Chris Wood, who burst on to the scene with top-five finishes at the 2008 and 2009 British Opens, was in pole position to seize his maiden victory after the PGA Championship third round Saturday. The tall, mop-haired Briton rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt at the 16th before playing a delicate greenside bunker shot to within inches of the cup at the last to save his par and record a 67 for 205, eight-under-par. That left Wood, 22, two ahead of countryman Danny Willett (70) and Swede Robert Karlsson, who after flying home to Monaco Friday believing he had missed the cut, fired a course record 62 having rushed back in time for his 0855 teeoff at Wentworth. Wood, who started his round much later in the day, described Karlsson's performance as “pretty awesome”. Wood played alongside Padraig Harrington and said it was a big help to partner the triple major winner. Wood said he was keen to achieve his breakthrough victory in his second full year on the tour. Asked if he would cut his long, blond hair if he landed the first prize of 750,000 euros ($937,800) Sunday, Wood laughed: “No, the girls love it.” Karlsson managed only three hours sleep inbetween his long round trip but proved he was wide awake, racking up nine birdies in a flawless effort to establish the lowest round in the PGA Championship, dating back to 1955. “It was quite funny at breakfast because (Dane) Soren Hansen said, ‘This trip has a 63 or something written all over it',” said the 2008 European No. 1. Briton Luke Donald, the overnight leader, carded a 72 as he finished in fourth place on 208, two ahead of a cluster of players including Harrington and holder Paul Casey. South African Ernie Els, who redesigned the new-look West Course, wrecked his title hopes by slumping to a 76 for 215. Shin eliminates Wie Top-ranked Jiyai Shin knocked out Michelle Wie in the Sybase Match Play Championship quarterfinals 2 and 1 on another hot, humid day at hilly Hamilton Farm in New Jersey Saturday. Shin will play South Korean compatriot Sun Young-yoo, a 2-and-1 winner over fourth-seeded Yani Tseng of Taiwan, in the semifinals Sunday. In the other quarterfinals, 10th-seeded Angela Stanford of the United States beat Catriona Matthew of Scotland 5 and 3, and No. 30 Amy Yang edged Haeji Kang 1-up in an all-South Korean duel. In the morning third-round matches, Shin beat Beatriz Recari 4 and 3, and Wie overcame shaky ballstriking to top Karine Icher 3 and 2. The 22-year-old Shin is chasing her first US LPGA Tour title of the year after winning six times in the last two seasons. She also has 23 international victories. Day remains in hunt In Texas, first round co-leader Jason Day, of Australia, remained in the hunt after shooting a five-under 65 Friday in the second round of the PGA Byron Nelson Championship. The 22-year-old from Beaudesert, Queensland, is alone in second place at nine under 131 and is one shot adrift of leaders Cameron Beckman and Blake Adams. Beckman rallied Friday morning in the finish of his delayed opening round with a pair of birdies for a 69, then tied the Four Seasons course record with a 61 in the second round later that day. He's at 10-under 130, and level with PGA Tour rookie Blake Adams. The remainder of the leaderboard includes a mix of youth and experience. Aussie veteran Steve Elkington, 47, and 16-year-old Jordan Spieth of the USA are also up there.
