Hadwin just three strokes off pace at Bridgestone

Thomas Pieters finds golf to be a lot more enjoyable when he’s playing from the fairway.

Sometimes that includes another fairway.

The big hitter from Belgium ripped a fairway metal from the third fairway at Firestone over the trees and onto the green at the par5 second hole, leading to one of his three straight birdies to start the third round at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Pieters needed another long shot — this one a 30-foot birdie putt that rammed into the back of the cup — to cap off a wild day with a 4-under 66 and a share of the lead with Zach Johnson.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford is three shots back at 6 under following a 67. He finished his round with birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 and is tied for fifth with Charley Hoffman and Rory McIlroy. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., shot a 73 and is 11 over.

Johnson, who watched McIlroy blast drives 300 yards or more all day, showed that an efficient wedge game works, too. Just like Pieters, he had eight birdies in a round of 65 and holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the last hole.

Johnson now figures to get another front-row seat to the power game.

Pieters and Johnson were at 9-under 201 going into the final round and it’s particularly meaningful for both of them.

Johnson hasn’t won since he captured his second major at St Andrews and he’s just now starting to find some form with his short game. Pieters is a three-time winner on the European Tour who showed his awesome potential at the Ryder Cup last year and now has his best chance to win in the U.S. since he captured the NCAA title at Riviera while playing for the University of Illinois.

Pieters headed for the driving range after the round to figure out his driver. He was 5 under through eight holes and led by three shots when his accuracy took a turn in every direction — mostly to the left. He didn’t hit a fairway after the 10th hole, dropped three shots and fell out of the lead only as long as it took him to make his eighth and final birdie.

“First eight holes I was in the fairway, hit good shots, made putts,” Pieters said. “And the last 11 is a struggle. I just was out of position every hole. Tomorrow I’ve just got to figure out a way to hit fairways. That’s it.”