GOLF: Ernie Els established the PGA Tour's 54-hole scoring record on Saturday, carding an eight-under-par 65 for a two-shot lead after the third round of the $5 million PGA Mercedes Championships, in Kapalua, Hawaii.
At 25-under 194, Els established the tour's record in relation to par, breaking by a stroke the mark set by John Cook at the 1996 St Jude Classic and matched by Mark Calcavecchia at the 2001 Phoenix Open.
The third-ranked player in the field, Els played the first 16 holes in 10-under before double-bogeying the 17th, where he pulled a three-wood instead of going with a driver.
"But other than that, I basically did everything right," he said. "You know, I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens.
"I had a good day. I had quite a fun day up to 17."
Els would have a cakewalk if it weren't for South Korea's KJ
Choi, who broke the Plantation Course record by a stroke with a bogey-free 11-under 62 that has him on 23-under 196.
Choi is the only player within six shots of Els at the winners-only event. He had five birdies on the front nine and an eagle and four birdies on the back.
"I started out really well today," said Choi, who earned his first two PGA Tour titles last season. "I felt very good coming into the round. As the round progressed, I just felt better and better and more comfortable."
Choi is at Kapalua for the first time and he's making the most of it. "I just feel very confident about my swing," he said.
Choi distanced himself from the rest of the chase group. Retief Goosen of South Africa was third at 18-under 201, a stroke better than Americans Jerry Kelly, Chris Riley and Bob Estes.
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