Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 28, 2013, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B2 SPORTS GOLF B2 SUNDAY, JULY 28, 2013 O AKVILLE, Ont. - Brandt Snedeker was on the tee at No. 7 when he noticed something wasn't quite right. He couldn't find fellow American and second- round leader Hunter Mahan's name at the top the RBC Canadian Open leaderboard. " I looked at my caddie, and I go, ' What's going on?' " Snedeker said. " He goes, ' I think Hunter had to leave because ( his wife) went into labour."' His caddie was right. Mahan, the tournament leader after 36 holes, abruptly withdrew to rush home to Dallas for the birth of his first child Saturday and Snedeker took advantage by shooting a sizzling 63 to vault into the lead after the third round at Glen Abbey Golf Club. "( It) just kind of left the tournament wide open," Snedeker said of Mahan's withdrawal. " Hunter was going to be hard to catch because he was playing so good. The way he drives the golf ball on this golf course, he was going to play really well on the weekend. For me to catch him, I knew I was going to have to shoot something really low." Mahan, who was in the final group at both the U. S. Open and British Open, had a two- stroke lead at 13 under after following up Thursday's 67 with a 64 on Friday. He was getting ready for his third round when he got word his wife, who was not due for another four weeks, had unexpectedly gone into labour. " It just changes the complexion of the tournament because Hunter had been playing so well. He was going to be a tough guy to catch. Now that he's not here, it's kind of wide open," said Snedeker, 32. " Anybody can win this tournament." Sweden's David Lingmerth fired a 65 Saturday and is a stroke back of Snedeker, while Matt Kuchar ( 64) and Jason Bohn ( 66) both sit at 12 under at the par- 72, 7,253- yard course. Snedeker opened the day with an extraordinary front nine that saw him make the turn at 29 with six birdies. He continued his strong play on the back with three more birdies for a bogey- free round. " You always feel like you're exactly one swing away from hitting something off the planet, or something like that," Snedeker said. " I felt like I managed my game really well today." Snedeker, the 2012 FedEx Cup champion whose best- ever finish at a Canadian Open was a tie for fifth at Glen Abbey in 2009, predicts that scores will drop even further today. " I'm going to have to shoot 4, 5, 6 under par to have a chance to win. That's just the way the golf course is playing," Kuchar, a father himself, said he couldn't recall a 36- hole leader withdrawing from a tournament for any reason. " The birth of a child is a truly magical, special thing. You may get it once in your lifetime. It just doesn't happen that often," Kuchar said. " Hunter right now is playing some of the best golf in the world. It kind of gives the rest of us a chance with him not in the field." Dustin Johnson also shot 63, good for a tie for fifth at 11 under with John Merrick ( 72), Greg Owen ( 67), Charley Hoffman ( 67) and Kyle Stanley ( 66) on a day that saw scattered showers and an 80- minute weather delay due to lightning. Merrick, who finished the second round two strokes back of the lead after tying the course record with a 62, was forced to play alone in Saturday's final grouping after Mahan's departure. He bogeyed four of the first seven holes but rebounded with birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 and an eagle on No. 18 to finish the day at even par. Players who began their rounds early in the day benefited from calm conditions, including David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., who shot 68 to move to 5 under. Hearn made Friday's cut by birdieing his final three holes to finish the first two rounds at 1 under. He kept that strong play going Saturday with a birdie on the first hole and six overall to sit tied for 39th. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., shot a disappointing 73 after Friday's 67 and is 3 under in a tie for 55th. " It was kind of adventurous and not very profitable at all," the 43- year- old said. - The Canadian Press SOUTHPORT, England - Bernhard Langer seized a three- shot lead after the third round of the Senior British Open on Saturday, mastering Royal Birkdale with superb links play for a 4- under 66. Overnight lead Langer shared the overnight lead with American Mark Wiebe but birdied three of his first seven holes to jump in front on his own. David Frost of South Africa shot his third straight 68 to sit alone in second place, while Wiebe only managed a 70 to drop into third, four shots back. Langer's only bogey came on the 14th, but he finished with two birdies on 15 and 17 to stay in control. " That was as good as I can play," said the German veteran, who is bidding for his second Senior British Open title, having won at Carnoustie in 2010. " My ball- striking was almost perfect and I played really well, apart from the mistake at the 14th." His lone bogey came when he hit his tee shot to the back of the green, sent his approach putt long and left and missed the return. He got it back immediately with a birdie at the long 15th, added another at the long 17th and just missed his birdie chance from 12 feet at the last. Frost made three birdies in a row from the seventh but then made three bogeys on the 10th, 14th and the 18th, with two other birdies in between. Three players are in joint fourth place, six shots back - home favourite Sandy Lyle ( 69), Australian Peter Fowler ( 70) and first- round leader Gene Sauers of the U. S ( 70). Colin Montgomerie of Scotland also had a 69 but is tied for 13th at 2 over. Miguel Angel Martin of Spain had the day's best round of 65 but is also 2 over. Defending champion Fred Couples had a 68, his best round of the week, but is out of contention at 4 over. Ireland's Mark McNulty shared fourth place overnight but quickly fell back when he dropped a stroke at each of the first four holes and another two at No. 7 and 8. He finished with a 76. - The Associated Press Langer lets birdies fly, leads Senior British Open by 3 Bernhard Langer NATHAN DENETTE / THE CANADIAN PRESS Brandt Snedeker watches his tee shot on the eighth hole in the third round Saturday at the RBC Canadian Open in Oakville, Ont. He's the new tournament leader. Baby on way - so is Mahan NATHAN DENETTE / THE CANADIAN PRESS Hunter Mahan left the Open to rush home to Dallas to be with his wife after she went into labour with their first child. Canadian Open leader drops out as wife about to birth their first By Joshua Clipperton B_ 02_ Jul- 28- 13_ FP_ 01. indd B2 7/ 27/ 13 8: 40: 40 PM ;