Lowry Clubhouse Leader as McIlroy Chases

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Rory McIlroy missed out on creating a piece of history in the Players Championship as Shane Lowry set the clubhouse target in the weather-affected second round at Sawgrass.

McIlroy carded seven birdies and an eagle in his first 16 holes on the Florida course and came to the par-five ninth, his final hole, needing a birdie to set a new course record of 62.

However, faced with a second shot from 271 yards, the four-time major winner surprisingly opted to lay up and then missed the green from 90 yards with his approach, before fluffing a chip and running up his only bogey of the day.

The resulting 64 left McIlroy three shots behind his potential Olympic team-mate Lowry, who added a 68 to his opening 65 to finish 11 under par, a shot ahead of Jonas Blixt, Alex Cejka and Cameron Tringale.

World number one Jason Day remained top of the leaderboard on 14 under but was unable to complete his round following a two-hour delay due to lightning in the area.

The US PGA Champion opting not to complete the 15th after play was eventually suspended due to darkness.

Lowry had started on the back nine and bogeyed 14 and birdied 16 before dumping his tee shot into the water on the 17th, but then holed out from 120 yards for only the sixth eagle in tournament history on the 18th.

Birdies on the second and third, either side of the delay, were followed by another on the fifth to leave the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational champion in contention for a second PGA Tour title.

"I got off to a bit of a shaky start today, I didn't feel that comfortable and then we were called in," said Lowry.

"To go back out there and make a couple of birdies and finish the round nicely was good."

Lowry revealed on Thursday that his poor form had prompted an "emergency" call to his coach Neil Manchip before play began, while he also benefited from a putting tip from Graeme McDowell.

"I was struggling to see the lines and he gave me a tip to stand a bit further from the ball and I've managed to hole a few putts the last couple of days, which is nice," Lowry added.

McIlroy (above) had earlier holed plenty of putts but never gave himself a chance to do so on the final hole after taking an unusually conservative approach.

"I've got it in my head with the ninth hole that any time that I have gone for the green it has not really worked out for me," he said. "I had a good number today and laid up with a nine iron.

"I probably had a two iron to the front of the green. In hindsight, with that pin being on the left side, anywhere on the right I probably had a chance to get up and down.

“I thought get it within 100 yards and take my chances from there and just didn't hit a great third shot and left myself in a difficult position."

American Colt Knost was a shot ahead of McIlroy after earlier also missing out on the course record, the world number 184 shooting 63 after three-putting the 18th from 40 feet.

Knost, who carded 10 birdies in 15 holes from the third, admitted nerves had contributed to missing his par putt on the 18th from four feet.

He said: "I hit a pretty good putt to be honest and it just lipped out on me.

"It was cool to be in the mix and knowing I could do something that no-one else has done but we have two more days to do that."

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James Hahn Holds Up Wells Fargo

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James Hahn emerged from a slump to win the Wells Fargo Championship in a play-off against his fellow American Roberto Castro in North Carolina.

The South Korean-born Hahn made par on the first extra hole, the par-four 18th, sinking a four-foot putt to edge Castro at Quail Hollow in Charlotte. Castro made Hahn’s task considerably easier by pulling his drive into the creek left of the fairway.

Hahn, 34, who had missed eight consecutive cuts, recorded a closing 70 for a nine-under-par 279. He missed a six-foot putt at the 72nd hole that would have won it in regulation but made amends in the play-off to claim his second PGA Tour victory.

Hahn and Castro (71) finished one shot in front of Justin Rose while the Americans Phil Mickelson and Andrew Loupe, the third-round leader Rick Fowler and the defending champion, Rory McIlroy, were two strokes back.

McIlroy, who shot a final-round 66, has dominated the Quail Hollow tournament since 2010, with two wins and three other top-10 finishes.

The highlight of the Northern Irishman’s victory last year was a course-record 61 in the final round and he again impressed on Sunday with eight birdies. However, bogeys at the first and last undid his good work.

Bogeys at the 12th and 16th proving Rose’s undoing after three birdies. The Englishman tweeted: “Tough final day at the office, but many positives to take from this week.”

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Good PGA Day for Jason

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Jason Day was a model of composure under pressure as he held off history-chasing Jordan Spieth to clinch his first major title at the 97th PGA Championship.

The Australian got off to a hot start and held his nerve down the stretch to card a closing five-under 67 and seal an impressive three-shot win over Spieth, who at least had the consolation of replacing Rory McIlroy at the top of the world rankings.

