Ben Martin goes on birdie binge to take PGA event lead in Las Vegas

Ben Martin birdied five straight holes on the back nine Saturday and finished with a nine-under-par 62 to take a two-stroke lead in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Winless in 55 career starts on the PGA Tour, the 27-year-old former Clemson player matched his best score on the tour — set last year in the Zurich Classic — to get to 17-under 196 at TPC Summerlin.

He has the 54-hole lead for the first time on the PGA Tour.

“Just go out tomorrow with the same mindset, head down, and try to keep making birdies,” Martin said.

Martin had four birdies and bogey on the front nine, birdied No. 10 and took the lead with his birdie run on Nos. 13-17.

“I felt it from the first hole (when) I made a 20-footer for birdie,” Martin said. “So I felt confident with my putter and I was getting a lot of looks. I’ve played that stretch of holes well all week, 15 and 16, and that’s really the part of the course that most guys are making their birdies.”

Scotland’s Russell Knox, tied for the second-round lead with Andrew Putnam, was second after a 66.

Jimmy Walker also had a 62 to move into a tie for third with Andrew Svoboda at 13 under. Walker won three times last season and played in the Ryder Cup.

Svoboda had a 67. Defending champion Webb Simpson also had a 67 to join Kevin Streelman (63), Brooks Koepka (64) and Scott Piercy (67) at 12 under.

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Hee-Kyung Bae, who had five back-nine birdies, and Kyu Jung Baek each shot four-under 68 to share the third-round lead in the LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship at Incheon, South Korea.

They were at five-under 211 on Sky72’s Ocean Course for a one-stroke lead over a group of 10, including second-ranked Inbee Park. If Park wins, she could supplant Stacy Lewis at No. 1 in the world.

Michelle Wie was two strokes back after birdieing four of her last five holes for a 67.

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Marcus Fraser birdied four of his last six holes for a five-under 65 and a one-stroke lead in the Hong Kong Open, his first event after an eight-month injury layoff.

Fraser had an 11-under 199 total. Scott Hend was second after a 67. Second-round leader Ernie Els was tied for sixth at eight under after a 71.

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Jay Haas shot a four-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Champions Tour’s Greater Hickory Kia Classic at Conover, N.C.

Haas, the 60-year-old former Wake Forest player who won the event in 2005 and 2009, had a 12-under 130 on Rock Barn Golf and Spa’s Champions Course. He extended his streak of under-par rounds to 22, making five birdies and a lone bogey on No. 17. Haas won the last of his 16 Champions Tour titles in June 2012 in Iowa.

Joe Durant, tied for the first-round lead with Haas at 63, had a 69 to drop into a tie for second with Kirk Triplett and David Frost. Triplett, the winner last week in Cary, had a 66, and Frost shot 65.

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Joost Luiten extended his unbeaten run at the World Match Play Championship by easily defeating Pablo Larrazabal, 6 and 5 to move into the semifinals at Ash, England.

In the other semifinal, Henrik Stenson will take on George Coetzee, who eliminated Patrick Reed, 2 and 1.