Kirk takes 2-shot lead into final round at Honda Classic
Chris Kirk’s last win on the PGA Tour was nearly eight years ago. He’s put himself in a position to change that at the Honda Classic.
Kirk battled his way to a 4-under round of 66 on Saturday, putting him at 13-under 197 for the week and giving him a twoshot lead over Eric Cole (66) through three rounds at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
His last win on tour was at Colonial in 2015 — 180 tournaments ago. He’s a four-time winner on tour, played in the Presidents Cup in 2015, and has been waiting to hoist a trophy again since.
Kirk made a wild birdie on the last, after his second shot on the par-5 18th wound up next to the grandstand and underneath someone’s bag that was left against structure. He got a drop, chipped on from there and made the putt to restore a two-shot lead.
And now he has a chance to be a winner again — with most of the players nearest to him on the leaderboard looking for their first tour wins.
“It’s been so long since I’ve won,” Kirk said. “I’m going to be plenty nervous, just as nervous as those guys are probably.”
Cole stayed in the mix with his second consecutive round of 66.
Justin Suh holed out from the fairway for an eagle on the par-4 12th, and is alone in third at 10 under. He shot even-par 70 on Saturday.
LIV Golf
Talor Gooch made a 4-foot birdie putt on his final hole to tie Peter Uihlein for the lead in a LIV Golf season debut at Mayakoba that looks to be an Oklahoma State alumni reunion.
Uihlein was in the lead for most of Saturday at El Camaleon in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, until a bogeybirdie-bogey finish led to a 5-under 66. Gooch played bogey-free, ending his round with an approach to short range on the par-4 first hole.
They were teammates at Oklahoma State — Uihlein was a junior having won the U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay when Gooch was a freshman.
They were at 9-under 133, one shot ahead of Charles Howell III, who played for the Cowboys more than a decade earlier. Howell opened with three straight birdies and closed with a birdie for a 66.
LPGA Tour
Thai rookie Natthakritta Vongtaveelap shot a bogey-free 64 to grab a fourstroke lead over fellow countrywoman Atthaya Thitikul after round three of the US$1.7 million LPGA Thailand.
The 20-year-old Vongtaveelap began with an eagle and went on to notch six birdies, including three in a row from the 16th, to finish on 20-under-par-196 in front of thousands of jubilant home fans at the Siam Country Club.
European Tour
Yannik Paul’s lead at the Hero Indian Open was trimmed from five shots to one after the third round of the European tour event at New Dehli, India.
Paul, who shot a 1-under 71 to move to 11 under overall, is one ahead of fellow German Marcel Siem.