Day led by two overnight, and he stole a march on Spieth with a birdie at the second before the young Texan hit back at the next only to make his first mistake of the round at the fourth to hand back the initiative.

The pair then matched each other's birdies at the next two holes, and Day made it three in a row when he drained a monster 50-foot putt for a thrilling two at the par-three seventh.

A poor drive into sand cost Day a shot at the eighth, but Spieth bogeyed the ninth while Justin Rose moved into contention with back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 that lifted him to within two shots of the lead.

But Rose's challenge effectively ended when he double-bogeyed the 13th, while Branden Grace ran up a costly six at the 10th which put paid to his chances after he stormed into the mix with four birdies in five holes on the front nine.

Spieth's birdie at 10 was negated when Day replied in kind at the long 11th, and the nine-time major runner-up closed the door again with a superb approach to 10 feet from a fairway bunker at the 14th to set up a birdie after Spieth had holed from 12 feet on the previous hole.

Four ahead with four to play, Day offered a glimmer of hope when he failed to get up and down from greenside rough at the 15th, but two mighty blows to the 16th set up an easy two-putt for birdie after Spieth had splashed out to three feet from an awkward lie in the sand.

Day safely two-putted from distance to match Spieth's par at 17 and he closed out a memorable victory with a cast-iron par at the last to post a winning score of 20 under par.

After winning the Masters and US Open, Spieth had to settle for fourth at the Open Championship and his runner-up finish at Whistling Straits completed the best set of performances in the majors in one year since Tiger Woods' historic season in 2000.

Grace won the race for third when he converted a superb tee-shot to six feet at the 17th and parred the last for a 69 that saw him finish on 15 under, one ahead of Rose after the Englishman bogeyed the last to hand in a 70.

Brooks Koepka soared into the top five with a riveting 66 featuring six birdies and an eagle, the American finishing in a tie for fifth with Anirban Lahiri, who finished off a career-defining tournament with a commendable 68 to close on 13 under.

Dustin Johnson put together one of the more amazing rounds in major history, recovering from a horrible quadruple-bogey eight at the first to salvage a 69 which included two eagles in a sensational back-nine 31.

Defending champion McIlroy, playing his first event since the US Open after suffering ankle ligament damage, had to be content with 17th place on nine under after carding a solid four-birdie 69.

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Rory McIlroy is Back

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Rory McIlroy has confirmed he will defend his US PGA Championship this week and says his ankle is "100 per cent" ready.

The world No 1 has declared himself fully fit and will tee-up at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin having not played a competitive round since June 21.

The 26-year-old has been sidelined since rupturing ligaments in his left ankle while playing football with friends in early July.

Subsequently, McIlroy was forced to sidestep the Scottish Open, the 144th Open and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, but after playing a practice round at Whistling Straits on Saturday says he is ready for his title defence.

He said: "To play golf my ankle's 100 per cent. To go back on a soccer pitch, it wouldn't be quite ready. But to do what I need to do this week, it's 100 per cent.

"It actually feels better when I go at it as hard as I want because my left foot sort of spins out of the way whenever I hit the driver anyway.

"If my left foot was to stay completely flat, like roll on to the left side like a lot of guys do, then it would obviously create a few problems.

“Because mine sort of spins out of the way, it takes a lot of pressure off it."

Since the injury, McIlroy has spent time in Portugal and he hopes he will be competitive enough to force his way into contention on Sunday afternoon.

Earlier this year he took seven weeks off before returning to action to finish second in the Desert Swing.

He added: "I think it's just the competitiveness of feeling what it's like to play a tournament.

"It's OK coming back to play Abu Dhabi as your first week back, but playing a major, it's a bit different.

"Just that sharpness and competitive edge, that's the thing you really hope is there when you come back."

And if McIlroy requires reassurances, then he needs to remember the achievement of Tiger Woods in 2008 when the American won the US Open at Torrey Pines having not teed-up since the Masters two months earlier.

McIlroy also admitted he was able to practice his short game while wearing a protective boot on his injured ankle. He told the Daily Mail: "I've been chipping and putting basically since it happened, with my protective boot on.

"I did think about coming back last week at the Bridgestone but Steve (McGregor, his fitness coach) held me back.

“He thought it important for me to basically play a tournament behind closed doors and after I completed that successfully, it felt the right time to come."

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USA Take Lead in Dublin

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The Americans survived a late rally Thursday and put the International team in a familiar hole at the Presidents Cup.

