DONEGAL, Ireland (AP) South African golfer Erik van Rooyen left behind his overnight co-leaders to grab a commanding four-shot lead going into the final day of the Irish Open on Saturday.

Van Rooyen began the third round in a three-way tie for the lead, but stormed to the turn in just 29 shots on his way to a superb 6-under-par 66 to finish 14 under.

He’s four shots ahead of Joakim Lagergren of Sweden (69) and Ryan Fox of New Zealand (70).

Former Masters champion Danny Willett (69) was five shots off the pace after recovering from a poor start with the aid of four birdies in a row on the back nine, and Lee Westwood was seven behind after a 70.

Defending champion Jon Rahm of Spain was eight shots off the lead after a 67 which included a front nine of 30, and tournament host Rory McIlroy was 13 adrift following a 72.

Van Rooyen, seeking a first European Tour title, made the ideal start at Ballyliffin with birdies on the first and second before picking up further shots on the fourth,..

We realize reaction videos are not a novel concept, especially for the World Cup. There's one from eight years ago (scary thought) that went viral after Landon Donovan scored the game-winning goal in the group stage against Algeria. Yeah, that's right, America was in the World Cup back then. Good times.
RELATED: One week into the World Cup and Russia is already running out of beer
While all these reaction vids from crazy sports fans are great, none have done them better than England is currently doing them during this magical World Cup run. On Saturday, England defeated Sweden 2-0 to advance to the semifinals, and following each goal, the reaction vids began to pour in. Here a few of the best ones that I've been watching on repeat for the last hour, wishing I was in attendance for such legendary debauchery:
https://twitter.com/HQSportsBar1/status/1015605541618503681
https://twitter.com/HQSportsBar1/status/1015615809476026368
https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/101560..

What's the best part of going to a golf tournament as a young fan? Unlike with a baseball game, you don't even have to lug your glove around to come away with a fantastic souvenir. PGA Tour pros are super generous with their own golf balls and gloves (It helps they have an unlimited supply of both), and if you ask nicely — after a round works best — you're likely to be handed one. But every once in awhile, you really hit the jackpot with a discarded piece of equipment like one lucky fan at this week's A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier.
RELATED: Our mid-season PGA Tour awards
The young lad positioned himself by the ropes where players were walking off the 18th green and was shocked when Danny Lee handed him his putter as he walked past. So much so he asked “Are you sure?” as Lee continued to the sign his scorecard and then promptly to the parking lot because he missed the cut. And yes, Danny was sure. Check it out:
https://twitter.com/Skratch/status/101546786757..

It’s always shocking when a tour pro does something we see our hacker buddies do on a regular basis. If you haven't whiffed on a shot (c'mon, you can admit it), you certainly have seen it happen on the golf course.
Beatriz Recari's whiff on Friday at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic was certainly surprising to watch live, especially considering the stature of Recari—having won three times on the LPGA Tour and represented the Europeans at the Solheim Cup in 2013. But it's perhaps just another reminder that golf is a really, really hard sport, even for those who compete at the highest level.
https://twitter.com/golfguy77/status/1015385517867786240
Remember when Phil Mickelson whiffed this year at the Masters? It happens to the world's best golfers.
Kudos to Recari for shaking the miss off and stepping right back up and nailing her drive. It appears she was wearing spikeless shoes, and with wet turf on the tee box, she slipped as she was swinging. We've all ..

ONEIDA, Wis. (AP) Sei Young Kim got off to a great start in the second round and finished the day with a four-stroke lead at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic. Her advantage could have been even better.

After missing makeable birdie putts on four of her final five holes, Kim had to settle for a 7-under-par 65 to move to 16-under 128 – tied for the lowest on the LPGA Tour this season. She then headed straight to the practice green.

”Just a couple minutes of putting. That’s it,” Kim said. ”I missed a couple birdie putts the last few holes. Just check out that and then no more practice.”

Starting on the back nine, Kim birdied her first four holes and six of her first seven before a double-bogey on her eighth, the par-3 17th.

”The first hole, my second shot was a tap-in birdie,” said Kim, who is seeking her first win since May 2017. ”After that, every hole I got it close to the pin. I had a lot of birdie opportunities. It was perfect weather so, every hole, I could attack the pin.”

Yu..

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) Kelly Kraft is about to find out whether he’s ready to handle the lead entering the weekend for the first time on the PGA Tour.

Kraft shot a 7-under 63 in the second round of A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier on Friday to take a one-stroke edge over first-round leader Webb Simpson and Anirban Lahiri of India.

Kraft posted his career-best round at the Old White TPC. He was at 13-under 127.

Kraft is looking to turn around a season that has included missed cuts in seven of his 10 previous tournaments, including last week at the Quicken Loans National. But he has had some success in West Virginia, where he tied for fifth last year.

”I’ve kind of changed my attitude a little bit starting with last week,” Kraft said. ”I just feel like I’m ready to keep playing good.”

Kraft made four birdies on the front nine and didn’t let a bogey on the par-5 12th hole derail him. He added birdies on the next two holes and took the lead with a six-foot birdie putt o..

DONEGAL, Ireland (AP) Ryan Fox of New Zealand, Matthieu Pavon of France and Dutch golfer Erik van Rooyen shared the lead after the second round of the Irish Open on Friday, while Danny Willett’s return to form catapulted him into contention at Ballyliffin Golf and Country Club.

Willett reached a career-high ranking of ninth after claiming his first major title at the 2016 U.S. Masters, but slumped to 442nd after missing his ninth cut in 12 events at last week’s French Open.

The 30-year-old Englishman added a 2-under 70 to his opening 68 to lie two shots behind Fox (69), Pavon (68) and Van Rooyen (65).

Joakim Lagergren is one off the lead on 7-under, with Willett joined on 6-under by Sam Horsfield and Zander Lombard. Lee Westwood is on 5-under, while tournament host Rory McIlroy is seven off the pace after a disappointing 73.

”It’s been tough to see somebody that good struggle for that amount of time but today was the Danny Willett of old and it’s nice to see,” European Ryder Cup ca..

Are golfers athletes? It's an age-old debate that tends to get very heated, very quickly. On one hand, of course they are! Have you seen Brooks Koepka's biceps? Ever watch Dustin Johnson stroll to the first tee in person? Did you watch Tiger Woods during his prime? These guys aren't pro cornhole players, they are well-oiled machines.
RELATED: Watch Russell Knox come up clutch when asked to repeat his winning putt from Travelers Championship
On the other hand, John Daly plays golf, which could hurt the argument depending on how you view John Daly. Personally, I think the man is a flexible freak of nature that's enjoyed a few beverages in his day, but I could see why some wouldn't consider him an athlete.
Unfortunately, the golfers are athletes argument took a big hit on Friday at the Irish Open when Russell Knox attempted to toss an apple into the rough at Ballyliffin Golf Club. Let's just say he doesn't have the arm of Phil Mickelson:
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This documentary series from the R&A is now in its third season and offers some of more fascinating stories about past Open Championship winners