Horschel, Gooch share lead
MIAMI (AFP) — Billy Horschel rolled in a 28-foot birdie putt from off the green at 18 on Saturday to grab a share of the third-round lead alongside Talor Gooch at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Horschel, the 2014 FedEx Cup champion, had four birdies in his one-under-par 71 on a day when gusting winds and slick greens made for tough going at Bay Hill in Orlando, Florida.
Gooch joined Horschel on seven-under-par 209 with an even-par 72.
Gooch had jarred a 33-foot birdie putt at 15 and a 14-footer at 16 to reach eight-under, then got up and down for par from a greenside bunker at the par-three 17th.
But he missed a five and a half foot par putt at 18, his fourth bogey of the day dropping him into a share of the lead.
Amid the swings and struggles of the day, overnight pacesetter Viktor Hovland had led by as many as four strokes, shaking off a bogey-bogey start with an eagle at the sixth, where he holed out from a greenside bunker.
The world number four from Norway curled in a 10-foot birdie at the eighth, but he was four-over on the back nine in a three-over par round capped by back-to-back bogeys that robbed of even a share of the lead.
At six-under 210, Hovland was one stroke in front of Scottie Scheffler, who matched the best round of the day with a four-under-par 68 for 211.
Brehm retains control
MIAMI (AFP) — Ryan Brehm fired five birdies in a four-under par 68 on Saturday to push his lead in the US PGA Puerto Rico Open to three strokes over fellow American Michael Kim.
Kim, who trailed by one through 36 holes, fired a two-under par 70 at Rio Grande to stand alone in second, one stroke in front of Chad Ramey, Andrew Novak, Tommy Gainey and Max McGreevy.
Brehm capped his round with an unlikely birdie at the 18th, where threaded his second shot through the trees and rolled in the putt.
Brehm is making his final start on a minor medical exemption. A first US PGA Tour title on Sunday would give him full tour status for the remainder of the season. Solo second would still give him limited playing privileges for the rest of the campaign.
Kim, meanwhile, is seeking a second US PGA Tour title, after his victory in the 2018 John Deere Classic.
On 204, he was oen stroke in front of a quartet of players: Chad Ramey, Andrew Novak, Tommy Gainey and Max McGreevy, in the tournament being played opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
Ferguson roars ahead
Ewen Ferguson will take a four-shot lead into the final round of the 2022 Magical Kenya Open presented by Absa as he looks for a first win on the DP World Tour.
The Scot entered day three at Muthaiga Golf Club a shot off the lead but ended it with a commanding advantage as a 66 moved him to 14 under.
Swede Marcus Kinhult and China’s Wu Ashun were his nearest challengers, with Spanish duo Jorge Campillo and Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez, England’s David Horsey and German Matti Schmid five shots off the lead.
Ferguson birdied the first from 12 feet to join Shubhankar Sharma at the top of the leaderboard and then put a brilliant second to ten feet at the par-five fourth to set up an eagle and lead by two.
His lead was cut to one at the turn thanks to a dropped shot at the sixth but he re-established his cushion with a two-putt birdie on the par-five tenth.