Steve Stricker blasted out of a plugged lie in the face of a bunker to 3 feet to save par as he and 20-year-old Jordan Spieth hung on for a 1-up win in the final match on the course at Muirfield Village. That win gave the Americans a 3½-2½ lead, the fourth straight time they have led after the opening session in the Presidents Cup.

Former president George W. Bush was on the first tee -- not the greatest omen because he also met with the Americans at Medinah before they coughed up the Ryder Cup -- and Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel made light of their bad haircuts by wearing wigs onto the tee.

Assistant captain Davis Love III found a pet squirrel small enough to fit into his pocket, and Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn gave Tiger Woods a brief scare when she put the squirrel on his back.

After all that, the Internationals have never been so happy to be trailing.

The Americans led in every match early in the session and were ahead in five of them when thunderstorms and a few bursts of rain stopped play for 1½ hours. None of the matches had gone more than 10 holes, though the delay at least gave the International team a sense of starting over.

"The break did us really good," Oosthuizen said. "We came back out, felt refreshed and just played well."

Jason Day and Graham DeLaet rallied from 3 down to Hunter Mahan and Brandt Snedeker, winning on the 18th hole when Day made a 20-foot birdie putt. In the best match of the day, Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama battled from 2 down to Bill Haas and Webb Simpsonwith five holes to play to earn a halve when the 21-year-old Japanese star hit his approach to 2 feet for birdie on the last hole.

Oosthuizen and Schwartzel gave Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson their first loss. The South Africans, best of friends since junior golf, took their first lead on the 11th hole and didn't lose another hole until they had a 2-and-1 win.

The Internationals looked as if they might even pull even at the end of the day. Ernie Els made his first birdie of the round at just the right time, a 12-foot putt on the 17th hole that extended their match with Stricker and Spieth.

Spieth, who overcame a nervous start with several big putts, pulled his tee shot into the water on the 18th. Stricker's approach plugged into the bunker. Brendon De Jonge had a birdie chance from 18 feet, and it looked for a moment like even a par might win the hole and end the match in a halve. Stricker popped it out of the sand and watched it trickle to 3 feet as he lightly pumped his fist. De Jonge's putt missed and the Americans had the lead.

The Presidents Cup began with fourballs for the first time since 1996, which should have favored the Internationals. Instead, the Americans won their first fourballs session in 10 years, dating to the second day in South Africa.

Still, this was a moral victory for the International team.

"What we showed today was plenty of heart," Scott said. He said that a one-point deficit was not a problem. "We can make that up with the first match tomorrow."

Muirfield Village was set up for birdies, and there were plenty of them. Ten of the 12 teams were at least 8-under par in their rounds.

The exceptions were Angel Cabrera and Marc Leishman, who were only 3 under in the shortest match of the day. They lost, 5 and 4, to Woods and Matt Kuchar. The Americans used a handshake from "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," and they used it a lot.

"That was definitely all me," Kuchar said. "That stems from `Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.' I figured this guy was the perfect Carlton."

Woods turned out to be a decent partner, too. Kuchar was his 19th partner in the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, and it was a solid debut. Kuchar won at Muirfield Village in June, while Woods is a five-time Memorial champion.

"We both have the low stroke averages in this tournament's history," Woods said. "Put us together and we feel very comfortable how to play this golf course."

Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson in the anchor match were 3 up through three holes and never looked back. Branden Grace and Richard Sterne, the only all-rookie team for the International side, were 2 down after 10 and never got any closer. The match ended on the 15th hole.

Mickelson and Bradley were 3-0 as partners in the Ryder Cup last year and had a 2-up lead through seven holes on Bradley's eagle. They didn't win another hole the rest of the way, however.

"I had good rhythm early on and when we went back out (after the delay), I was just a little bit tight and didn't make very good swings," Mickelson said.

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Humble 66 Gives Louis Lead

Louis Oosthuizen took a moment at Redstone on Saturday to take in the view of the golf course backlit by the setting sun.

The 29-year-old South African shot his second straight 6-under 66 to reach 17 under and take a two-shot lead over Hunter Mahan after the third round of the Shell Houston Open.

Carl Pettersson (67) and Brian Davis (69) were three strokes back at 14 under.James Driscoll (71) was alone at 12 under. Defending champion Phil Mickelson (70), Keegan Bradley (69) and Ryan Palmer (66) were 11 under.

"It's a great leaderboard behind me," Oosthuizen said. "It's going to be tough, but I feel like I'm ready for it."

