Help Centre

Adam Scott has crashed in the third round of the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament at Sheshan in China.

The Australian, who'd been in three-way tie for third and two shots off the lead at Friday's halfway mark, slumped on Saturday to a three-over-par 75 to be six under overall but nine strokes adrift of new leader Rory McIlroy.

Scott was two shots out of the lead until a double bogey on the par-5 eighth, and bogeys on the ninth and 11th holes. He never recovered and hit into the water on the 18th, getting up-and-down to save par for a 75.

Of the other Australians, Scott Hend is next best at two under after a third-round 70, Matthew Millar (74) is even and Cameron Smith followed Scott in slumping to a 74 and also even-par.

McIlroy earned a one-stroke lead over South African Louis Oosthuizen as the cream rose to the top in round three.

The Northern Irishman put on a driving clinic for most of the day, his accuracy and prodigious length off the tee an impressive sight at Sheshan International.

He carded a bogey-free five-under 67 that could have been considerably better had his putter been hotter, but he was still good enough to move within striking distance of his fourth victory of the year.

A precise wedge for a tap-in birdie at the par-5 18th allowed McIlroy to inch ahead of Oosthuizen at 15-under 201.

"I think if I can go out tomorrow and play similar to how I did today, I should have a good chance to win," McIlroy said.

"I probably played the best today that I've played all week. I drove the ball well, hitting my irons pretty good for the most part. I feel like I didn't quite get as much out of the round as I could have but I'm not going to complain.

"I'm in the lead going into tomorrow so I just need to rest up and try to get out there and play another good, solid round."

Oosthuizen threw down the gauntlet with birdies at the first five holes en route to a 65, the day's best score in ideal conditions.

Oosthuizen, a runaway winner of the 2010 British Open and a playoff loser at the 2015 Open and 2012 Masters, was typically understated about his barnstorming performance.

"Sixty-five on Saturday is always nice," said the easy-going 37-year old.

"Played lovely, made nine birdies, so I'm rolling the ball decent on the greens.

"Winning a world event would be a big achievement. I need to just go out and play some good golf."

But it was not a two-horse race, with American defending champion Xander Schauffele and English halfway leader Matthew Fitzpatrick lurking two shots from the lead.

Schauffele made his move with birdies at the final three holes for a 68, while Fitzpatrick fired a 70.

Home favourite Li Haotong gave his large gallery plenty to cheer about early with five birdies in the first six holes in a bold quest to challenge for the first Chinese victory at a World Golf Championships event.

But he came undone with an error-strewn stretch that included triple-bogey at the par-4 13th, where he knifed a bunker shot over the green into a hazard.

He shot 74 and fell nine shots behind.

AP/AAP

Brendon Todd has birdied his last four holes for an 8-under 63 and a share of the lead with Harry Higgs and Scottie Scheffler after the second round of the PGA Tour's inaugural Bermuda Championship.

Todd finished on the front nine at hilly Port Royal Golf Club, also birdieing 2 and 4, while Higgs shot a 65, closing with a birdie on the par-4 18th. Scheffler, the first-round leader after a 62, had a 69.

They sit at 11-under 131.

Australia's John Senden, who was sixth and three shots off the pace going into the 2nd round, dropped 10 spots with an even-par 71.

"It's one of the shorter ones we play on the tour and it forces everybody to hit the ball with the same clubs off the tee," Todd said.

"The good thing about that for me is, I'm hitting the same clubs into the greens as everybody else and for some reason that tends to work out well in my favour.

"So, the course is good for me, for my game, and I've been swinging well."

Todd won the 2014 HP Byron Nelson Championship for his lone PGA Tour title and regained his tour card in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals while Higgs and Scheffler each won last season on the Korn Ferry Tour.

"I didn't have my best stuff today," Scheffler said.

"I didn't really. My swing didn't feel too good, didn't really make a lot of putts but still shot 2 under. Hung in there pretty well and posted a decent number, so in good position going into the weekend."

Higgs is the only player without a bogey the first two days.

