SEOUL: Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez and Australian Brett Rumford were in the driving seat at the Ballantine's Championship Saturday before rain and the threat of lighting brought an early end to the third round. The weather forced players off the Blackstone Golf Club course near the South Korean capital just after the leaders had completed their front nine, tied on 10-under. The 33-year old Rumford fired an even-par 36 with a bogey and a birdie and witnessed his overnight lead slip away as Jimenez holed three birdies to make the turn at 33. Rumford, chasing his fourth European Tour title at the event co-sanctioned by the European, Asian and Korean Tours, parred his first six holes before he bogeyed the seventh. The Australian recovered with a birdie on the eighth that brought him back for a share of the lead with Jimenez. Jimenez, 47, started the day with consecutive birdies at the first and second holes and added the third with a 15-foot put on the eighth. Rhys Davies of Wales was in third place, two stokes behind with seven holes remaining, while England's world number one Lee Westwood was tied for 11th, four strokes off the pace after 12. Watson takes charge Long-hitting American Bubba Watson eagled the par-five 11th for a second consecutive day on his way to a one-shot lead in the second round of the New Orleans Classic Friday. Joint pacesetter overnight with Australian Matt Jones, the left-hander fired a four-under-par 68 in dazzling sunshine at the TPC Louisiana and stayed in front of the late starters as the greens firmed up and wind strengthened in the afternoon. The 32-year-old Watson, from nearby Bagdad in the Florida panhandle, also recorded three birdies and a lone bogey to take control of the PGA Tour event with a 10-under total of 134. American Josh Teater, a rookie on the circuit last year, briefly got to 11 under before double-bogeying the last for a 66 and second place. John Rollins carded a 69 to lie third at eight under, a stroke in front of fellow Americans Jason Dufner (69), Webb Simpson (69) and Dean Wilson (64), plus Australians John Senden (67) and Jones (71). Gal leads Avnet In Alabama, Sandra Gal of Germany birdied five of the final eight holes Friday for a 5-under 67 and a one-stroke lead over Amy Yang in the Avnet LPGA Classic, the tour's only event in a six-week stretch. Yang shot a 68. She bogeyed No. 1 and had eight straight pars before birdieing Nos. 10, 12, 14, 16 and 17. Stacy Lewis, coming off a major victory in the Kraft Nabisco, had a 71, leaving her two strokes back at 5 under along with Karen Stupples (71) and Song-Hee Kim (72). Defending champion Se Ri Pak, a three-time winner at Magnolia Grove, had a 71 to match Suzann Pettersen (68), Sun Young Yoo (68), Jenny Suh (69) and Sarah Kemp (70) at 4
