Spieth stays in front after late birdie run
CROMWELL: Jordan Spieth birdied three of the last four holes, including the last with a dramatic 20-foot putt, to grab a one-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the US PGA Travelers Championship.
Sixth-ranked Spieth, the 2015 Masters and US Open champion, shook off backto-back bogeys at 13 and 14 with a sizzling finish, curling in his final putt for a fourunder par 66 to reach 12-under 198 after 54 holes.
American Boo Weekley, who hasn’t won a PGA title since 2013 at Colonial and hasn’t finished in the top 25 this season, fired a 65 to stand second on 199 with compatriot Daniel Berger third on 201.
Taiwan’s CT Pan fired the day’s low round, a 64, to join England’s Paul Casey and Sweden’s David Lingmerth in fourth on 202.
Spieth hoped to carry the momentum from his strong finish into the final round yesterday.
“I’m going to go out there and play solid golf,” Spieth said. “That’s what we’ve been doing. That’s cliché, but a couple [birdies] a side on a round like today, I thought at the beginning of the week if you shot 4 under each day, you’d be right there. So I think that’s the goal.”
Spieth began the day with a one-stroke edge and five opening pars solidified his spot. He found a bunker at the par-three fifth but sank a clutch 15-foot par putt to stay ahead. He followed with birdies at the par-five sixth and par-four seventh.
Spieth closed the front nine with a bogey for the second time in three days, but responded with birdies from eight feet at the 10th and half that distance at the parthree 11th to reach 11-under, jumping back in front as Hoffman made double bogey at the par-three 16th and closed bogey-bogey.
A splashdown second shot for Spieth at the par-five 13th led to a bogey, trimming his edge to one stroke over Daniel Berger.
But Spieth missed the green on his approach at 14 and missed a six-foot par putt to fall into a share of the lead with Berger and Weekley.
Again Spieth answered the challenge, firing his tee shot at the par-four 15th into a greenside bunker, then blasting out inches from the cup for a tap-in birdie to reclaim sole possession of the lead at 10-under.
Spieth then sank a five-foot birdie putt at the par-three 16th to share the lead with Weekley at 11-under after his rival’s birdiebirdie finish, setting up his dramatic goahead birdie at 18.
LEADING THIRD ROUND SCORES
(Par-70; USA unless noted)
198 — Jordan Spieth 63-69-66
199 — Boo Weekley 66-68-65
201 — Daniel Berger 68-67-66
202 — CT Pan (TWN) 70-68-64, David Lingmerth (SWE) 67-70-65, Paul Casey (ENG) 68-68-66
203 — David Hearn (CAN) 67-70-66, Keegan Bradley 67-70-66, Danny Lee (NZL) 68-67-68
204 — Jason Kokrak 71-67-66, Webb Simpson 70-6866, Charley Hoffman 69-67-68, Chez Reavie 69-66-69, Patrick Rodgers 70-65-69
205 — Marc Leishman (AUS) 69-68-68, Bryson DeChambeau 67-72-66, Brian Harman 66-70-69, Ryan Brehm 68-68-69, Brendan Steele 68-68-69, Patrick Reed 67-66-72
206 — Rick Lamb 69-69-68, Morgan Hoffmann 67-7069, Xander Schauffle 66-70-70, Padraig Harrington (IRL) 66-69-71, Bryce Molder 70-70-66, Chase Seiffert 68-66-72, Troy Merritt 65-68-73