"I've had a good progression from Latin America to a good year on the Korn Ferry Tour and now it's just kind of seeing how my game stacks up," he said.

"I've had good enough results to where I think it certainly does."

Aaron Wise (65), Boo Weekley (66) and Wes Roach (69) were a stroke back.

Adam Scott has stayed in contention at the WGC HSBC Champions with a second-round 69, leaving the Australian just two shots off the lead at the halfway point in Shanghai.

Scott, who fired an opening 66, finished the second day tied for third place, two shots behind English leader Matthew Fitzpatrick, who is 11 under par at the prestigious event in China.

American defending champion Xander Schauffele and South Korea's Sung-jae Im are sharing third with Scott on nine under, a shot clear of local hero Li Haotong and Frenchman Victor Perez.

World No.2 Rory McIlroy closed with an eagle to finish the second round one shot behind Fitzpatrick.

McIlroy produced the shot of the day at the 538-yard par-five 18th, rolling his second shot to within three feet of the hole before sinking his putt for a second successive five-under round of 67.

The Northern Irishman strung together four straight birdies from the third hole and sank another at the 13th, but bogeys at the ninth and 16th left him one stroke adrift of Fitzpatrick.

England's Fitzpatrick followed up his opening-round 66 with a bogey-free five-under 67, sinking birdies at the third, 12th, 13th, 17th and 18th to stay ahead of the field.

China's overnight leader Haotong Li, who carded a 64 on the first day, finished his second round on level par and dropped to sixth place alongside France's Victor Perez.

England's Paul Waring swept up the leaderboard, climbing 46 places for a share of ninth place with Austria's Matthias Schwab after a seven-under par 65, which included five birdies and an eagle at the 18th.

American pair Bubba Watson and Kevin Kisner are tied for 11th, one shot further back after rounds of 69 and 67 respectively, while Justin Rose sits among them after a two-under round of 70.

Defending champion Nelly Korda shot a seven-under 65 to take a three-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the LPGA Swinging Skirts in Taiwan.

Korda, who started the third round one stroke back of overnight leader Mi Jung Hur, carded seven birdies at the par-72 Miramar Golf Country Club to finish at 18-under 198, three strokes ahead of Minjee Lee, who shot a 67.

Lee briefly moved into a tie with Korda after back-to-back birdies on the 11th and 12th. But Korda quickly regained the lead with a birdie of her own on the par-five 12th.

Caroline Masson shot 66 and was in third place, four strokes behind.

Jin Young Ko, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, withdrew during the third round. She was two over after 10 holes and five-over on the tournament. No immediate reason was given for her withdrawal.

Mi Jung Hur, who is looking for her third victory this season, shot a 71 and was in fourth place at 13-under 203.

Australian Sue Oh was the only other Australian in the top 40, sitting in a share of sixth at 11-under after shooting a modest two under on Saturday.

Brooke Henderson, who shot a 64 on Friday, had five birdies against a pair of bogeys and a double bogey for a 71 that left her at 10-under 206.

Azahara Munoz was tied with Henderson in ninth place after a 64 that included seven birdies, an eagle and a bogey.

Adam Scott is in a three-way tie for third, two shots behind leader Matt Fitzpatrick, at the halfway mark of the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai.

The Australian shot a three-under-par 69 on Friday after his opening-round 66 to be nine under overall with Sungjae Im of South Korea and American defending champion Xander Schauffele, who was still struggling with flu.

World No.27 Fitzpatrick of England closed with two-straight birdies for a five-under 67 and a one-shot lead over Rory McIlroy at Sheshan International.

In hot pursuit, McIlroy reeled off four-successive early birdies before his putter cooled off, although he had no trouble brushing in a three-foot eagle putt at the par-5 18th after a magnificent approach shot.

The Northern Irishman had his own problems on the 16th, having to hit three shots when the first one sailed into the trees. He scraped out a bogey and finished with a five iron to three feet at the 18th for eagle and a 67.

"I tried to hit the same shot as yesterday, but the wind was more off the left," McIlroy said. "I knew I had to caress one a little bit and I caressed it dead left - made a good five."

