Stanley set for Farmers glory
Sunday, 29 January 2012
American Kyle Stanley will begin the final day of the Farmers Insurance Open in California with a whopping five-shot lead.
Stanley's impressive tournament continued on Saturday as he fired a four-under-par 68.
The 24-year-old from Washington has never won a title as a professional but that looks like changing, with American pair John Huh and John Rollins five shots adrift in a tie for second.
Bill Haas – also of the United States – and South Korean's Sang-Moon Bae are a further shot back in a tie for fourth but the tournament appears to be Stanley's to lose.
He began his round with a birdie on the second hole and saved a shot on holes six and 10 as he looked in good touch.
A bogey on the par four 12th could have derailed his challenge but he held firm and immediately bounced back with a birdie, before adding another on the 16th to finish with a score of 68 for the second day in a row.
Huh also hit a 68 after seven birdies and three bogeys while Rollins shot four-under for the day.
A two-under 70 for Haas sees him six shots off the pace while Bae did well to recover from a disastrous start to shoot 72.
Bae double-bogeyed the par four second before three successive bogeys had him five-over for the day through as many holes.
But five birdies from then on saved his day, with four coming in succession from holes 10 to 13.
Also inside the top 10, are Cameron Tringale and Brandt Snedeker of the United States, with the pair joined by Sweden's Jonas Blixt in a tie for sixth.
Blixt shot seven birdies in carding 65 – the best score of the day – while American pair Scott Piercy and Justin Leonard are tied for ninth.
World number 21 Bubba Watson, who is also the defending champion, fired a round of 68 on Saturday but he is in a tie for 19th, 10 shots off the lead.