GOLF ROUNDUP : U.S. Sweeps Into Dunhill Semifinals

The United States team of Tom Kite, Curtis Strange and Fred Couples scored a 3-0 victory over New Zealand on Saturday at St. Andrews, Scotland, to lift the Americans into the Dunhill Cup semifinals.

The defending champion Americans flirted with elimination and got much-needed help from an unknown Japanese golfer, Yoshinori Mizumaki, who shot an eight-under-par 64 to prevent the Irish from edging the U.S. team.

Had it lost one match Saturday, the U.S. would have finished tied for the Group One lead with Ireland. The Irish team would then have advanced because of its 2-1 victory over the Americans in head-to-head play Friday.

The U.S. team will face England, which won all nine of its matches in the first three rounds, in one semifinal. South Africa will play surprising Canada in the other semifinal.

“It was pretty scary,” said Kite, whose 69 beat Grant Waite by two.

Strange also finished with a 69 for a one-shot victory. Couples, who had blown an early three-stroke lead, beat Greg Turner by two with an even-par 72. Zimbabwe, led by PGA and British Open titlist Nick Price, beat Sweden, 2-1, tying Canada and making the Canadians’ 2-1 victory in their head-to-head meeting on Friday the deciding factor.

South Africa advanced by beating host nation Scotland, 2-1. England swept Australia, 3-0.

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Craig Stadler and Rick Fehr, who has gone eight years since his only victory on the PGA Tour, shared the Disney Classic lead after the third round at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Stadler finished the day with a five-under 67 and a three-round 201 total. Fehr birdied three of his final four holes to shoot a four-under 68.

Fourteen players were within five shots of the leaders.

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Gary Player played bogey-free golf in shooting a four-under-par 68 to share the lead with three others after the second round of the $600,000 Transamerica Senior Golf Championship at Napa, Calif.

Player, Butch Baird, Tommy Aycock and Jay Sigel are at eight-under 136.

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Tiger Woods regained his swing after getting a tip from a golf writer, and his five-under-par 67 boosted the U.S. team back into the lead of the World Amateur Team Championships at La Boulie, France.

The U.S. squad finished the third round with a 16-under 629 total, one better than a combined team from Great Britain and Ireland and four better than Australia.

“Thanks to a tip from a golf writer that my hip turn was too big, my swing came good today,” said Woods, who had eight birdies.

Allen Doyle, a veteran of amateur play for the U.S., shot a 69 and was at eight under for three rounds. Todd Demsey shot 71 and John Harris a 72.