PONTE VEDRA BEACH, United States // Jordan Spieth fired a one-under par 71 on Saturday, good enough to join Martin Kaymer atop the leaderboard after three rounds of the US PGA Tour’s Players Championship.
Germany’s Kaymer dropped into a tie for the lead with a bogey at the par-four 18th on the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, carding an even-par 72 for a 12-under total of 204.
The leading duo were three strokes ahead of Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Australian John Senden.
“It was very tricky today, therefore, you didn’t have as many birdie chances as the first two days,” Kaymer said. “It played tough today.
“Even when you hit fairways, it was gusty and therefore a little bit difficult to attack the flags.”
Garcia, the 2008 winner, fired a three-under par 69 while Senden posted a 68.
Aussie Matt Jones and George McNeill both posted 69s to share fifth place with Gary Woodland, who carded a 70 for 208.
Italy’s Francesco Molinari matched the low round of the day with his five-under 67. He was joined in eighth place on 209 by Canadian David Hearn (68) and England’s Lee Westwood (71).
Three of the four players who have a chance this week to supplant Tiger Woods atop the world rankings – Henrik Stenson, Bubba Watson and Matt Kuchar – were among a group of 11 players sharing 13th place on 211.
Sweden’s Stenson posted a 70, as did America’s Masters champion Watson, while Kuchar carded a 69.
Stenson, ranked third in the world, has a chance to topple Woods, who has been idled by injury, with a top-six finish on Sunday.
Watson needs a runner-up finish while Kuchar needs a victory in the US$10 million (Dh37m) tournament to have a chance at the No 1 ranking.
World No 2 Adam Scott of Australia kept his hopes of move to number one for the first time alive with a third-round 69 that left him tied for 28th on 213.
Scott would need a top-16 finish on Sunday to assume the No 1 spot, and he thought it might be possible with a relatively early tee time in the fourth round likely putting on the course in good scoring conditions.
“It’s possible,” he said. “I’ll be off fairly early probably again, and try and sneak up there as high as I possibly can.
“You never know what’s going to happen out here.”
Spieth parred every hole on the front nine, with only three birdie chances from within 20 feet.
Kaymer, meanwhile balanced a three-putt bogey at the fourth with a nine-foot birdie putt at the sixth.
The 2010 PGA Champion got up and down for birdie from over the ninth green to stretch his lead to two strokes, and had eight straight pars before his closing bogey.
Spieth nabbed his first birdie at 11, sinking a four-foot putt to trim Kaymer’s lead to one stroke.
He nearly chipped in for birdie at 13, but his ball hit the flagstick and landed two feet from the hole.
“I was all over the place and really got a lot of good breaks today,” Spieth said. “And in order to win the golf tournament tomorrow, I’m going to have to drive the ball a lot better and give myself more looks at birdie.
“Today, I really got the breaks and got the bounces and made the three- and four-footers to stay alive. I’m not going to be able keep doing that.”
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The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
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Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
The view from The National
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
