From hole-in-one to 11 at World Cup

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Welsh golfer Stuart Manley went from a hole-in-one to an 11 at Royal Melbourne on Saturday in the third round of the World Cup.

The good news came on the par-3 third when Manley moved into a share of second place with the ace using an 8-iron on the 161-meter (176-yard) hole.

Manley patted the roof of the car after the ace, thinking he had won it, but the car is only available for a hole-in-one on Sunday during the final round. He found out the bad news when he got to the green to pluck his ball out of the hole.

But before he had a chance to see himself on the leaderboard, Manley went from a 1 to double figures on the par-4 fourth. He recovered the rest of the way to shoot a 1-over 72 and was still among the top 10 after three rounds.

"I thought I had won the car, and the adrenalin was really pumping," Manley said. "The highest high to the lowest low. I heard some giggles ... some laughs" from the crowd.

Manley's approach on the fourth went into a greenside bunker, and his third shot went off the back of the green. When he chipped back on, his shot rolled off the front of the green and into a gully.

From there, it took him four attempts to get the ball back on the green it kept rolling back down to his feet before he three-putted for the 11. He went then from second to a tie for 15th.

Manley, who shot an opening-round 67 to be among the first-round leaders and shot 72 on Friday, reacquired his European Tour card for next year at last week's qualifying tournament in Spain, then made a rushed trip to Australia.

It's his first time playing at Royal Melbourne he came here in 2005 in an attempt to get into a tournament, but never got in as a reserve.

The 346th-ranked Manley intended to play in the team event for Wales, but his scheduled partner, Jamie Donaldson, withdrew with a back injury. That forced Manley to play as one of eight individuals in the 60-player field.