Oosthuizen shook off two early bogeys on a sunny, windy afternoon at Redstone. He reeled off four straight birdies on the back nine, and in the midst of his streak, Oosthuizen enjoyed some of the natural scenery.

"It was such a beautiful back nine, really, with the weather and the sun dropping," Oosthuizen said. "Such a nice place out there, which was good, and (I) just felt when we turned on 15, I was playing down the sun and the course looked spectacular."

Mahan had a 65, which included four birdie putts of at least 23 feet. He sank a 23-footer on No. 5, a 34-footer on No. 6, and 28-footers on Nos. 10 and 14.

"That was a nice stretch there," Mahan said. "It easily could've gone through there even, instead of a couple under like I did."

Mahan doesn't feel quite as locked in as he did when he won the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship earlier this year, but he still feels confident heading to next week's Masters. But Mahan has three top-10 finishes in Houston since 2007, and never considered bypassing this week's event to get to Augusta early.

"I thought about it for about a second," Mahan said. "But this is a place I've played well at, so I want to play well here and try to win here. I really didn't want to pass this tournament up. Augusta will take care of itself."

Three-time major champion Ernie Els, who must win to qualify for the Masters next week, was in a group at 8 under. Els hasn't missed the Masters since 1993 and knew that his chances of winning Sunday are remote.

"I needed to get to 10 or 11 under to really have a shot," Els said. "I need a 62 or 63. It's tough to do on a Sunday, but you might as well give it a go."

The tournament's schedule was pushed back by a thunderstorm Thursday, and 70 players resumed their second rounds Saturday morning.

Oosthuizen completed a 66 to move to 11 under, one behind second-round leader Jeff Maggert. Oosthuizen started his third round with a tee shot into a fairway bunker, leading to a bogey, then misjudged the wind off the tee on No. 2 and bogeyed again.

The 2010 British Open winner sank an 11-foot birdie putt on No. 6 to get rolling, then made birdies at Nos. 8 and 9 to make the turn at 12 under.

"After that, I felt really comfortable," Oosthuizen said. "I made really good swings after that."

Ninety players made the 36-hole cut at 2 under or better. It was the most players to survive the 36-hole cut in a non-major since 91 made it at the 1981 Travelers Championship.

Another cut was made after the third round, leaving 70 players in the field for Sunday.

Mickelson shot a 65 in the final round last year to win by three strokes, and he the course is ripe for someone to go very low again this year.

"I'll be going after it, really firing at pins and putting aggressively and having them go in at a little more pace," Mickelson said. "I think there's a really hot round out there."

Maggert missed five straight cuts coming into this week. Playing in calm, cloudy conditions on Saturday morning, Maggert finished his second straight 66 to surge to 12 under. He faded to a 76 in the afternoon to drop to 8 under.

Fred Couples, who played at the University of Houston and won on the Champions Tour last week, made the 36-hole cut in Houston for the 19th consecutive time. He shot a 71 in the third round and was 5 under.

Former President George H.W. Bush and wife Barbara were in the gallery in the afternoon, traveling between holes on a golf cart. The Bushes live in Houston and frequently attend sporting events around the city.

Louis Retains Africa Open

Louis Oosthuizen retained his Africa Open title in East London, beating fellow South African Tjaart van der Walt by two strokes in a field dominated by home players.

Oosthuizen had shared the overnight lead with rival Van der Walt.

But the 2010 Open champion made sure of victory when he birdied the 17th, as Van der Walt could only make bogey.

Scotland's Alastair Forsyth was the top non-South African, finishing in fifth place, five shots off the lead.

Another home favourite, double US Open champion Retief Goosen, finished third. He won the Africa Open in 2009.

It was a more comfortable victory for Oosthuizen than the 2011 event, which he won after a three-way play-off.

"The 17th was playing really tough today with the wind blowing off the right," Oosthuizen said.

"When Tjaart hit it short I aimed for the middle of the green. I had been leaving my putts short all day but I hit it firmly and it rolled really nicely."

AFRICA OPEN CHAMPIONS

2012 - Louis Oosthuizen

2011 - Louis Oosthuizen

2010 - Charl Schwartzel

2009 - Retief Goosen

2008 - Shaun Norris

That Dreaded Moment - The Open

2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen (R) of South Africa returns the Claret Jug to Peter Dawson, chief executive of The R&A during the first practice round during The Open Championship, at Royal St. George's on July 11, 2011 in Sandwich, England. The 140th Open begins on July 14, 2011. (July 10, 2011 - Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images Europe)