A birdie binge gives Kim share of the lead

Anthony Kim made nine birdies and an eagle in 21 holes Saturday to gain a share of the Canadian Open lead with Chez Reavie during the suspended third round at rain-softened Glen Abbey in Oakville.

Kim, tied for 26th at four under par through 15 holes when second-round play was suspended Friday night, went birdie-birdie-eagle Saturday morning for a two-under 69, then added a bogey-free 64 in the third round to match Reavie at 15 under.

Reavie was two under through 16 holes when darkness ended play on a course saturated by more than eight inches of rain in a week.

Kim’s morning finish gave him a seven-under 29 on the back nine after he’d played the front nine Friday in five-over 40. He birdied the par-five 18th in fading light to tie Reavie.

“I was just trying to take it one shot at a time and chip away at that 40,” said Kim, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year who is coming off a seventh-place tie in the British Open. “My swing’s coming back. I feel comfortable out there.”

Scott McCarron had a 63, the best round of the week, to get to 12 under. Steve Marino (67) also was 12 under, and Billy Mayfair (68) followed at 11 under. Canadian star Mike Weir birdied four of the last five holes for a 68 to join to Mark Calcavecchia (67), Sean O’Hair (67) and Nicolas Thompson (70) at 10 under. Two-time defending champion Jim Furyk was eight under after a 67.

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John Cook took a one-stroke lead, shooting a four-under 67 to capitalize on the mid-round collapse of fellow American Bruce Vaughan in the Senior British Open at Royal Troon in Scotland.

Vaughan birdied the par-three eighth to take a three-shot lead at seven under but then bogeyed four in a row, and Cook rolled in a four-foot birdie putt at 13 for a two-stroke lead.

Cook, 50, runner-up to Nick Faldo in the British Open at Muirfield 16 years ago, goes into today’s final round at six-under 207, leading Vaughan by one shot as he chases his first major title on the Senior tour.

Vaughan came back with a birdie at No. 18 for a 69 and was one stroke ahead of Eduardo Romero, who had a 68. Tom Watson and Bernhard Langer both shot 71 and were another three shots back. Greg Norman, who had a bogey-free 67, was tied for sixth at one-over 214.

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Angela Park birdied the final three holes for a four-under 68 to keep a one-shot lead after the third round of the Evian Masters at Evian-les-Bains, France.

The 19-year-old Park, who has Brazilian and American citizenship, had a total of 14-under 202. Taiwan-born Candie Kung, who also has U.S. citizenship, was one shot back after a 67.

Juli Inkster of the United States, the 2003 champion, was third at 11 under after a 69, her third straight sub-70 round. Sweden’s Helen Alfredsson, who trailed Park by one stroke after a course-record 63 Friday, was four shots back in fourth after a 71.

Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa had a 70 and was one of four players tied for seventh place, six shots behind Park.