Pieters, Z. Johnson set pace at Firestone
AKRON, Ohio — Thomas Pieters of Belgium ended his roller-coaster round with his eighth birdie, a 30-footer that rammed into the back of the cup for a 4-under 66 that gave him a share of the lead with Zach Johnson in the Bridgestone Invitational.
Pieters, who led by as many as three shots with his explosive start Saturday, ran into trouble off the tee and kept dropping shots on the back nine. Moments after Johnson holed a 10-foot birdie on the 18th for a 65 to take the lead, Pieters joined him with his long putt.
Pieters made only three pars over his last 11 holes, yet he still has his best chance to win in America.
Johnson, who hasn’t won since he captured his second major at St. Andrews two years ago, gave up some 30 yards to Rory McIlroy throughout their round. But on a Firestone course on which he has never seriously contended, he was efficient as ever.
They were at 9-under 201, and they had plenty of company.
One shot behind was Scott Hend of Australia, who got into his first Bridgestone Invitational on a loophole and posted a 63 even with two three-putt bogeys. The World Golf Championship set aside one spot for the winner of a designated event on the Asian Tour. When that tournament never came
together, organizers agreed to take the winner of the Order of Merit from the previous year.
Hend is making the most of his chances in his debut at Firestone. After his lone bogey on the par-3 seventh with a three-putt bogey, Hend took only 10 putts over the final 11 holes, three of them from 30 feet or longer, one of those for par.
“Just channeling my inner Jordan Spieth,” he said.
Hideki Matsuyama, already with one World Golf Championship he won last fall in Shanghai, had a 67 and was two shots behind.
3M Championship
BLAINE, Minn. — About 30 minutes after his tournament record-setting 60 concluded Saturday, Paul Goydos completed a media session and looked at a 3M Championship scoreboard.
Up by one shot, he was not confident he’d be there at day’s end, predicting Kenny Perry — who had six holes to play — would be ahead by three shots.
Not quite.
Perry made just one birdie down the stretch at the TPC Twin Cities to shoot his second-straight 65, leaving him tied at 130 with Goydos and Gene Sauers heading into today’s final round. Sauers shot an 8-under 64.
“It’s funny, you can shoot a pair of 65s, be 14-under and they’re catching you,” Perry said.
Goydos, who shot 59 at the PGA’s 2010 John Deere Classic, was 7-under through 12 holes, before birdies at 15, 16 and 17 and an eagle on the par-5 18th.
“It was just one of those weird days,” he said. “The whole key to that round was to stay completely out of your own way and let whatever happens, happen. I did a pretty good job of that.”
Scott Dunlap (63) and Brandt Jobe (64) were one shot behind; Steve Stricker (63) and Marco Dawson (66) were two back.
Goodes shot 68 and was one of seven players trailing by three shots.
Women’s British Open
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — I.K. Kim answered the challenge with a 6-under 66 in the Women’s British Open to build a six-shot lead as she goes after her first major championship.
Kim faced a battle before she even teed off Saturday at Kingsbarns Links. Inbee Park tied a course record with a 64 to get within one shot. Stacy Lewis (University of Arkansas) shot a 65 and was only two shots behind.
Kim was equally impressive. The 29-year-old South Korean played bogey-free and was at 17-under 199. She was six shots clear of Georgia Hall of England and Moriya Jutanugarn. Lexi Thompson shot 74 and was 10 shots behind.
Kim’s best shot at a major was the Kraft Nabisco five years ago when she missed a 1-foot putt, and then lost in a playoff.