Meadow and Harrington off to fast starts
STEPHANIE MEADOW was beaming at her fiancé after she fired five birdies in a four-under 68 to lie just a shot off the lead in the Kia Classic in California.
The Jordanstown star (29) got engaged to Kyle Kallan last year, but they have also teamed up on the course as a player-caddie duo.
"It's been really nice," said Meadow, who started birdie-bogey before following a hat-trick of birdies from the sixth with another at the 14th to share second with England's Mel Reid just a shot behind South Korea's Hyo Joo Kim.
"So far, it's been a great team, and I'm just enjoying having someone really have my back. Obviously, normal caddies do, too, but he's got a little more skin in the game, I guess."
Slieve Russell's Leona Maguire also started solidly, picking up two back-nine birdies to post a level par 72.
Pádraig Harrington, meanwhile, produced a blistering back nine to scorch into contention for the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in the Dominican Republic.
The European Ryder Cup captain (49) was at his scrambling best, putting a one-over front nine behind him by racking up four birdies in a homeward 32 for a 69.
His three-under round left him tied 10th, just three shots behind Germany's Stephan Jaeger on at breezy Corales Golf Club.
The Munich native (31) fired a six-under 66 featuring an ace at the par-three second for a one-stroke lead over Joel Dahmen with Graeme McDowell tied 19th after a 70 and Seamus Power tied 59th after a 72.
At the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Players Championship winner Justin Thomas was eliminated when he lost 2&1 to Kevin Kisner at Austin Country Club.
In a battle of former champions, holder Kisner will now face Matt Kuchar, a 1-up winner over Louis Oosthuizen, in a repeat of the 2019 final to decide the group.
Jordan Spieth had a foot in the last 16 only to lose his last two holes and halve with Matthew Wolff.
The Texan will still progress if he beats Canada's Corey Conners today and Wolff fails to get past Matthew Fitzpatrick, who beat Conners 5&4 for his first point.
On the European Tour, Jonathan Caldwell is looking for a fast finish and his first cheque of the year in the Kenya Savannah Classic despite dropping two shots in his last four holes to trail Justin Harding by seven strokes heading into the final round.
The Clandeboye man (36) was within striking distance of the leaders heading down the stretch as he followed a birdie at the first and a bogey at the fourth with birdies at the sixth, seventh and 12th.
But while he bogeyed the 15th and dropped another shot at the 18th to card a one-under 70 that left him tied 27th on 10-under par, he's upbeat about posting a decent finish.
"The strategy tomorrow will be the same as it has been for the last three days, which is to put it in play and onto the small greens, and hopefully I can get the putter to warm up a little bit tomorrow and make a lot of birdies," said Caldwell, who just four shots behind the six-strong group tied for second.
Cormac Sharvin was tied for 54th on six-under after a one-under 70 as Harding (35) carded a five-under 66 to lead by three shots on 17-under par.
After winning the Magical Kenya Open on Sunday, the South African is trying to win back-to-back for the third time in his career, achieving the feat on both the Sunshine Tour and the Asian Tour in 2018.