Fitzpatrick had a nasty lie in the rough just behind the 16th green and tried to stab it with the putter, only for the ball to pop straight up and roll some 35 feet away. He holed that for a par to keep a clean card.

"The putter had gone through and the ball was still there," said Fitzpatrick who was at 11-under 133.

"It's a big key to hitting fairways around here and, if you can keep doing it, you'll give yourself more chances," he said, having dropped only one shot through 36 holes.

Li Haotong of China lost ground with a 72, but remained in the mix three shots behind.

Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson all sit at four under, while Jordan Spieth is one under the card with Australian Jake McLeod.

Fellow Australians Cameron Smith (70, 72) and Matthew Millar (69, 73) are two under, with Scott Hend at even par.

Reuters/AAP

Local favourite Li Haotong returned to form and rode a wave of home support to grab the first-round lead at the WGC Champions tournament in Shanghai on Thursday.

Li, one of seven Chinese players in the field, carded an eight-under-par 64, capping off his day by sinking a 12-foot par-saving putt at his final hole as the gallery roared in approval at Sheshan International.

He holds a one-shot advantage over Frenchman Victor Perez, while American defending champion Xander Schauffele and Australian Adam Scott are in a group two behind in the World Golf Championships event.

Scott said the course was demanding, despite the glut of low scores.

"It plays tough if you're not in the fairway," he said.

"The rough is really nasty this year and it's firmer than I remember it."

Scott finished off his round with a bogey but it could have been worse after his approach shot from a fairway bunker drifted into a pond right of the green.

After taking a penalty stroke, he hit a deft pitch that trickled down to tap-in distance.

One of the best drivers of the ball on Tour throughout his career, Scott has struggled with his swing of late but sounds happier now that he has switched to a new driver and widened his stance.

"I just haven't had any good feelings of where the golf club is in the downswing and that's never a nice thing," he said.

"I've been trying to trust it as best I can. I finally found it last week, though my scoring didn't indicate it. Everything's looking good."

Rory McIlroy recovered from a bogey at his first hole to shoot 67, while South African Louis Oosthuizen had a hole-in-one from 197 yards at the sixth on the way to a 68.

Li, twice a winner on the European Tour, has been ranked as high as 32nd in the world but is currently outside the top 50 after a disappointing year.

He is coming off two straight missed cuts and was as surprised as anyone with Thursday's score.

"In my previous tournament I wasn't really playing that well (so) I never expected today, that I (would have) such a great round," the Tour's website quoted him as saying.

World No.2 Rory McIlroy said he is motivated to get back into the winner's circle at this week's WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai to further his quest to reclaim golf's top ranking.

After securing a tied-third finish at the Zozo Championship in Japan last week, McIlroy will return to action on Thursday at Sheshan International Golf Club, playing alongside American Xander Schauffele and England's Justin Rose for the opening two rounds.

Australia will be well represented at the prestigious event - dubbed Asia's major - with world No.16 Adam Scott, Cameron Smith, Scott Hend, Matthew Millar, Jake McLeod and Daniel Nesbitt all teeing off on Thursday.

With world No.1 Brooks Koepka out of action with a knee strain, McIlroy knows a fourth title triumph of the year on Sunday could help him lay down a marker for next year.

"I want to get as many world ranking points as I possibly can and try to close that gap on the number one," McIlroy, who has spent 95 weeks of his career ranked as the world's best, told reporters on Wednesday.

"I started this year maybe eighth or ninth in the world. If I play well the next few weeks, I'll have a great platform going into next year."

McIlroy won his second and latest WGC event in 2015 and since then has had nine top 10 finishes in the tournaments, including a tied-fourth position in Shanghai in 2016.

The WGC (World Golf Championships), four events held annually, are the highest-ranking tournaments in golf behind the four majors and the Players Championship, and they offer comparable prize money.

Australian golfer Min Woo Lee says a blunder has cost him a full card on the European Tour next year.

