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Storm halts Kuchar’s good start at Colonial

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Matt Kuchar finished a long Saturday at Colonial exhausted and still a stroke in front.

“This morning feels like a day ago,” Kuchar said. “It’s hard to believe it’s the same day.”

After making a 12-foot birdie putt at the par-3 16th hole, the same place where his day began at 7:13 a.m. to finish the suspended second round, Kuchar had two nifty par-savers to finish a 1-under 69 in the third round. He was at 11-under 199, one ahead of Graham DeLaet, Boo Weekley, Chris Stroud and Matt Every.

When the second round was suspended Friday night because of an approaching storm, Kuchar had just hit his tee shot at the par-3 16th. He resumed there early Saturday with a two-putt from about 40 feet. That was part of three quick pars to keep his one-stroke lead after two rounds, then he played in the final group that finished just after 5 p.m.

Kuchar made his go-ahead stroke in the third round at No. 16 after falling behind by as many as two strokes before his approach shot at the 379-yard 17th landed in a greenside bunker.

He blasted to 13 feet and saved par before hooking his tee shot at No. 18 into the left rough. He found more tall grass near the green with his second shot before pitching inside 3 feet. “To not give away a stroke and maintain a one-shot lead is a good position to be in. Everybody has got to come get me,” Kuchar said. “Not only a bunch of players, but a bunch of good players up there. … I’m looking forward to having the lead and seeing if I can maintain it, and my goal will be to grow the lead.”

Kim leads LPGA event: Mindy Kim birdied her last hole Saturday morning to join the leaders after one strange round of the Bahamas LPGA Classic.

The tournament is being playing over 12 holes for three rounds because of severe flooding at the Ocean Club earlier in the week. Even with a short course, the first round took two days to complete because of a three-hour delay Friday with lightning in the area.

Kim finished off a bogey-free round of 6-under 39 with a birdie on the par-4 eighth, which serves as the closing hole. She joined Heather Bowie Young and Silvia Cavalleri in the lead. They finished the opening round Friday.

Perry leads Senior championship: Kenny Perry had an eagle, five birdies and four bogeys, mixing spectacular shots with stumbles and doing enough of the right things for a 3-under 68 and a two-stroke lead after the third round of the Senior PGA Championship.

Perry is close to an elusive first major championship in a career known more agonizing almosts in the 2008 Masters and 1996 PGA than his 16 total tournament victories and $34 million in winnings. He was at 10 under overall at Bellerive Country Club, which held up fine after a rain delay of more than two hours before the last twosome of Perry and Russ Cochran teed off.

Two-time champion Jay Haas was second after closing with a pair of birdies for a 67. Cochran was three strokes back after rallying for two birdies on the back nine for an even-par 71, and Rod Spittle was four shots back after a 67.

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