Saturday after shooting a 3-under 68 at Royal Porthcawl for a 14-under 199 and an eight-stroke lead.

Langer won the title at Carnoustie in 2010 but lost in a playoff at Royal Birkdale last year. He also led going into the final round at Turnberry in 2012, only to fade on the final day.

That seems unlikely to happen again on Sunday given the German’s three-day master class on the sun-kissed South Wales links with earlier rounds of 65 and 66.

Langer had to settle for his third round’s fourth birdie on the 18th after missing an eagle chance from 10 feet. He dropped his only shot on the par-4 10th.

“I played very nicely, got off to a good start … Then I maybe played a little safe for a couple of holes,” Langer said. “I can’t believe how far I hit it on the last.”

Canadian Rick Gibson was Langer’s nearest challenger on 6-under 207 after a 66, hitting back with six birdies after dropping a shot at the first. Bob Tway of the United States was third, a further stroke back after a 68.

Americans Tom Watson and Scott Dunlap shared fourth place on 209 with England’s Chris Williams, while Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie, England’s Barry Lane and Fred Couples of the United States were tied for seventh on 210.

Montgomerie, bidding for his third successive senior major, matched Langer’s 32 over the front nine but then slipped to a 4-over 40 coming home.

“Bernhard’s the best player out here and he’s proving it,” said Montgomerie. “I had a horrendous back nine, now the best I can do is second.”

Tenth-placed Jeff Sluman had a superb opening to his third round with four straight birdie threes, before dropping a stroke at the short No. 5. He then eagled the long sixth and birdied the seventh. He finished with two pars to be out in a week’s best 6-under 29 but the American couldn’t sustain it, dropping three shots and picking up just one birdie to be back in 38 for a round of 67.

Playing partner Dunlap was five strokes worse than Sluman on the way out, but then came back in 31 with three birdies and an eagle, for a 65.

Between them they had a 13-under betterball score of 58.

Philip Walton equaled the record low round of the week of 64 to move from 7 over to level par 213.

The Irishman had four birdies and dropped just one shot on the way out, then had five birdies and one bogey on the way home for two nines of 32.

New Zealand’s Greg Turner recorded the first ace of the week when he holed his 9- iron tee shot at the 165-yard 15th on his way to a 66.