Lee, the brother of women's world No.9 Minjee Lee, mistakenly believed he had earnt enough points to qualify for a full card.

But, in reality, Lee finished two positions outside of the top 115 golfers who automatically get a full card for next year.

"I missed out on a full card on the European Tour by two spots, probably only a couple of shots over the whole year," the 21-year-old posted on Instagram.

"I thought I had my tour card wrapped up earlier in the year but I was wrong. Which sucks.

"But lesson learnt. Give it your best and every shot does indeed count."

Lee turned professional at the start of the year and a string of solid performances in Europe had him believing he had secured a full card next year.

"You think about a putt or a shot you missed," he wrote.

"I'll have status next year and most likely play more events than I did this year, which is a still a pretty good effort from getting limited starts this year.

"I'll come back stronger and better."

Adam Scott wants to break his frustrating title drought at the World Golf Championships event in China this week, his last chance before returning to play in Australia.

The former world No.1 faced criticism for skipping the Australian summer last year in favour of a rest but has been the country's stand-out performer on the US PGA Tour in 2019.

Top-10 results in nine of his 18 events last season allowed Scott to dethrone Jason Day as Australia's top-ranked male golfer and he also contended heavily in three of the four majors.

However with some lacklustre results recently, Scott's winless streak stretches back to March 2016.

The Queenslander sees a good chance to fix that in the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai starting Thursday, before December appearances at the Australian Open and Presidents Cup.

"These events in Asia are big events with short fields, so they're good opportunities to win," he said of the 78-player WGC.

Scott sits 16th on the world rankings and form suggests he will break back into the top-10 next year, although that is not a priority for the 2013 Masters champion.

"My focus is more on winning at this point in my career; to know you can win, close a tournament out and have your name forever on a trophy would mean a lot."

Cameron Smith will also tee up in China, fresh off a tie for third at the recent US PGA Tour-sanctioned event in Korea.

Long-time coach Grant Field is confident of another hot result after his pupil returned to Brisbane between the Asia swing events.

He delighted junior members of Queensland's state team by conducting a clinic in addition to long practice sessions with Field.

"I think coming home last week was really good for Cam," Field said.

"He gets a big kick out of giving back to the juniors and after spending some time working with me, as well as seeing his mates, there's no reason why he can't play well in China."

China is also Smith's last event before returning to Australia, where he will make his Presidents Cup debut.

He will also play the Australian Open and attempt to win a third consecutive Australian PGA Championship.

"Playing well in Australia is a huge thing for Cam, it means a lot to him and he wants him to bring his best stuff," Field said.

Rounding out the Australian contingent in China are Jake McLeod, Matthew Millar and Daniel Nisbet, who all qualified from the Australasian tour moneylist, as well Scott Hend (via the Asian Tour).

Tiger Woods' victory at the Zozo Championship on Monday made all but certain his appearance in Australia in one global golf event and boosted his chances of competing in another.

Woods will captain the American side at December's Presidents Cup in Melbourne, and even before winning at Narashino Country Club had been widely expected to choose himself as one of his four captain's picks to join the eight automatic qualifiers on the team.

"I think certainly as a player I got the captain's attention," he joked after matching Sam Snead's record of 82 career victories on the PGA Tour.

Woods has one more week to assess the form of potential choices, and will watch from afar as some of them have a final audition at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions tournament starting in Shanghai on Thursday.

He sat out the 2017 Presidents Cup while rehabilitating after spinal surgery that he had undergone five months earlier.

But he was on the American team on the two previous occasions the Presidents Cup was held at Royal Melbourne, in 1998 and 2011.

While the Presidents Cup is just around the corner, next year's Olympic Games golf in Tokyo also looms large.

Only the top four American players in the world rankings will qualify, so Woods' place is far from assured, given the depth of talent in the American ranks.

He vaulted from 10th to sixth in the world with his win on Monday, but is still only the fourth-ranked American behind Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas.

He can ill afford to have another quiet patch like his mediocre form in the four months after his Masters victory this year.

"Hopefully I can play a little better than I did post-Masters this year and qualify for the team," he said.